Local Resident Speaks Out About Sudden Roundabout Developments

Date published: 06/02/2006

Old Manchester Road resident Beryl Hudson spoke to Rochdale Online over the plans to develop the two roundabouts at Sudden. The roundabouts are due to be replaced by a traffic light system which will allow traffic to flow more smoothly in the area. However, local residents are worried about what this will mean for their village and have concerns that the old Manchester Road will continue as a ‘rat run’.

Beryl said, “There have been a lot of problems. We weren’t in agreement with the first set of plans and there was a lot of trouble when we attended a meeting. A second set of revised plans has been proposed and these looked to be a lot better when we saw them on 2 February.”

These new plans are due for public release soon and Rochdale Online will update you with the details when they become available.

Meanwhile Beryl is still concerned about what the new traffic lights will mean for the locals: “We understand that work has to be done on Manchester Road but the problem is with the entrances and exits on the old Manchester Road. We live in a difficult area and the new developments will affect how we turn round and get onto the main road. If there is no roundabout, the traffic lights will mean we won’t be able to do a u-turn and get towards Bury and Rochdale. There have been talks about having an exit onto Roch Valley Way and turning right up to the lights but these extra lights will only allow five cars out at a time and we will be paying extra in petrol money and taxi fares.”

Whilst the developments might be in the best interests of Rochdale’s road users, the residents in the area have been pushing for more consideration of the impact on people living in the locality and have made the council aware of their problems with the new traffic light plans.

Beryl continued, “There was talk of us having to go up to Highfield just to turn around but thankfully that is no longer the case, however there are still concerns about getting onto the main roads.”

Ward councillor, Ian Duckworth said:

"I had a meeting with Mrs Hudson at her home with about a dozen local residents and went through the new proposals. It was quite heated at times but I passed on what had happened when I toured the area with highways, streetlighting and the deputy head for the new Marland Hill school. Most agreed with the idea to have a 'drop in' meeting at Brimrod Methodist, with a follow up meeting some time later.

"I later had a meeting with Andrew Jackman (the council officer in charge of the project) and passed on these  views. I've also had a meeting with Tracey Preston a township officer for the area and she is looking for a suitable venue for the second meeting.

"I have passed on the latest drawings of the new proposals to Mrs Hudson.

"I hope to create an embryonic Area Forum out of this, that will give local people, who feel they've been neglected for years, a voice at Rochdale Township and open up funding streams for Brimrod, Sudden and Marland."