ANGRY drivers have blasted Bury Council for spending money on traffic calming measures instead of filling dangerous potholes.

Bury Council is rolling out a StreetSafe initiative to improve safety for pedestrians in residential streets and estates. However a number of Unsworth residents are arguing that there is no need for the programme.

They believe money would be better spent correcting road conditions by filling potholes in the borough.

One Unsworth resident, who did not want to be named, said: “I think this is a ridiculous waste of money. I have lived on St George's Road, for 23 years, almost since the estate was first built, and I have never heard of any road safety issues in all that time.

“The estate is made up of winding, narrow roads and cul de sacs which automatically force drivers to motor along carefully, rarely being able to reach its current speed limit of 30mph. There is absolutely no need for a 20mph zone to be enforced, and even by implementing the scheme, how exactly is it going to be policed?

“The money would be better spent on the main road, Hollins Lane, which, from its junction of Croft Lane to its transition into Parr Lane. The road surface is full of potholes and dips which cause problems not only for motorists but also for keen cyclists like myself, who end up weaving along the road, increasing the risk of accidents.

“If the money is only allocated to 20mph schemes, then the council should find a more deserving area, or just politely give the money back.”

Another Unsworth resident who also wished not to be named, said: “In Unsworth and Ramsbottom and generally across Bury, the roads are in an appalling state.

“Nothing is being done about it due to budgets and yet we've had ridiculous traffic calming measures put in down the whole of Mersey Drive, which are totally unnecessary, and we've just been noted that the whole of Church Meadow is having them installed – again, completely unnecessary.

“To be honest the one place they do want some kind of traffic calming is Hollins Lane – but they seem to like putting it in unnecessary areas as it is policy.”

A spokesman for Bury Council said: “Work to fix potholes and implement speed reductions, while both benefit the environment, are to a large extent separate issues.

“The condition of our roads, like those across the country, has suffered from a lack of investment over many years.

“Residents will know that the council has been forced to make around £50 million of cuts in recent years, and the amount of Government money we have received for highways maintenance for the next six years has been cut by nearly 15 per cent from the previous six-year period. Our roads have also been damaged by recent and unprecedented bad weather.

“Regardless, we have taken our own measures to help repair the borough’s roads, such as bringing in new machinery which will increase efficiency and save costs depending on the repair. We have to prioritise the works and deal with the most serious first.

“The issue of potholes, however, does not mean that we should stop carrying out other measures to improve safety in a particular area.

“Our StreetSafe initiative was introduced four years ago to improve safety for pedestrians in residential streets and estates. The aim is to make our neighbourhoods better places to live and encourage communities to get out and about more.

“Part of this initiative is to introduce 20mph speed limits in most residential streets in the borough, reinforced by more education about road safety in schools.

“All proposals to introduce a 20mph limit are put out for public consultation, and can be viewed on our website.

“Church Meadow is just one of many StreetSafe schemes that we have proposed or implemented. Around 300 residents have been sent details of the proposal, and around 50 residents have so far responded.

“We will consider whether to implement the scheme as planned following consideration of all comments received.”