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Bid to stop cars using rat-run

Michelle McKenna
23/ 2/2006

A BID to stop cars using a notorious town centre rat-run has been launched.

Councillor Edith Dunston raised the controversial issue of the bus lane outside Accrington Town Hall at a meeting of Lancashire Police Authority.

She complained about unauthorised vehicles using it as a short cut and asked if the police had any authority to stop them.

But Accrington Inspector Terry Woods said the local authority needed to come up with a suitable long-term solution as officers could not police the area 24 hours a day.

He said: "We do have the authority to stop cars. I could put an officer on that every day but residents of Woodnook and Oswaldtwistle would quite rightly criticise me for it. I have got to prioritise my officers' time and at the moment there are more pressing issues in Accrington.

"If it becomes a major issue I can look at it but for me it is about a long-term solution. There are a number of schemes that the local authority has come up with and it is looking at various avenues at the moment."

Councillor Dunston said: "Does it only become a major issue when somebody is killed? I know it cannot be policed 24/7 but there must be a way to deter drivers from going through, such as CCTV. At the moment drivers know they can go through without being caught."

Inspector Woods agreed to look at the possibility of putting a mobile camera in front of the Town Hall, but pointed out it would be a short-term measure and urged residents to put pressure on the local authority to produce a long-term solution

It was suggested that Parkwise could patrol the area but Inspector Woods explained that its staff don't have the authority to stop vehicles.

Councillor Dunston said: "It seems to be a case of passing the buck while lives are at stake."

But Councillor Doug Hayes disagreed, adding: "We need to push this with the right people. We cannot be looking to the police to do short-term what we as councillors should be pushing for long-term within our own council."

Chairman Maurice Cowell requested that letters be sent to all the relevant bodies, expressing the concerns of the committee.

The issue has been raised repeatedly over the past few years and various suggestions have been put forward to close the area off to motorists, including traffic lights which would only turn green as buses approached.


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Most recent 1 of 1 user comments

   Why can they not install a simple bollard system that needs a remote control to deactivate it. The system would rise up when not in use and when a vehicle that had the remote fitted is would lower on approach. Other councils around the country use this technology to stop this very thing. Speaking from experience I too was nearly knocked down one saturday afternoon in this very spot. Do we only act when someone is seriously ill or killed!!
Lee Cross, Accrington
24/02/2006 at 12:55
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