Horwich: Call for filter on Winter Hey Lane/Chorley New Road junction

The crossroads of Chorley New Road, Winter Hey Lane and Mason Street is one of the major junctions in the town, where traffic from Bolton, Chorley, Blackrod and Horwich town centre converges. 

There is enough space for four cars to pull alongside each other on both sides of Chorley New Road due to its width, but if two cars travelling in the same direction stay on the road rather than turning off, they have to filter into single file. 

Now, Cllr Ryan Bamforth of Horwich North, wants to implement a filter lane to allow traffic to turn off Chorley New Road, which he says would make it safer. 

The works could be funded by a pot of money set aside for Horwich town centre regeneration.

The council has said it is looking into re-lining the junction to include a "turning pocket".

The junction (Image: Newsquest)

He said: "I have been pushing for this since before I was a councillor. 

"It is currently four lanes wide in total, it doesn't need to be that wide because there is no filter lane. 

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"You can go side-by-side, but if both cars push forwards, then there isn't a kerb which forces you into single file, so it is a fight and it is dangerous. 

"There was a car crash there in 2016 and somebody died, not that I'm saying this has caused it." 

Cllr Bamforth also pointed out that there was a horror crash at the location in October 2016, which led to the death of a 23-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman was left in "critical" condition. 

The Toyota Yaris they were in struck railings just before 1.50am that night.

Cllr Bamforth added: "Something needs to be done, it is dangerous.

"Not only does it need a filter lane, but the timing of the traffic lights need to be redone. 

"I've been told that when people are crossing, in particular elderly residents, they can't get across the road quickly enough before the lights go green again because of its width. 

"It is the same amount of time for people to cross Winter Hey Lane, which is much smaller, as it is Chorley New Road.

"That is something that we are pushing for, everything I am trying to do is safety.

"We just want to make the roads safer for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists." 

The Bolton News went to the junction to see the behaviour of traffic. Within the space of around 20 minutes, there were three separate instances of vehicles on both "lanes" pushing forward. 

It could also be seen how the traffic lights on Chorley New Road changed before pedestrians were able to cross. 

After seeing an HGV pull out of Mason Street, Cllr Bamforth added: "Some people say there would not be enough space for lorries, but if there is enough space for them on Mason Street then there is more than enough on Chorley New Road." 

In response, a council spokesperson said: "Highways are investigating re-lining the junction of Chorley New Road/Winter Hey Lane/Manson Street in Horwich to include a turning pocket. 

"Unfortunately, it is not possible to replace the signals and have a dedicated phased turn."