Ashton-in-Makerfield Community Forum

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19/031/08. York Road/York Road South is to be closed for resurfacing for two weeks from March 30th.

12/02/08. After the tragic death of Elizabeth Jepson in a road traffic accident in 2005 local residents have succeeded in having safety railings installed outside Tesco Express in Bolton Road. The railings will prevent cars and lorries from parking on the pavement outside the store, which created a hazard at the Bolton Road/Bryn Road South junction.

29/01/08. With the growth in popularity of rail travel, the GMPTA are holding a seminar on 27th February at Manchester Town Hall for the public to share views on the rail network with the operators, Network Rail and GMPTE. Attendance can be confirmed by contacting Leanne Bar-Oz on 0161 244 3335, by the 18th February, or on the GMPTA website via the Surgeries, Seminars & Events section - www.gmpta.gov.uk. In addition, surgeries will be held at transport links in Greater Manchester, including Wigan Wallgate Rail Station on Tuesday 27 May 2008, 4.00pm - 6.00pm.

07/12/07. Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority and the Passenger Transport Executive have now accepted the case for new investment in the rail network to serve Golborne, Lowton and Ashton. Officers met local MPs who have strongly pressed the case for investment in the local rail network, including a new station at Golborne.

25/11/07. Wigan's transport chiefs intend to link off-road and cycle lanes to provide a borough-wide network of routes. The intention is to enable cyclists to travel from one end of the borough to the other, promoting cycling as a means of transport for adults and children and helping to reduce the amount of cars on local roads. It is now seven years since the then Ashton Community Forum submitted a proposal to the Council for local cycling routes in Ashton, which went unacknowledged.

21/09/07. Wigan Council has announced wide-ranging plans for improvements to the town centre which will improve accessibility and pedestrian safety; reduce street clutter by removing signs and bollards; and enfore parking restrictions. The speed limit in the centre of town will be 20mph, assisted by raised junction tables and speed cushions in Bryn Street and Gerard Street. New pedestrian facilities will be installed at the junction of Wigan Road/Bolton Road/Gerard Street, and on Gerard Street itself. The traffic lights at the Wigan Road/Old Road/Bryn Street junction will be upgraded, and all signals will include radar sensing to reduce traffic queues. The technology will be used to assist traffic turning right from Liverpool Road into Warrington Road by delaying the changing of the lights. Additional improvements are to be made to the paving in the town centre following further consultation.The Council does not expect the improvements to resolve all of Ashton's traffic problems, but considers that the work will improve safety and accessibility. A plan of the proposed improvements is on the Gerard Centre notice board.

27/08/07. Students at Byrchall High and St Edmund Arrowsmith schools are benefitting from Greater Manchester's school bus scheme. With up to 30% of students who previously travelled to school by car now using the yellow bus service, the scheme is helping to tackle the congestion caused by the school run. All 134 places on the specially-designed US-style buses have been taken up.

22/08/07. Wigan Metro Highway Engineers are considering what improvements can be made to the town centre under the council's local transport plan. Standish and Hindley have benefitted, and now it is Ashton's turn to see improvements. Plans include the widening parts of Gerard Street pavements; flat top crossing points to slow traffic and benefit pedestrians; revised and improved pedestrian facilities at traffic junctions; completion of the block paving in Gerard Street; upgraded traffic lights to introduce phasing and improve flow of traffic; trees in the main street, heritage street furniture, planters and benches. Work is expected to begin in the current financial year. The plans should be steps in bringing to fruition a vision of Ashton first mooted at the original Ashton Community Forum in 2000.

06/12/06. The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) has named seven local railway stations, including Bryn, as priorities for future funding. Bryn station has been recognised as a well-used facility, and is now in line to be included in the authority's Rail Improvement Strategy.

27/11/06. The planned extension to the South Lancs Industrial Estate is now proposing the creation of a new road running from Bryn Road by St Peter's Church to a major junction on Wigan Road between the Golden Ball and the Brooklands Nursery (formally Miss Rose’s infant school). The 'Makerfield Against Development' Group are holding a public meeting to discuss the proposals at Landgate Community Centre on Thursday next.

11/10/06. As part the Council's Local Transport Plan, councillors and representatives of business groups and community organisations are assisting in a community audit in the town centre. The purpose of the audit is to evaluate the quality of public space from the viewpoint of those who use to shop, meet friends and neighbours, or simply watch the world go by. The audit will take place on Tuesday next, and consist of a walkabout along the length of Gerard Street. The findings will help produce a report that the Council will use when formulating plans for Gerard Street and Ashton Town Centre over the next three years.

22/07/06. Windsor Road residents are concerned about increased traffic arising from the Saddlers Park housing development on the old weaving shed site. Originally access was designed to be from Brandsford Close, but objections by residents there led it to be revised to the old site entrance opposite Park View. As Park View and Windsor Road are used as a 'rat run' by traffic avoiding the town centre, their is concern that the Park View/Windsor Road/Saddlers Park junction will lead to increased accidents.

