Town centre roads like the Wild West, says councillor

Councillor Peter Williams

‘Lawless’ drivers have turned Middleton town centre into the Wild West, a councillor has claimed.

Councillor Peter Williams has called for a clampdown on brazen motorists who ignore one-way systems and bus or taxi lanes.

Addressing Superintendent John-Paul Ruffle at a Rochdale Council scrutiny committee meeting, he said: “I have always described Middleton town centre as lawless in terms of the traffic orders in the actual centre where it’s supposed to be restricted. People go in and out regardless of the signs.

“What it needs is some police officers there to capture moving traffic going in the wrong direction, not being taxis, not being buses, and stop it. We have never committed any resources to it.”

Superintendent Ruffle, who was at the meeting to discuss the borough’s draft community safety plan, said he agreed the issue needed be addressed - but stationing officers in the centre may not be the best approach.

He told the meeting that the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to catch offenders could be a better use of resources.

“I do think there are effective technological options,” he said, adding that a slew of fixed penalties would soon drive the message home.

Councillor Williams agreed that a sudden flurry of fines could prove to be an effective deterrent for motorists stuck in the habit of driving where they please.

He said: “We have highlighted it for years, we have tried to get mobile cameras, but never has anything happened.

“All it needs is a couple of days to penalise people, that information then gets out and people will stop driving through the centre willy-nilly.”

Mark Dalzell, head of neighbourhood services at Rochdale Council, said that the authority was considering investing in improved CCTV in problem areas next year.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter