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Residents win rat-run fight

Annette Lord
6/ 6/2008

CAMPAIGNING neighbours who barricaded their street in a bid to make the area safer have won their battle.

Part of Batley Street, Moston, is to be made permanently one way after a blockade by parents on nearby Hillier Street North, who feared for their children's lives because of the volume of traffic using the residential street as a rat run.

The two-hour protest on Hillier Street North last August stopped traffic turning into and out of Moston Lane and led to local councillor Pat Karney offering to help broker a solution.

Now locals, who described their street as a "race track," are celebrating after it was confirmed that the council will be taking action.

The youngest of Lynne Daley's four children is 11 but her partner's grandchildren – aged five and 18 months – regularly visit, so she is delighted with the result.

She said: "It is brilliant news, especially with the six week holidays coming up. We will now be able to put the kids outside knowing they are safe."

Two street surveys showed there was a real problem with rush hour traffic - with seven out of 10 vehicles on Hillier Street North in the evening rat-running, mostly from Upper Conran Street to Moston Lane.

Batley Street will be made one-way between Upper Conran Street and Wembley Street, forcing traffic on Upper Conran Street to use the Moston Lane junction.

The consulation period for people to comment on its implementation is still open but the scheme is currently going through the legal process and a start date fixed for 23 June.

Councillor Karney said: "The traffic was a huge threat to local residents and particularly children.

"We promised that we would make the street safer, and we got there in the end. I just apologise for it taking so long. It has to go through all this long-winded legal rubbish and I am going to ask the chief executive if the process can be shortened."

Fellow Harpurhey councillor, Paul Fairweather, said: "This is great news for local residents who have campaigned to end this rat run. I am delighted that the town hall has now confirmed the one way order."