10/07/06. Public transport chiefs have agreed to continue the weekend Nightbus service for another two years. Funded by the GMPTA, the scheme runs from Wigan North Western rail station to outlying parts of Wigan, including Ashton, every hour from 23.50 to 03.20 on Fridays and Saturdays. The buses provide a safe service for clubbers and late night workers, and further details can be found at the GMPTE website.

18/04/06. GMPTA is to invest £400,000 for an additional 150 bus shelters in the Greater Manchester area. Local bus users can request a shelter at their bus stop by calling the GMPTE on 016 1242 6960 to initiate a detailed consultation with their local community.

04/03/06. Borough residents who are over 60 or disabled will be able to travel free on local buses and trains from April. Funded by GMPTE, free off-peak travel will apply to all journeys after 09.30 Monday to Friday and all day Saturday and Sundays. Concessionary rates will still apply to journeys before 09.30.

26/01/06. Traffic lights are to be put on local motorway entrances in the first such scheme in the country. The lights will be installed at the Winwick, Haydock, Ashton and Bryn junctions as well as others within Greater Manchester. They will be triggered by car-counting sensors to limit the number of cars joining the M6 during peak times, thus reducing stop-start driving on the motorway. The scheme is known as 'ramp metering' and is already used in Holland, France and America. Work to install the equipment will start later this month and is due to be completed in the spring, following testing.

07/11/05. Greater Manchester PTA and Merseytravel are funding two new services to improve cross-boundary links to employment opportunities at the South Lancs Industrial Estate and Haydock, and rail links to Manchester via Newton-le-Willows station. The 603 service serves Newton-le-Willows Community Hospital, Wargrave, Newton Station, Earlestown, Haydock, Ashton Cross, Garswood, Downall Green, Ashton Centre and Ashton Heath. The 605 service has been extended and now starts from Newton-le-Willows station to serve Ashton Road, Newton-le-Willows High School, Lodge Lane, Haydock Park, Ashton, the South Lancs Industrial Estate, and Bryn Cross.

16/09/05. Wigan MBC Engineering Department is to impose additional parking/waiting restrictions on Golborne road, close to St. Wilfred's School, and opposite Tesco Express on Bolton Road, to reduce traffic hazards.

31/07/05. Residents from the Bolton Road area presented a petition to local MP Ian McCartney calling for measures to improve road safety on two local roads. This follows a recent tragic accident near the entrance to the Tesco Express store, a notoriously hazardous spot.

23/12/04. Metro engineers are to install safety measures on Golborne Road, Stubshaw Cross following the creation of the new play area by local residents. The road is to have a new refuge crossing with anti-skid surface, and the council is to monitor the crossing and consider further safety improvements.

28/06/04 According to the latest issue of "Borough Life", the magazine distributed by Wigan Council to all residents of the borough, the existing zebra crossing on Bolton Road is to be included in a list of future schemes for upgrade to a Pelican Crossing.

26/06/04. A study is being undertaken to identify transport problems and evaluate potential public transport improvements in the Ashton, Culcheth, Golborne and Newton-le-Willows area. The outcome of the study which will be completed in November will lead to a costed implementation programme for the area.

Parking enforcement in Wigan is to be strengthened from July 1 when responsibility is transferred to Vinci Park Services. Eleven extra traffic wardens will be patrolling the streets and the fixed penalty fines for illegal parking will double from £30 to £60.

07/06/04. Following meetings between local MPs Ian McCartney and Andy Burnham plus Greater Manchester PTA, Merseytravel, the Strategic Rail Authority and Nework Rail with Transport Minister Dr Kim Howells, a wide-ranging public transport study will be examining the effect of re-connecting Golborne Station to the national railway network. Consultants will assess all public transport needs both within the immediate area and over longer distances in the short- and long-term with a view to making travel by public transport easier. The report is expected in November.

27/02/04. The Nightbus late night service taking people from Wigan town centre to outlying districts is proving a success and is being extended to new areas. Buses leave Wigan bus station for Ashton at 23.50, 00.50, 01.50 and 02.50 and there is a flat rate fare of £2.00.

Community Forum Reports

June 2003. I Winstanley gave details of the Highways Agency M6 Warrington to Scottish Border Route Management Strategy, and the proposed new A5225 Orrell to Atherton highway, which might do much to remove heavy traffic from the town. It was also noted that cycle lanes had been designated on Wigan Road.

20/06/03. Ashton could be on the route of a scheme to link the Sankey St Helens and Leeds & Liverpool.canals if a feasibility study by British Waterways comes to fruition. The £100m proposal would create 12 miles of new waterway, opening up St Helens to the inland network by joining the Leeds & Liverpool canal possibly at Dover Lock, Abram, or Landgate.

08/06/03. Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive has announced that it will conduct a public transport study into the proposal for a new railway station in Golborne.

