Council keeping a close eye on new junction

Minor improvements were introduced in April after suggestions from local residents.

The council installed two new give way signs for drivers turning left from Poolstock onto Warrington Road to ensure motorists are aware that vehicles may make a U-turn at the new traffic signal junction.

Since its opening the council has been assessing the junction in practice to see if any additional changes need to be made and has been listening to resident feedback.

The additional signs were put up to enable drivers to safely use the junction and ease the journey for residents living nearby. The changes were made in April and have since been operational without any problems. A decision will be made later this year as to whether further measures are required and the U-turn is permanently allowed.

Mark Tilley, assistant director for infrastructure at the council, said: “We want to thank residents for their patience and for taking the time to make suggestions about how the scheme could be improved.

“As with all new schemes we are continuously monitoring and assessing how the junction is working and how drivers are using it. Road safety is our number one priority and we must put that first.

“We hope by installing additional signs it will be much clearer to motorists that they must give way when turning left onto Warrington Road.

“The changes have been in place for a number of months now and initial assessment shows that they are operating well. We are also looking to revise the carriageway marking to give greater priority to left turners from Poolstock.”

The change from a roundabout to a traffic light scheme is part of a major investment in Wigan’s road network to reduce congestion and improve the local economy.

However, local resident Ian Wogan still isn’t best pleased with the situation, saying the council has taken away the u-turn ban.

He said: “Poolstock traffic has no idea the u-turn is back on, when giving way they see a car and think wow where did that driver come from. There are no signs in Poolstock Lane and Warrington Road to say the permitted u-turn is back on until further notice.”