A GREENFIELD accident blackspot is to receive extra safety measures.
But Oldham Council’s Highways Department insist the notorious A635 road is less dangerous now than in the past.
And there are no plans to lower the speed from its current level of 50 miles per hour.
In January’s Independent, we reported there had been more than 25 incidents on the ‘Isle of Skye’ road during 2017, and of these incidents seven took place between October 1-24.
As a result, OMBC/Unity Partnership carried out a road safety collision investigation of the “rural” section of the A635.
The probe concentrated on the bends near the highest point of the moorland route which saw a plethora of crashes towards the end of the year.
As a result, a number of measures will be introduced “as soon as reasonably practicable during the financial year”:
• Replacement and repair of existing safety barrier system
• Extension of existing safety barrier by an additional 20 metres plus
• Enhancement of existing bend warning sign and road marking systems
• Consideration of high friction surfacing treatment (subject to budget approval)
These measures will be the second significant changes to the route in the last five years.
During 2012/13, there was a reduction of the speed limit, high visibility traffic signs erected, enhanced road markings placed down, and safety barriers improved.
Highways Officer Gary Sutcliffe, in a report to the Parish Council’s Transport and Traffic Sub Committee, said the improvements had been completed between Bank Lane (the road down to Dovestone Reservoir) and the boundary.
“This work resulted in both the accident rate and casualty severities being significantly reduced.
“Prior to these works, between 1999 and 2012, there were 92 injury accidents, including 19 killed and seriously injured (KSIs).
“This resulted in annual accident rates of 6.1 and 1.3 (KSIs) respectively.
“In the most recent period both these rates have reduced to 1.6 and 0.3 (KSIs) which is encouraging.
“The accident data we use is injury collision information collected by GM Police and does not include ‘damage-only’ crashes where information tends to be ad-hoc and less reliable.
“This approach is consistent with other highways authorities,” added Mr Sutcliffe.
Not a accident blackspot but poor driving. Was driver procecuted