Zebra crossing in Wigan community takes step nearer

A campaign for a zebra crossing on a busy road is a step closer.

Residents have been calling for extra safety measures at the junction of Castle Hill Road and Sandy Lane, in Hindley, in a bid to slow down drivers and prevent a serious accident .

Locals had raised concerns about the safety of crossing the road, which lies near to Castle Hill St Philip’s CE Primary School, Hindley Cemetery and Borsdane Wood.

Now following their calls back in March, Wigan Council have said they will be looking at a design for the crossing. A consultation will then follow.

Hindley couns Jim Talbot and Paul Blay welcomed the announcement.

They said: “In March we announced we would be looking into the possibility of having a zebra crossing put in on Castle Hill Road/ Sandy Lane junction.

“We are pleased to announce today that following the site inspections and a review of the crossing survey carried out by TFGM, the council will be progressing our request for a crossing at this location to the design stage.

Both councillors have said there is an “urgent need” to have the crossing point, with the A58 being one of the busiest roads in the borough.

Residents traverse the road at this point when walking to locations including Borsdane Wood, Hindley Cemetery and Castle Hill St Philip’s CE Primary School with a long distance to walk to the nearest crossing point, meaning some pedestrians are taking unnecessary risks.

The pair took their demands to the local authority and a town hall officer agreed to contact Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), who conducedan inspection of the area and monitored traffic volumes to see if it meets the criteria for a crossing point.

Now the next stage of that process has been reached.

If granted, the crossing would be positioned near to the junctions with Sandy Lane and Hindley Mill Lane.

They added: “Once a design has been drafted, an informal consultation will take place with us and residents and businesses affected. The consultation will take place in the coming months.”

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