Little Lever: Residents call for change after latest collision

Residents on on Dearden Street in Little Lever have previously raised concerns about the road and the number of accidents.

In the latest incident, two vehicles parked on Dearden Street had their wing mirrors hit by a passing vehicle.

Read more: Building of housing site leads to delay in tackling traffic problems

Resident, Joanne Mutch, has previously raised concerns about traffic on the road. Her husband’s work van was one of the vehicles which was damaged in the incident.

Joanne said: “My husband’s van, his wing mirror got taken off. Also the wing mirror on my neighbour’s car, which was in front of my husband’s van, got taken off.”

Another neighbour from the bottom of the street saw the incident and managed to get the driver to stop.

The new Lever Gardens development is causing issues in how quickly a consultation would be able to be done, according to councillor Sean Hornby (Image: Bolton Council)

There are calls for the road to be made one way

Joanne said “When I put on Facebook about this, the comments people are putting on about how ridiculous it is and how it should be one way, yet again the council will do nothing.

Although she thinks that a one way system would be ‘better than nothing’, Joanne believes the street needs to be made a no-through-road.

She said: “Ideally not making it a through road would be better. You’re still going to get cars coming up and down at high speed, you’re not going to be able to stop that.

Read more: 'It's like a racetrack': Residents fear development will worsen 'horrendous' traffic

“Although, at least if it was made one way, then people wouldn’t be coming in and out of parked cars.

“But they’re building 62 apartments, even if there is one car each, it’s a massive amount of traffic.

“And there will be a hairdressers, a bistro, people are going to be coming and wanting to stay to have food, it’s just going to be ridiculous.”

Little Lever ward councillor Sean Hornby said a consultation should be held after the development of an older people's complex.

He said: “If we did the consultation before Lever Gardens is finished, it could be ruled we have to do another consultation after.

Councillor Sean Hornby (Image: Bolton Council)

“We will do another consultation as soon as we can after the development is finished.

“The last time we did a consultation on making Dearden Street a one way street was around 2008 or 2009 when it went out to consultation, and the majority said no.

“Now that may have changed, but we can’t just consult Dearden Street. We have to consult one or two houses on Church Street, and we’d have to consult Lever Street.”

He continued: “There would be major implications on other junctions. People might not want traffic going past their house.

“They might want a consultation, the council might listen and decide to do something else.

Read more: 'Predictable' crash adds to calls for traffic calming on Dearden Street, Little Lever

“The consultation will be after local elections.”

On being asked if consultation could be taken on Dearden Street being made a no-through-road, Cllr Hornby said: “I suppose it could be looked at, it could be thrown into the hat.”

Little Lever resident David Evans, said: “The easiest way of doing it is to make it one way. One way down Dearden Street and then one way back up Lever Street."