ALMOST 4,000 people have signed a petition calling for measures to prevent unacceptable traffic disruption in Warrington if shipping is increased on the Manchester Ship Canal.
The petition was organised by Liberal Democrats and handed over to representative of Peel Ports, who own the canal, ahead of a meeting between the company and Warrington Borough Council.
Campaigner Ann Raymond said: “Although carrying more freight by water is in principle environmentally friendly and extra shipping through Liverpool would be good for the economy of the North West, these benefits must not come at Warrington’s expense.
“Warrington is unique in that all three main roads to the town centre from the south pass over swing bridges.
“We know from council data that each time the swing bridges open, Warrington’s road network is disrupted for up to an hour. What is more, at present these bridge movements occur almost exclusively Mondays to Fridays during the working day.”
Borough councillor Brian Axcell added: “Calculations by council officers, using Peel Ports’ data, suggest that in future swing bridges could open six to seven times a day instead of the current average of once or twice a day.
“Probably fewer than six bridge movements would be enough to cause gridlock in the town, posing enormous problems to the emergency services and to bus companies trying to maintain a schedule.
“There are very few quiet periods for traffic in Warrington during the working day and so it is difficult to see how daytime slots for extra ships could be found without causing great inconvenience for many people. If more freight is to be moved by water and not by road or air, which is in general very good for the environment, then shipping through Warrington has to be during the evening and at night given Warrington’s particular situation.
“The very least that Warrington residents should expect is information about the times of the day when the swing bridges may open and the time periods when they will not.”
Pictured (left to right): Lib Dem campaigners Brian Axcell, Ann Raymond and Celia Jordan present the petition to Peel Ports’ Warren Marshall.
2 Comments
i wonder if peel holdings will show as much concern over nearly 4,000 signatures as what Clr Jordon and her colleagues did as the 5,045 people that signed the petition to save Stockton Heath Primary School from demolition.
If you think Peel Holdings are going to listen to any objections from residents then think again!