Schools Hill puffin crossing delayed by TfGM
November 16, 2012 Iain Roberts 6 Comments

Much to our frustration, Transport for Greater Manchester are currently holding up the new puffin crossing we’ve approved to go on Schools Hill, to replace the existing zebra crossing where three people were hurt last winter.

TfGM are responsible for managing traffic lights across Greater Manchester and need to approve the lights. They’ve had the plans for some time now, but still no approval!

We’ll continue to press for the lights to go in as quickly as possible – no-one wants another accident.

streets

6 Comments

1
paul renshaw
Sunday 18 November 2012 - 11:54 am

Dear Iain

Thanks for this update. Can you please let me know who I can contact at TfGm so i can tell them directly that residents will be prepared to take some direct action if they continue to delay this safety critical scheme . Yet again last week I had a car drive straight through the crossing at speed when people were waiting to cross and TfGm will be publically slated if anther accident happens whilst waiting for bureaucracy..

A contact name would be appreciated so I can make these points directly to the public servant responsible for this delay.Happy for you to send this to me home email address…

Thanks

Paul

2
Ruth
Sunday 18 November 2012 - 1:59 pm

Please could I also have a contact for TfGM as I would also like to write to them about this. I had a near miss at the crossing a few weeks back. Now it’s getting dark early, it’s only a matter of time before there is another accident. Despite the flashing speed signs, I still see people speeding on Schools Hill regularly.

3
Frederick Kenny
Sunday 18 November 2012 - 7:59 pm

Given that this is funded by a private company (Sainsbury’s) this puts the public sector in a poor light. Despite the safety situation TfGM are dragging their bureaucratic carcass’s around – they should be ashamed of themselves. Why can’t Stockport decide what is a trivial issues (traffic lights that are free to the public purse). It also makes me concerned that transport issues have now moved to yet another undemocratic body that our elected representatives appear to have no control over.

4
Vanessa
Sunday 18 November 2012 - 11:40 pm

Could you also give me the name of who to contact at TFGM
Kind regards Vanessa

5
Trevor Gaunt
Thursday 22 November 2012 - 1:35 pm

I contacted TfGM on Monday. Their response was that the request (for a puffin crossing on Schools Hill) had only just arrived with them that morning. So someone is being economical with the truth. It could be TfGM OR Stockport MBC OR our elected representatives. Personally, I don’t care who the culprit is: as always the victim is the general public, in this case the road users. As far as I remember, all ten district councils in Greater Manchester voted unanimously to permit the creation of TfGM last year, in the knowledge they would be handing over responsiblity for transport matters to an unelected – and therefore unaccountable – body. There was no referendum allowing the electorate a say in this decision. The advantage for our councillors is that they now have a scapegoat for any transport-related problems.

6
Iain Roberts
Friday 23 November 2012 - 7:41 pm

Just to clarify Trevor’s point, having discussed it on email – it seems Trevor spoke to TfGM via their contact centre and the person he spoke to was not the same person who had previously been doing other work on the crossing within TfGM.

Regarding the other point, TfGM used to be called GMPTE and has existed for some years (certainly well before my time). It has been renamed and the governance arrangements have slightly changed, but it certainly isn’t a new creation.



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