A6 Crescent traffic calming

[jackal]

This is shameful, and further evidence of the need for national government to take responsibility for major roads outside of the trunk road network. Salford Council is effectively at war with commuters into Manchester, and Greater Manchester's economy will suffer as a result.

It is at root the same problem as the numerous dangerous, congestion-generating roundabouts springing up on previously grade-separated dual carriageways. The interests of the country and the interests of balkanized councils (or at least, their perceived interests) do not coincide when it comes to major roads.

The solution is easy - major non-trunk roads need to be protected by a national body. Maybe the simplest option would be to keep councils responsible for the roads on this 'subtrunk' list, but any significant change to the layout would have to be cleared by the HA as not detrimental to national transport objectives. Unfortunately this is unlikely as the government seems committed to further balkanization - in regard to road numbers, for instance.

[Bryn666]

The main issue with this scheme is it is a public realm improvement - traffic can commute into Manchester avoiding the Crescent when the works are done.

That length of the A6 is a huge embarrassment to Greater Manchester, with boarded up and burnt out buildings fronting the entire section, akin to Edge Lane in Liverpool until a few years ago.

Long term, whilst I'm not keen on the scheme at all, the idea is to entice buisness and developers into the area. Having the Crescent as a 40mph D2+Bus doesn't encourage people to walk there when there is a large student demographic that can be milked...

[The Deuce]

The main issue with this scheme is it is a public realm improvement - traffic can commute into Manchester avoiding the Crescent when the works are done.

That length of the A6 is a huge embarrassment to Greater Manchester, with boarded up and burnt out buildings fronting the entire section, akin to Edge Lane in Liverpool until a few years ago.

Long term, whilst I'm not keen on the scheme at all, the idea is to entice buisness and developers into the area. Having the Crescent as a 40mph D2+Bus doesn't encourage people to walk there when there is a large student demographic that can be milked...

I'd say that the area of dereliction along Edge Lane, Liverpool is huge in comparison to this. It is actually growing and expands countless streets back from the main road. The Crescent only has pockets of dereliction along one side of the road away from the Univeristy. The main imapct of reduced lanes is outside Salford University (which is fully occupied).

The surprising thing is the large central reservation as though people will use this to walk between traffic.

[Nicholas]

The main imapct of reduced lanes is outside Salford University (which is fully occupied).

The capacity reduction is from Albion Way through to Trinity Way, so it includes Chapel Street as well as Crescent. The problem is that Phase 2 (i.e. Chapel Street) has caused more problems than Phase 1 (Crescent). Traffic was back to Barton Road on the A580 this morning.

Not only does it cause problems for motorists, but how do bus companies expect to run their services effectively if they have no chance of keeping close to time?

[irrelevant]

I can only agree that this is going to be a nightmare. I live nearby, and when coming from the East Lancs side would often come along Crescent, turn right at Oldfield Road, cross A57 Regent Road, and be nearly home. With reduced lanes and 20MPH I knew it was going to be bad, but I just noticed today they are going to disallow the right turns too, meaning I will be have no option but to turn right onto Albion Way, along with everybody else, and fight it out at the M602 hamburger and along Regent Road itself.

NOT looking forward to that - thankfully, I don't have to do that route more than once a week, or at rush hour.


As far as buses go, maybe they think keeping the bus lanes will help? I'm not convinced, even with the new bus gate lights to allow buses to cross the traffic that is going to Albion Way.

[A303Paul]

Having lived in Salford for three years, I was interested to follow this.

Salford I suspect is pretty similar to what Streatham would have looked like had the M23 and Ringways been built.

While it seems outrageous that the Crescent is being reduced from D3 to D1 + buslanes, surely it is far more outrageous that the originally S2 Crescent, Salfords main street was turned into something resembling the Westway in the first place?

I realise that the alternative route ie Albion Way and Regent Road will not have any chance of coping with diverted rush hour traffic, but surely that is the whole point?

London is mainly S2 with twelve car trains everywhere, Salford and Manchester (which is in reality already part of Salford ) are extensively D2 and D3 with two car trains everywhere.

If the rush hour capacity is reduced on the roads the traffic will eventully go away, just as it appeared in the first place when the 1960s/1970s roads were built. Brutal yes - but not half as brutal as the building of them in the first place.

It amazed me to take a ride from Salford Crescent to Wigan via Atherton. Two car trains calling at much longer platforms most of which are disused.

The fact is that much of Manchester's suburban rail network could run six times as much rail capacity without running a single extra train. All you need to do is extend platforms and run longer trains. Surely in the long term this is far better than the Crescent being a motorway bisecting Salford?

