It's safer for trees to act as barriers

Quote Cllr Foster: "First then, let me deal with the environmental impact of removing these trees. Mr Riley seems to be unaware that we have always proposed to replace more trees in safer positions than the number of trees removed. Hardly the act of environmental vandals!"

When has the council made it public knowledge that more trees are to be replaced? Where exactly are these trees going to go? In safer positions? Yes. But where? Presumably Cllr Foster is aware that these are mature trees that are being felled and that hundreds of young trees would have to be planted to equalise the impact on the environment. Where exactly have you the space on this busy road to do that? I tend to agree with Mr Riley you are environmental vandals. You use a ridiculous argument to suggest that the trees are felled for safety reasons. If a car hits a tree then that is that, but what happens if there isn't a tree? The car will plough onto the pavement, possibly into someone's garden, injuring pedestrians or career back into the road endangering other road users. So it is actually safer for the trees to be there to act as a barrier.

Quote Cllr Foster: "Secondly, we have taken the opportunity to make the Ring Road safer still."

Safer for who exactly? Non-existent cyclists I think. More provision has been made for these elusive cyclists than for car users. As a frequent user of this busy stretch of road, I cannot recall the last time I spotted a cyclist. Have you actually surveyed this area to see how many cyclists use this road and indeed how convenient it is for cyclists to use discontinuous cycle paths, making them more vulnerable? If you are going to provide a safe cycle path, then it should be continuous for all its length and completely separate from other road users, as they do in other areas of Europe.

Quote Cllr Foster: "By reducing each carriageway to one lane between junctions, it has the effect of calming traffic by preventing overtaking and, thereby, making it easier for users to judge crossing the single lane rather than the two at present."

This should actually say - it has the effect of slowing traffic, causing increased queuing, increased incidence of road rage as certain individuals try to race as fast as possible down the outside lane to cut in front of everyone else before it goes to a single lane. Painted chevrons on the road do nothing to stop this and it makes it even more dangerous for pedestrians to cross. It is inconceivable that millions of pounds are being spent to widen a road only to reduce it back down to a single lane highway. The money would be better spent re-surfacing existing roads which are an absolute disgrace i.e. Beaumont Road.

Quote Cllr Foster: "This has been borne out in practice on the length of Moss Bank Way already widened and improved in this way between Blackburn Road and Halliwell Road."

Yes. The points I have just raised have been borne out. In practice it is an absolute nightmare of a road to use now, hardly an improvement.

So, in closing, quote Cllr Foster: "I trust that this reply to your reader's letter will help other readers understand the rationale behind the current improvements to the Ring Road."

To summarise, your letter has not helped readers understand the rationale behind this waste of money on supposed improvements. It is another glaring example of local government councillors ignoring the opinion of the people who voted them into office in the first place. Your responses to Mr Riley's heartfelt observations are both unsatisfactory and misleading.

So, may I suggest that in future you speak to your constituents and gain a real opinion ... before you act. After all, this is Bolton not Brussels!

Mrs J Maclean

Knightswood

Bolton

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.