OUR R AD TO VICTORY
RESIDENTS HAIL CAMPAIGN SUCCESS AS LOW TRAFFIC PLANTERS REMOVED
AFTER months of heated debate and community tension, the planters installed as part of the low traffic neighbourhood scheme in a suburb have been removed.
The scheme, which the council said was intended to mitigate speeding and rat-running on Parsonage Road in Withington, sparked controversy among residents, with claims it instead displaced traffic onto other streets. But pro-walking and cycling groups welcomed the move, saying it made the area quieter.
The six-month trial, which began last August, saw nine junctions fitted with plant filters to restrict motor traffic movements in the Hartley estate. However, a list of grievances with the scheme’s outcomes prompted council authorities to terminate it in March.
Geraldine Mulholland, who lives on Arnfield Road and campaigned against the scheme, says the move has come as a ‘victory’ for residents.
She said: “It means so much that the council has listened to the community’s complaints and my hope is that going forward there won’t be similar mistakes again. This is a victory for community unity against the council.”
Some of the complaints to the scheme included claims it caused blind spots around planters, main perimeter roads became stilted with congestion, and increased emissions and response times for emergency services. It divided opinion, with a petition launched protesting their installation almost as soon as the scheme was completed.
Neighbour Ian Miller, 55, said: “A lot of the campaign is about safe cycling and safer walking but with the junctions becoming two right angle bends if you cycle through the planters your crossing live traffic on a blind bend – that’s not a cycle route. If it had been a safe cycle route with provisions we would have agreed with this.”
There were growing calls to remove the scheme after the M.E.N reported in January how a mum slammed the so-called ‘low-traffic neighbourhood’ (LTN) scheme after an ambulance was blocked from reaching a home during a baby’s seizure. Parents were also concerned that it led to more traffic around two local primary schools.
Pete Griffiths said: “This scheme has created a lot of division between people in Withington; it’s nicknamed the ‘Parsonage Road selfish streets scheme’ because it’s very selfish what the original components of the scheme achieved – which is a quiet street for some people and far more stress for others.”
He added: “I agree with the initial argument that there’s too much antisocial driving and speeding in the area but we need to find the resources to enforce the rules about speeding, not to close roads and stop people getting from one place to another. It’s all been looked at from the wrong perspective.”
Kerrie Waterhouse, 37, who has lived on Heycroft Road for many years, said the traffic on her street ‘trebled’ after the LTN scheme was installed.
She said: “I wasn’t locked in by the planters but instead it pushed all the traffic onto mine and the adjoining roads. There was constant idle traffic in the morning and evening.
“It didn’t make sense I’d have to drive through six or more roads now to navigate through. Why am I on everyone’s road in the estate to try and find my way out? It was nonsensical.”
She added: “The arguments that would kick off were bad enough. You could feel and hear the frustrations through the beeping and shouting.
“People who have lived here for decades felt so pushed out of our own environment and community. There will never be one scheme everyone agrees on but not one that is going to be as dramatic and divisive as this one. It’s been a huge shame.”
While some residents celebrated the removal of the planters this week, many complaints were raised over the retention of two plant filters at the junction of Parsonage Road and Wilmslow Road and the Burlington Road and Heaton Road junction after the trial ended.
One local, Marilyn Roseman, says residents are concerned the remaining planters from the LTN scheme are perceived as a door being ‘left open’ for the council to reinstate planters in the future.
She said: “We have felt misled in the implementation of the scheme.
We don’t feel happy given two road blockages have remained as we perceive it as the door being ‘left open’ so they can put more back in the future without consultation. There’s no reason why these two need to be here.”
Campaigner Tahir Jefferey said: “It’s a great sigh of relief that efforts haven’t been wasted and it’s taken a real community effort – I was quite taken aback by it. With the current planters, I feel the decision is bad as there’s nothing significant to justify keeping those filters in place.
“In essence, we were told the trial won’t be kept permanent but only seven out of the nine filters were removed. If it’s not permanent then why are some planters left? The scheme divided the community and it’s unfair a select few residents have to keep the planters on their streets.”
While the council insists the measures in Withington are to do with safety, the scheme comes against the backdrop of Manchester council’s commitment to reducing car use by 2040 and a number of measures across Manchester impacting motorists and locals. While welcomed by some, a low traffic neighbourhood scheme in Levenshulme has been accused of causing division. Businesses in Chorlton have complained that livelihoods have been put at risk by protracted cycle lane works and the loss of parking. Meanwhile, City fans have questioned why non-residential roads have been included in a residential parking scheme targeting streets around the Etihad. Meanwhile in Castleton, Rochdale council’s low traffic scheme has also raised questions about whether local politicians are willing to listen to local people where their plans have a negative impact on communities.
Back in Withington, Manchester council insists that ‘throughout this
It’s a great sigh of relief that efforts haven’t been wasted and it’s taken a real community effort Tahir Jefferey
entire scheme the council has wanted to make sure that local residents had a voice,’ and that ultimately ‘it was clear’ that the majority of people in Withington weren’t satisfied with the scheme.
Nonetheless, explaining why it has left two of the original nine roadblocks behind, the council says ‘the area will not be reverting back to how it was before the scheme.’
A council spokesperson said: “Following a trial period where extensive feedback was gathered from a range of community voices in Withington the council has made a decision not to make the changes put in place permanent. The feedback used to inform that decision included all information contained within the published scheme evaluation report.
“A key factor in the development of any scheme is public support, and while data in Withington did show there were improvements being made, it was clear from feedback that the majority of people surveyed were not satisfied with the implemented scheme for a variety of reasons.
“Throughout this entire scheme the
council has wanted to make sure that local residents had a voice in how their community was shaped. Two filters have been retained, and the council will be monitoring their impact over the next six months as part of an ongoing trial.
“While we understand there are some people who will not be happy with this decision, it is important to note that the area will not be reverting to how it was before the trial. The council is working to secure additional funding that would allow the installation of different traffic calming measures to address concerns that have been made by residents throughout the trial.
“Safety has always been at the heart of what the council aimed to achieve with this scheme and we would like to reassure residents that efforts will continue to make Withington’s streets cleaner, greener and safer.”