Fears for Wigan schoolchildren's lives at busy Wigan junction

Michelle Grundy, from Poolstock, says changes need to be made to prevent future accidents and potentially serious injuries or even deaths at the intersection of Warrington Road and Poolstock Lane, Marus Bridge.

Two of the more recent collisions are believed to have been caused by the filtering traffic turning right onto Highfield Grange Avenue. And they have resulted in out-of-control vehicles ending up in places where children going to and from school could have been standing.

As a result Michelle has started to take a different route to school for her daughter’s safety.

The junction was a crossroads decades ago but was then turned into a roundabout. As traffic increased over the years, the roads became more and more congested until in 2016 it reverted to a crossroads.

Since then it has been at the centre of other complaints about its traffic light sequences – which were altered as a result – and filters following several road smashes.

Michelle acknowledges that traffic flows much better since the crossroads was reinstated, but says it has also led to a dangerous increase in vehicle speeds.

She said: “When the two accidents happened recently, I put a message in the Whatsapp group for my child’s class and everyone said it was not good enough; and that’s just from one class.

"I know that money is tight currently but something must change before someone is killed.

“The metal barriers that line the pavement have also been damaged following accidents which could potentially save a resident’s life in the future if accidents continue.”

A Wigan Council spokesperson said: “Marus Bridge junction went through a significant change in 2016 when it was converted from a roundabout to traffic light-controlled crossroads to help traffic flow better between the town centre and the M6 and Ashton.

"The Greater Manchester Police accident database shows that there have been no recorded accidents resulting in injury at this junction in the last three years up to March 31.

“Road safety is a major priority for us as a council and is at the forefront of our thinking when developing and improving the borough’s road network.

"Working with road safety colleagues across Greater Manchester and with TfGM we take a proactive approach using techniques that are proven to help prevent road collisions and reduce risk to motorists and pedestrians.”