Could the Mottram Bypass Be Replaced By Shared Space Similar to Poynton?

By | February 27, 2013

Anyone who knows Mottram knows about the traffic problems and the lack of funding for the Mottram Bypass.

We have another article on Real Deal about the Mottram Bypass here: e-petition deliver Mottram – Mottram Bypass – Stuck in Traffic?

Local MP Jonathan Reynolds has recently taken up the reins on the issue and sent local residents a long and informative letter on the subject.

The locals of Mottram are glad that someone is finally back on the case.

It is clear to anyone who lives in or near Mottram that the bypass is a much-needed road.

However, if the funding is ever going to be available is anyone’s guess. If the funding actually becomes available, it will be many years until it is built and in operation.

Is there a medium term solution maybe? 

A good medium term solution wouldn’t cost millions.

A good medium term solution would be useful to keep in the distant future if a bypass is ever actually built.

Well, we at Real Deal have come up with an idea.

Politicians and the media are free to steal this idea and present it as their own. It goes like this:

This is a two pronged attack on the traffic problem. The first being to dissuade some of the trucks from using Mottram as a convenient cut through instead of using the M62.

The second being to implement a scheme at the junction of Mottram Moor / A57 Hyde Road / Stalybridge Road / Market Street / B6174 (Post Office) that calms the traffic somewhat and allows pedestrians to cross.

This where Mottram could learn something from Poynton in Cheshire. The main junction in Poynton suffered similar traffic problems to Mottram and they did something about it. Watch the video below to see what they did.

Such a scheme might work quite well at the Mottram Moor / A57 Hyde Road / Stalybridge Road / Market Street / B6174 junction.

Similar to the scheme in Poynton, it would allow both sides of Mottram not to be cut off from each other as they are now. It would slow the angry traffic and perhaps alleviate the long queues towards the junction that form on Stalybridge Road and Market Street.

The other prong of the attack is to make what is currently a convenience for HGV trucks into an inconvenience that costs money.

That means installing some of these:

Toll Booth

Yes, toll booths. Specifically for HGV’s.

You put one at the beginning of Hyde Road at the end of the M67 (where the Big Baps butty van is) and make all trucks larger than 3500kgs pull into the side to pay £5 to pass through Mottram.

You put another one on the far side of Tintwistle somewhere to collect another £5. Place one also near the Roe Cross to catch rat-runners using Back Moor as an avoidance route.

You charge HGV traffic both ways at both points.

Drivers with delivery notes indicating a delivery between the two points get though for free maybe (don’t want to harm businesses in Glossop and the catchment areas).

Cars and vans below 3500kgs go free and do not need to pull off and stop. Trucks that don’t stop get a fixed penalty £100 ticket – especially foreign trucks. Maybe a 6’6″ width restriction will force trucks through the toll booth/checkpoint instead?

This means HGV’s pay £10 to use Mottram and Tintwistle as a cut through to and from the M1 and Yorkshire.

Many will choose not to pay and use the M62 instead – as they should. And that will cut the HGV traffic down to allow the scheme above like they have in Poynton to work.

The best part? 

The best part is not only does it create jobs…………..

Not only does it reduce heavy HGV traffic through villages……………….

Not only is it self funding…………

Not only does it charge those who create much of the problem, and use that money to solve it…………

But it will make a profit. What to do with the profit? Well, why not ring fence it and use it to build the bypass with? thumbs

This way, even the bypass pays for itself! Build it slowly as the money comes in! 

When the bypass is built, Mottram village is left with a nice little shared traffic/pedestrian area, and people may even want to sit on that bench next to the statue of Lowry and not fear about choking on fumes.

If you live in Hyde, Godley, Mottram, Stalybridge, Tintwistle, Glossop, Broadbottom, Simmondley, Hollingworth, Hattersley or anywhere in the locality, you have an interest in getting Mottram Bypass looked at again by the government.

Sitting in the soul-destroying traffic hoping someone else will do something for you will make it never happen.

MP’s and councillors wont solve this decades old problem unless forced to by public opinion.

You need to contact your elected representatives and link them to this topic (use the link www.tinyurl.com/mottrambypass – it comes here!).

Its easier than it used to be to contact those we voted in. There is no getting out the pen and paper and trudging to the mailbox and paying for an over-priced stamp any more. Its all online. You can do it in a  few clicks.

Here’s how. Go to this site: Write to your local Councillor or MP (opens in a new window)

Write to your local elected representative and complain that they are not working to solve the traffic problems in this area. If enough of you do that, they will be forced to listen and it will get debated once again. If they ignore you, don’t vote for them next time. Simples!

Write it on your Facebook, Twitter and other social networking pages. Link this article in your email signatures. Get the word out!

Your comments are welcome on this topic. Comments do not appear immediately to prevent spam.

6 thoughts on “Could the Mottram Bypass Be Replaced By Shared Space Similar to Poynton?

  1. Editor Post author

    Actually, anyone who was around Mottram when the A628 was closed due to the snow recently will have seen what Mottram could be. Mottram was a sleepy village once more with no traffic problems at all. Total bliss!

    On reflection, I think just the two toll booths; one on the Snake Pass and one on Woodhead Pass will cure the Mottram problem in a heartbeat.

    No bypass needed if they do that.

  2. Peter

    Interesting ideas, shared space has mixed results in my experience. It has to have a clear function and aleviating traffic cannot be the priority, Poynton already had a shared space on Park Lane to reclaim the highstreet for pedestrians a key factor in shared space working. A lot of indepth research would be required.
    My initial thoughts are Poynton did not have an issue with people exiting. I.e. the M60. It could be beneficial at the Post Office Junction however is the traffic there people diverting off the trunk road to beat the traffic or actually local people? Also would there be enough pedestrians to disrupt the traffic and slow people down?

    Also a large portion in my experience is one person cars and over the past 15 years i have noticed with the expansion of commuter housing estate in glossop the longer back down the a57 the queue becomes probably 3 times its length another cause.

    Toll booth idea interesting, other scheme which promote car sharing and charge those who do not might be more successful in reducing traffic. Another would be to separate the two lanes up mottram moor as people cutting in from the outside lane into the inner causes frustration and lengthens queues.

    Do you know where to find the original plans for the route of the bypass? I am looking into doing a project on this scheme and considering all options and weighing up the pro’s and con’s of each.

    I welcome your thoughts.

  3. Neil Bonner

    Yes I agree with shared space, anything which will stop the queues and queue jumpers going around the roundabouts twice!

    We need to ban HGV’s using the route especially when they break down or their tyres burst, send them by the M62.

  4. Charles

    I agree Neil, if the trucks are removed, much of the problem goes away. Why wont the powers that be address this for the last 30 years? I had to walk through Mottram one Friday evening recently and it was like walking in Beijing the fumes were so bad.

    Choking a small village with trucks like this is simply unacceptable.

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