Plans to ease traffic at busiest road junction
ONE of Macclesfield’s busiest and most dangerous junctions could be set for work to ease congestion - otherwise waiting times there will more than double by 2030.
The Flower Pot junction, where Congleton Road, Park Lane, Oxford Road and Ivy Lane all meet, has become infamous within the town.
It is known as an accident blackspot and a bottleneck for lengthy rush hours queues with a report saying the junction is ‘operating over capacity’.
A study found in the morning the A536 Congleton Road was the worst direction with an average maximum queue of 47 vehicles. In the evenings it was found to be the A536 Park Lane with 62.
The report also states by 2030 the longest average queue times at the junction will have soared to 116 in the morning and 138 in the evening.
Cheshire East Council has proposed a scheme to prevent this and Councillor Nick Mannion, from Macclesfield West and Ivy ward, says making the junction safer is also essential. He said: “Hundreds of young people cross this junction twice a day going too and from school and college,
“The improvements to this very busy junction are essential to make it safer for all - drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
“Alleviating vehicle congestion is a major issue, but we also need to recognise and factor in the safety needs of other users such as pedestrians and cyclists moving through the junction when designing the new layout.”
The proposed scheme includes turning lanes for vehicles going right from Ivy Lane to Congleton Road, left from Park Lane onto Congleton Road and left from Oxford Road onto Park Lane.
Toucan crossings would be added to Ivy Lane and Congleton Road for cyclists and pedestrians and a traffic island on the corner of Park Lane and Oxford Road.
Footpath widening would also take place on Park Lane and Congleton Road and new ‘intelligent’ traffic signals installed.
It is believed that congestion at the junction will significantly worsen over the coming years because of projects such as the South Macclesfield Development Area, which includes proposals for 950 homes.
A motorcyclist died in a collision with a lorry at the junction in 2018. Even before this, people - including Coun Mannion - had been highlighting its dangerous nature.
Cheshire East Council highway department has drawn up the proposals,
They have been sent to planners to assess whether or not full planning permission will be needed.
The last work at the junction was in 2008, when additional approach lanes were created on Congleton Road and Oxford Road and crossing facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.
A highways report says: “Improvements to Flowerpot Junction are considered necessary, as the junction experiences regular extensive traffic queues during peak periods and as proposed developments in the area will further increase pressure on the junction.”