The danger of speeding and careless driving by lorry drivers in Rossendale and Darwen has been highlighted at Westminster by the constituency’s new Labour MP Andy MacNae. He was speaking in a special adjournment debate he convened in the House of Commons.
Mr MacNae told it: “Our current approach to road safety is in desperate need of overhaul. Too often, safety interventions come as a response to collisions, rather than as proactive measures to prevent them.
“I focus on a couple of linked aspects that are of particular concern to my constituents – specifically, speeding and issues related to large commercial vehicles. Rossendale and Darwen is a constituency of A roads running down valleys, with relatively few alternative routes.
“I live off Burnley Road in Bacup, and the lived experience of residents along that road serves to highlight most of the issues I want to raise. Ask anyone who lives on Burnley Road and they will tell you that speeding is endemic. There have been serious injuries and fatalities, but, more fundamentally, residents will cite numerous close calls and the fear they generate.
“One house on a bend in the road has now been hit by speeding vehicles three times. In one case, a vehicle impacted on a spot where a pedestrian had been standing just seconds before, and when we lived on the main road, a car judged to be speeding at over 100 mph hit my wife’s car with such force that it was lifted up and landed on mine – in a 30 mph zone.
“Burnley Road is very heavily used by large commercial vehicles, and there have been numerous close calls with those vehicles as well. Residents see them speeding or travelling in convoy, too often with their driver on a mobile phone.
“This is a massive concern around the local primary school sited directly on the main road. Last year, two big wagons managed to crash into each other just outside the school. Narrow pavements and a lack of safe crossing areas further increase the risk, and it is hardly a surprise many parents are reluctant to let their kids walk even a short distance to school.
“I could tell stories about Todmorden Road, Burnley Road East through Whitewell Bottom, Market Street in Whitworth, Bury Road in Edenfield, Newchurch Road in Waterfoot, Bolton Road, Sunnyhurst Lane, Hollins Grove and Pole Lane in Darwen. Residents see close calls day by day but are told that the statistics do not merit action, and even when they do, they are simply told there is no money. This approach is nonsensical.
“Older residents in social housing along Newchurch Road in Rossendale feel trapped in their estate because there is literally nowhere safe to cross the road. If we want to be serious about tackling this issue, we must move towards a truly proactive, community-led approach
“Instead of waiting around until enough people have been hurt to merit an intervention, we proactively identify high-risk areas, and we act.” Junior transport minister Lilian Greenwood told Mr MacNae: “You made a number of really important points. I will be working with officials to consider them further, as we continue our work in this area.”
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