Saddleworth road proposal deemed ‘unacceptable’ by community group

OLDHAM Council has been told a proposal to make Saddleworth road one way is ‘unacceptable.’

The borough authority wants to make Lower Turf Lane at Scouthead downhill only from the A62 Huddersfield Road.

A consultation is set to take place on a proposed traffic regulation order.

Lower Turf Lane, image by GGC Media

But Scouthead and Austerlands Community Group chair Robert Cragg has told its highways department it is the wrong idea.

The body feels it would simply divert more traffic on to nearby Heywood Lane, causing more disruption.

Instead, it would like to see no left or right turn orders imposed, depending on the direction of traffic.

After meeting the department on Wednesday, November 6, the group said: “Robert Cragg – chair of the Community Group – wrote to the council to say it was the unanimous view of the meeting that the extra traffic that the proposed change would route down Heywood Lane was unacceptable, detrimental and considerably outweighed any advantage to be gained at the Lower Turf Lane junction.

“It was the view of the meeting that it would be better to leave things as they are, with the exception that it supported no left turn at the junction for traffic coming up Lower Turf Lane, and no right turn for traffic turning into Lower Turf Lane from Huddersfield Road.”

Any change of traffic on Lower Turf Lane, which joins the A62 close to the Three Crowns pub, would affect many people living in several houses either on or just off it.

It is understood more work will be done before a decision is made on a traffic regulation order being drawn up.

Even then, it is likely to go before Oldham Council’s highway regulation committee, which would approve or refuse its adoption.