Road to ruin – £4m ‘shared nightmare is falling apart’
THE acclaimed £4m shared space traffic scheme has been branded a ‘shared nightmare’ in need of repairs to its ‘crumbling surface’.
Community group Action for Poynton say the scheme, which was introduced in 2012, has defects in the surface as well as sunken manholes and disintegrating stone blocks.
Members say Cheshire East Council was alerted to the problem some years ago but has not fixed it with its ‘limited repairs’ now also falling apart. The scheme gives equal right to vehicles and pedestrians as well as getting rid of traffic lights and reducing average speeds.
John Shaw, from Action for Poynton, said: “We feel totally abandoned by the council. The roads are falling apart, it has turned into a ‘shared nightmare’.
“The flower beds are overgrown with weeds, and the main roads don’t even get swept. Many of the drains in the new pavements are blocked, it’s appalling. The number of defects is now smaller because many of the damaged areas have grown and have merged together. The council also did some limited repairs although the repairs themselves are now beginning to fail.
“The council spent more than £3.5 million on a scheme that immediately began to fall apart.
They have known about the issues for several years but have failed to rectify the problem.”
When the scheme was introduced at Fountain Place it attracted a large amount of attention, was nominated for awards and residents largely gave it the thumbs up.
It was even credited with helping invigorate Poynton’s main shopping area and other councils looked to learn from it.
A council spokesman said: “Safety inspections are carried out in the Poynton shared space area six times a year, in accordance with the council’s approved code of practice.
“Any defects are noted and, if considered to present a hazard, are identified and repaired within a designated timescale.
“The code of practice for highway safety inspections can be viewed at: https://bit. ly/2W2rFmh
“Members of the public are advised to report any issues via the council’s online reporting tool at www.cheshireeast.gov. uk/highways or call 0300 123 5020.”