PS - it didn't half surprise me as a Southerner when I first went there to see the right turn under the railway at Salford Station was the A34

[Nicholas]

While it seems outrageous that the Crescent is being reduced from D3 to D1 + buslanes, surely it is far more outrageous that the originally S2 Crescent, Salfords main street was turned into something resembling the Westway in the first place?

It isn't - it's being rediced from D2+bus lanes to D1+bus lanes.

It amazed me to take a ride from Salford Crescent to Wigan via Atherton. Two car trains calling at much longer platforms most of which are disused.

The fact is that much of Manchester's suburban rail network could run six times as much rail capacity without running a single extra train. All you need to do is extend platforms and run longer trains. Surely in the long term this is far better than the Crescent being a motorway bisecting Salford?

A lot of the trains are doubled up at peak time, but there is only a certain number available. They tend to be 150s and 142s that are doubled, but if a 156 is allocated, it remains single (probably due to them being longer so can take more standees). I can understand the frustration, the example given is my local route - imagine what it was like when First bus drivers were on strike!

We should be getting more units, we're just waiting for the government to give them to us.

[scragend]

A lot of the trains are doubled up at peak time, but there is only a certain number available. They tend to be 150s and 142s that are doubled, but if a 156 is allocated, it remains single (probably due to them being longer so can take more standees). I can understand the frustration, the example given is my local route - imagine what it was like when First bus drivers were on strike!

A 2-car Pacer, already full at Hindley, turning people away by Atherton - those were the days! (and I don't miss 'em )

[Nicholas]

A 2-car Pacer, already full at Hindley, turning people away by Atherton - those were the days! (and I don't miss 'em )

How about on a Saturday!

[scragend]

A 2-car Pacer, already full at Hindley, turning people away by Atherton - those were the days! (and I don't miss 'em )

How about on a Saturday!

Never tried it - five days were enough!

[irrelevant]

More news from the MEN today... Seems the council are now blaming Virgin Media for the delays!

[Bryn666]

They would be right to do so as well - you can't realign kerbs or resurface if the stats diversions aren't complete.

[Bendo]

I'd say that the area of dereliction along Edge Lane, Liverpool is huge in comparison to this. It is actually growing and expands countless streets back from the main road.

Going off topic but the Edge Lane issue has an end in sight, planning permission has been granted to demolish the existing retail park and rebuild 40% bigger with modern units and much more street frontage. Demolishion of the burnt out units and car dealerships is underway in preparation for the building to come.

The old (but nice houses) have been demolished although at the moment building doesn't seem to have commenced on the new ones...

[scragend]

The old (but nice houses) have been demolished although at the moment building doesn't seem to have commenced on the new ones...

It felt really strange to me when I went to Liverpool earlier in the year and saw all the houses had been demolished in the Durning Road area - it just looked so different with the open spaces and piles of rubble, like there had been some kind of natural disaster.

[Bryn666]

As I thought would have happeend - the blue footbridge over the A6 is now gone.

[irrelevant]

As I thought would have happeend - the blue footbridge over the A6 is now gone.

Yep; it went a few weeks back, on an overnight road closure. The signed diversion for pedestrians is to use the lights at Cross Lane. As this is around 1/2 mile round trip, most people are just dodging across the traffic - all nine lanes of it! Dropped kerbs are however being installed prior, I assume, to a proper ped phase being added to the lights..

[drpsg]

I was up this was earlier this week. A few photos to peruse. A city high street? does that mean shops and shoppers?

[Bryn666]

Also, somewhat typically, the design engineer has made the same bloody error with the "pass either side" bollards at all signal junctions...

[Chris5156]

Looks fugly as anything to me - if you're going to make people swerve all over the road with build outs (which, incidentally, are in different colours and styles to the existing paving which appears to have been left as-is) then design them properly so you don't then surround them with wobbly hatching.

Not to mention the bright yellow bollards everywhere.

City High Street? A High Street has life and people on it. This is just an ugly arterial dual carriageway that is now visually unappealing in new ways.

[Bryn666]

Chris, I fully agree the dualled section looks awful.

The existing single carriageway on Chapel Street is getting funky paving by the looks of it, which means I suspect a weight limit will be imposed before too long in order to prevent the whole thing sinking and looking crap itself.

I can't help but feel that the best idea would have been to reduce the Crescent to S4 (2 all purpose + 2 bus) and widen the footways instead.

Incidentally, Albion Way is now 3 lanes southbound towards the Liverpool Road signals - as Liverpool Road is massively wide, could this not be repainted as S4 to relieve pressure on Regent Road? It runs past run down industrial units so no residential properties should be adversely affected.