Next Monday morning, 2nd December, local residents are to take matters into their own hands, with direct action against Salford City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and all the other authorities who, they believe, have ignored their rights to be consulted and heard on a controversial bus lane being created on the A666 between the Irlams O'Th' Height roundabout and the M60 junction at Clifton.
Between 7:30am and 9am, members of the Stop The A666 Bus Lane Madness Facebook group intend to mark out the dimensions of the bus lane at its narrowest point next to Agecroft Fire Station and block off the road...
"It will show that three lanes here will be too dangerous for pedestrians as well as cars being forced to drive much closer together" says Paul Brighouse of the Bus Lane Madness group, who is fed up with local politicians refusing to engage over the matter.
The bus lane is part of the wider £39.6million Salford Bolton Network Improvements, or SBNI, and will be Manchester-bound, and operational 7am to 10am in the morning, and 4pm to 7pm in the evening. To make way for it, one and a half metres will be sliced off the pavement on the other side of the road with parking and loading restrictions along the route.
Paul, a former Labour councillor, has been trying to piece together how, why and where the decision for the bus lane was taken, with little success.
"It's been a pain to piece this together" he explains "Salford Council's website has papers missing for the year in question. Councillors and Urban Vision staff refuse to reply to enquiries and even the organisation driving this can't produce minutes of decisions."
The process began in 2012 when AGMA, now the Greater Manchester Combined Authority discussed proposed transport routes, with Salford councillors sat in the meetings, followed by a series of internal Urban Vision briefings and presentations at which the bus lane was discussed.
"When the bus lane surfaced last year, the Council and Urban Vision talked about the 'proposed' bus lane" says Paul "Indeed local residents thought they had a chance to stop it. It was only at the end of a Transport Panel Meeting, where local people argued passionately against the bus lane, that Councillor Derek Antrobus dropped the bombshell that the decision had been taken previously elsewhere - without specifying - and he could only decide about road markings.
An attempt to have the decision called in was refused after the Council argued that the residents had missed the deadline and that Salford City Council wasn't responsible for the original decision.*
"Councillors don't reply to emails or for requests for meetings" says Paul "Evidence has been suppressed from TfGM's own recent survey that says that a bus lane isn't required. The Council seems hell bent on it going ahead because the money is there, when all common sense says it shouldn't go ahead".
Now Paul, who represents nearly four hundred local residents, is to take direct action on the 'devil's road' and even has a Facebook event page* to encourage others to join him, as Salford City Council has taken tenders for the bus lane project.
"It's our last chance to put a stop to this" he insists "Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett and GM Mayor Andy Burnham need to see it for what it is. Two miles of a stop:start bus lane for the benefit of one bus from Bolton, that their experts say will save forty seconds for the bus.
"I can think of much better things to spend this money on" he adds "Local people need to think about this at the forthcoming General Election and Pendlebury by-election. Who decides what goes on in Salford? Obviously not Salford councillors, and local people are definitely not allowed a say in the matter..."
* For more details see the Bus Lane Block Off Protest Facebook event page – click here
And the Stop The A666 Bus Lane Madness Facebook group – click here
* See also previous Salford Star articles for a full background...
Roadworks Loom For £22million Salford Bus and Cycle Lanes – click here
'Bonkers' Salford Bus Lane On The Devil's Road – click here
Salford Residents Ask For A666 Bus Lane Decision To Be Called In – click here
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