FURTHER to the article concerning Moss Bank Way that appeared on Febraury 14.

I wish to make the following comments.

For the last few years the local authority has been subjected to a high rate of criticism with respect to the reconstruction and safety schemes that have been put in place on Moss Bank Way.

The criticisms can be divided into two groups. Firstly those who had personal anecdotal evidence of problems they had encountered. Secondly, those that were politically motivated by the Conservative Party and in particular directed against the former Labour Councillor for Astley Bridge, Stuart Murray. They said the programme was a disaster, and would only lead to further problems. As everyone knew at the time, this was part of a political programme to attempt to discredit the Labour council.

Now let us look at the facts that have now been found as a result of extensive monitoring and investigation. The figures just released show that crashes have fallen by 25 per cent on the whole route and by 42 per cent on the stretch between Halliwell Road and Johnson Fold. Many people would argue that this criterion is the only one that matters. But there are other factors as well. Traffic flows have remained fairly steady throughout the period, speeds have reduced and crucially average journey times have not increased.

This last fact is what interests many drivers the most and while individual motorists may argue with this, anecdotal evidence cannot be taken as fact especially when confronted with extensive monitoring data. For example, my own personal experiences have been that although queues build at some sections, overall journey times have never altered for me significantly.

Now that these facts are on the table at last, I believe that the Engineers who designed the changes and the Labour Councillors who implemented them have been completely vindicated for their far seeing actions. When this report came to Scrutiny Committee, the Conservative spokesman on everything, Cllr John Walsh, could at best make minor criticisms or baseless perceptions. That is what I call being 'shot down'.

Councillor Nick Peel

Vice Chairman Planning

and Highways Committee

Bolton Council