02/05/03. Local MPs Andy Burnham (Leigh) and Ian McCartney (Ince) have presented a petition to the House of Commons declaring that a new railway station in Golborne would enhance the quality of life for residents in Golborne, Lowton, Ashton and the surrounding districts, and requesting that the House of Commons urge the Government, the Strategic Rail Authority, the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority and others concerned to take steps to provide the station.

February 2002. H Jones said that considerations were still being given to the extension of the 607 bus service to Lincoln Drive with a long-term view of extending the service to Manor Park.

November 2001. A Transport Meeting on Friday 30th November would be considering extension of the 607 bus service to the bottom of Lincoln Drive at the request of local residents.

27/09/01. In order to reduce traffic accidents in Old Road Wigan MBC have agreed to install a mini-roundabout.

June 2001. David Walker from Wigan MBC Engineering Department addressed the meeting regarding the 'Feet First' walking strategy. He explained that the Government were making resources available for local councils to promote alternatives to the car. Such funds could be used for footpath development and improvement, etc, but initially councils were to develop local strategies for alternative modes of transport.

3/03/01 Bryn Councillor Robin Atkinson is one of the local councillors supporting a campaign to make M6 Junction 25 a 'both-ways' link. A north-bound link road is now official policy for Wigan Metro, being viewed as an important element in the proposed Wigan Integrated Transport System (WITS). The creation of a new link is vital to easing traffic congestion in Ashton.

15/02/01 Residents of Cookson's Farm estate are requesting an extension of the local bus service to the bottom of Lincoln Drive.

November 2000. PC Harmer reported that the Council, local councillors and the police had been monitoring the situation on Hodnet Drive outside St Thomas's School, where inconsiderate parking by parents bringing their children to school was blocking the road. Letters had been sent to parents from the school asking them to desist, and thought was being given to what further action could be taken to resolve the problem.

August 2000. The double yellow lines were finally appearing on the street of the town following lengthy representations by the Forum.
Action by local councillors had resulted in pensioners' bus passes now being accepted on the St Helens Service.

13/7/00 Garswood Station is to be completely refurbished as part of a programme for the country's 2,500 stations. The refit will entail demolition of the existing buildings and replacement with modern facilities.

May 2000. The local PTE had been approached regarding extending the route of the 607 bus to Lincoln Drive.

February 2000. Continued efforts are being made by the forum to arrange the completion of the plan for widespread parking restrictions on the main streets of the town.

January 2000. Two more speed cameras were to be sited in the town - on Wigan Road and Bryn Road. Residents of Liverpool Road drew attention to the speeding there and it was suggested that this was a particularly suitable site for a speed camera.

27/11/99 A £2m upgrade to the Ashton/St Helens bus service will include 10 new buses, 21 electronic timetables and 40 bus shelters. The new service - called SMART - will provide 21st century facilities for local commuters.

November 1999. Residents of Tenbury Drive expressed concern regarding speeding on the estate and consequent risk to pedestrians and children. Councillor Andrew Bullen agreed to take up this issue.

April 1999. Enquiries are being made about progress with the extension of double yellow lines within the town to limit obstructions to traffic. The meeting also heard a proposal to change priorities at the Gerard St/Wigan Road/Princess Road junction to improve traffic flow.

The Wigan Cycling Forum had produced a draft cycling strategy which had been submitted to Wigan MBC to be incorporated into the local district transport plan. The Forum was urged to consider a local strategy for transport within Ashton, including the definition of cycle routes, particularly for schoolchildren.

March 1999. Wigan MBC are considering the proposals to site a pedestrian crossing in Bolton Road (A58) near Captain's Lane.

16/02/99 A representative of the Community Forum attended a meeting of the Wigan Cycle Forum. The main business of the Cycle Forum, attended by representatives of Wigan MBC and local cycling and interest groups, was to consider and endorse a draft cycle strategy for the borough, incorporating national and global reasons for a cycle strategy, local objectives, cycle route development and maintenance, cycle security, promotion and encouragement of cycling for utility, leisure and sporting purposes, liaison with the cycling community and resource implications. The strategy will now go to Wigan MBC for consideration.

January 1999. Residents in St Oswald's/Vicarage Road are conducting a survey to seek a resolution of the traffic problems being caused by motorists using the roads as a short-cut. This follows a traffic survey by the local police last year which showed that over 2,000 cars were using the route each day.

October 1998. Principal Engineer K Myers from Wigan MBC addressed the Group on the history and progress with resolving traffic problems within Ashton.

September 1998. A report was received from St Thomas' School on a survey of the number of children from the school who crossed Bolton Road. 262 pupils were surveyed and of the 169 walking to school, 59 crossed Bolton Road. The Group agreed to press for a Pelican Crossing nearby.

August 1998 PC Harmer reported on a police study of traffic in St Oswald's Road/Vicarage Road showing a high level of illegal traffic using this route as a short-cut.

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