- A new crossing on Monton Green was announced last month
- Locals are offering their opinions on where two more crossings should go
- Improving road safety in Monton through traffic calming measures is an ongoing mission for Eccles Labour
A new pedestrian crossing strategically positioned on Monton Green near Park Road will make getting to school easier for thousands of school children, Eccles Labour have said.
In a post published on 11 May to Facebook, it was revealed that the crossing would be in place by Autumn, along with confirmation that funding is in place for a further two crossings elsewhere in Monton.
In conversation with Labour Councillor Sharmina August, who was re-elected in May’s local elections, Monton Matters heard how the challenge to find a crossing guard for the area resulted in funding being made available for a permanent solution.
“We’ve had proposals for crossings all the way down Rocky Lane, Monton Green, and by the roundabouts for a number of years, but there’s never been any funding for it.
“We were initially hoping to get one big lot of funding to do it all at once to minimise the number of times we’re doing road works on that busy stretch of road, but it all came into focus last year when we were having real difficulty with [employing a new] crossing guard.
“The crossing guard that had been there for a number of years retired, and hiring someone to that post has proved to be really, really difficult.”
With around 4,000 children crossing that road each day to access various schools in the area, Cllr August highlighted the necessity of finding a solution quickly to avoid future accidents.
“You don’t see the cars because you’re waiting and waiting, you never know when that gap really is a real gap, so it is an accident waiting to happen and we know people go too fast.”
Instead of waiting for a larger pot of money to be made available to execute the original plan, the decision was taken to lobby the council for the funding needed to build this particular crossing as soon as possible.
The funding for the crossing, which was taken from the highways budget, was officially announced to the general public last month, and the crossing is targeted to be in use by the beginning of the Autumn term.
Locals have since expressed their relief and delight at the news, emphasizing the need for safer crossing routes throughout the village.
One comment on Eccles Labour’s Facebook post reads: “So happy about this – I’ve been asking now for this crossing for 10 years!”
Another commenter wrote: “This is amazing. So needed, well done!”
Now, with funding available for two more crossings in the village, locals have been invited to share their thoughts as to where these should be situated.
“The fact is that we need more crossings across the whole stretch, and we’ve got funding for two more. People are really happy about that as well.”
Some of the suggested areas include:
- Somewhere between Monton’s two roundabouts
- Across Canal Bank to enable easier access to Monton Medical Centre
- Across Monton Green by the Blue Bell
- Across Monton Road by the nursery
- Across the bottom of Parrin Lane near the roundabout
Despite only having the funding for these three crossings initially, Cllr August emphasised that the long-term plan will involve more crossings, and that the location of any future crossings will be guided by local opinion.
Locals have asked for a crossing on Canal Bank
In a bid to improve road safety in Monton, a 2021 Bee Network proposal outlined traffic calming measures including 20mph speed limits in strategic areas, road narrowing, and cycle lanes.
Cllr August said: “We’ve got plans to try and make Monton safer. It’s not all set in stone. [The Bee Network Plan] was a consultation that we did a number of years ago about making Monton a safer place.
“It included traffic calming measures, and there were some cycle protected lanes, and again, that’s not set in stone as to whether those cycle lanes would or wouldn’t go in.”
Ultimately, Cllr August specified the need for cars to go slower around Monton, and potentially for fewer cars on the road, something which improved public transport could address.
“I think improving our bus network is going to help, but also the trams and the train network that we have. Patricroft station is pretty close to to Monton, but I don’t think we have the level of service that we need.
“A lot of people who might consider taking the train into the centre of Manchester, which is really quick, can’t rely upon it. It doesn’t get the carriages that it needs and they’re often cancelled, and it’s not got step free access as well.
“So it’s a wider strategy of thinking, can people get into Monton easier? Can they get out of Monton easier? And when they are here, how do we make it safer?”
It is hoped that in introducing crossings to Monton Road, Monton Green, and Canal Bank, road users will be unable to reach the speeds they currently do, making the area safer for pedestrians.
The council are also looking to make all the roads south of Monton Road 20mph to match the roads to the north.
Speaking more broadly about her re-election and future plans for Monton and Eccles, Cllr August said: “I’m really humbled to have been reelected, with so many people supporting me and all of the team in labour in Eccles.
c. Nick Harrison Photographer via Cllr Sharmina August
“We work really hard all year round, and I think we do our best to listen to what our residents want and I think this crossing is a perfect example of that.
“That’s more of what we want to do going forward. Making the whole of our ward more cohesive is one of my priorities.”
“We’ve purchased the shopping centre in Eccles, we’re going to be doing some great work to redevelop Eccles town centre whilst keeping in touch with our heritage and our roots, but I also think we need to work on connecting Monton and Eccles town centre, the two could work so well together.
“So we’re looking at ways that we can connect them in terms of walking paths, cycle paths, those sorts of things. I think that’ll be a big piece of work over the next four years for us.”
Monton Matters 