A CALL for an all party approach to tackle “horrendous” traffic congestion in the town has been made by Warrington Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In a letter to leader of the council Ian Marks, chamber chief executive Colin Daniels (pictured) calls for action.
Mr Daniels writes: “The chamber is repeatedly being asked by the business community, when are you going to take this worsening situation seriously?
“This week the traffic situation has been horrendous and it would appear that all your traffic planners can do is tinker 
at the edges – tinkering that makes the situation even worse.”
Mr Daniels says the chamber was “appalled” to learn the council intended to put traffic lights on the Midland Way traffic island.
Members believe this will reduce the flow of traffic still further and create even more serious delays.
“We continue to live with the costly mistake of the removal of the traffic island at the Asda junction on Cromwell Avenue,” Mr Daniels writes.
“I can tell you from personal experience that there are now delays every day because of your traffic management – ie traffic lights.”
He asks Coun Marks whether the council ever learns from its “costly mistakes” and adds: “…or do your traffic planners know something that the rest of us don’t.
“I hate to think what the situation will be like on Cromwell Avenue when the Sankey Valley/ Gulliver’s World development is completed.”
Mr Daniels says other local authorities are removing traffic lights and re-introducing traffic islands with consequent improvement in traffic flows. But Warrington planners have proposals to remove other traffic islands in the town.
Coun Marks said: “Mr Daniels is quite right – Warrington does have tremendous traffic problems and there have been recent problems arising from incidents on the motorways and on the Runcorn Bridge.
“We do take these matters seriously and our highways department is working very hard. Some improvements have been made.
“But one of the problems is that different people have different views on how to tackle the problem.
“Historically, Warrington has not had highway plans in the pipeline. Other authorities have and I am frustrated when I see money being made available for other areas and we don’t get any.
“We are constantly trying to improve traffic flows, although we don’t always get it right.
“I shall be giving Mr Daniels a detailed reply – but I do understand his feelings. Warrington’s traffic problems are not easy to solve.”
4 Comments
Is that a “Yes” or a “No”? Seems like the latter to me. I will watch this space.
A clearout of the clowns in the Traffic Department would be a positive step.
I have to believe that the recent letters to this page have had some effect on getting the ball rolling. Vociferous complaing is the only way to get things done. Texas DOT recently spent 50 million dollars reworking a bottleneck two lane highway. When it was finished it had a turning lane, two shoulders and TWO LANES !!!!!! and the same problems as before. Public outcry has them out there as I speak re-striping all that expensive asphalt into four lanes.
In order to have reason to introduce a congestion charge, you first of all have to make sure that there is plenty of congestion. Alternatively, you could build a ring road, Warrington is probaby the largest town not to have one.