Shock at 33 weeks of roadworks on Cheadle Road

by Lib Dem team on 17 August, 2018

The Lib Dem team is shocked that roadworks on Cheadle Road, around the college site, are proposed to take up to 33 weeks. For most of that time, we are expected temporary traffic lights.

“We always felt that having a new nursery, primary and secondary school alongside Cheadle College on the same site was too much. That’s why we opposed the plans. Cheadle Road is already to busy. We didn’t realise that we’d get over seven months of traffic chaos right at the start. Given how underwhelming the road improvements plans were, we are struggling to see why it will take that long,” said Cllr Iain Roberts.

Mark Hunter is meeting with Council officers to put the case from local residents and see where improvements can be made.

   22 Comments

22 Responses

  1. janet mcleod says:

    If we had a better transport system then there wouldnt be as many cars on the road. I would like to ask what is happening with the train station in Cheadle. Is it going ahead or not? I would appreciate a reply.
    Thank you

    • John H says:

      If we got a station would there be a reliable service?

      • janet mcleod says:

        Well a reply from Iain would be useful. I ask this question every week and never, ever get a response from him. I will ask again when next newsletter comes out and if no reply then I will be unsubscribing and going elsewhere for answers

        • Iain Roberts says:

          Hi Janet – my apologies. I publish regular updates on the station and missed your question.

          TfGM are currently working up a proposal for new stations in Greater Manchester. Cheadle is one that’s being considered. We think there’s a strong case for it, and we’re waiting to see whether it’s being included.

          TfGM don’t have the money for new stations though – that list would then be used to bid for Government money.

          We wish there was a more streamlined approach, but building new rail infrastructure is never quick.

  2. Robert Cohen says:

    It was (and is) a crazy plan. 33 weeks!!! The effects on local business, not to mention pollution, will be dreadful. There is no way this is 8 months work! But if it is the same clowns doing the bypass……

  3. Peter Rowley says:

    I assume that it will be a bit like the A6 – M56 relief road in that for most of the time no work will be carried whilst the controls are in place but it makes life much easier for the contractors.
    The cost to local residents in terms of disruption, time effort and queuing traffic is enormous but is never taken into account as part of the cost of works calculation.
    Throw the request back to the contractors and tell them to come up with a different plan that does not disrupt local residents. If it adds to the cost of the project and reduces the profit margin of the contractors then so be it. Local ratepayers must not end up footing the bill.

  4. Paula Gabbie says:

    Last week, a small hole near Grange Road with temporary traffic lights, led to traffic tailing back to Broadway from 4pm at the start of the rush hour. This during the holiday season. These proposals will lead to Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme villages being clogged with static traffic for much of the day leading to loss of trade for the shopkeepers and trapping local residents in their homes. Some of us rely on our cars to get about. Have the Council/planners thought this through or maybe they just don’t care.

    • Iain Roberts says:

      That was exactly the point the local Lib Dems made when we argued that this was the wrong place for the new schools, Paula. I agree – it’s frustrating that we were outvoted.

  5. Alan says:

    This is one of the major arteries around Cheadle. The delays caused by lights will be horrendous; the queues caused by lights in the High St on Saturday were bad enough and that was on a non commuter day. Isn’t it about time this sort of thing was factored into a planning application? Aside from all that the roads will become
    Filthy with mud from the site. All to build another fantasyland white elephant from this intellectually bankrupt government.

  6. JB says:

    Yes, please let us know the current state of negotiations to reopen Cheadle railway station. Who is preparing the business case, estimates, etc., and what is the timescale for a decision?

    In the first instance what has been Transport for the North’s reaction?

    There should be no reason for the service not to be at least as reliable as services in general were before the May timetable change debacle – which I don’t believe was the fault of the train operators.

  7. JB says:

    Judging by the wreckage left at the side of the road, there were two separate major collisions on Styal Rd on 17th August. May we please have double white lines down the centre of the road? Initially, I had thought that between Firs Rd and Hollyhedge Rd would have been enough but recent experience has shown that all the way from Simonsway to Park Rd., Gatley is highly desirable.

    Speeding continues to be a problem and overtaking cars already doing 30mph is utter madness – as is ‘tailgating’.. Perhaps the recently approved ‘community speed detection equipment’ could be applied to this road in the near future – and regularly?

  8. David S says:

    It is now very common when doing roadworks to have set time at off peak when temporary traffic signals can be used to control traffic. Reading the article it doesn’t appear that the author hasn’t checked this out yet and I suspect that this is a factor in why the roadworks are taking 33 weeks

    • Iain Roberts says:

      Hi David – we’ve not had the details of the roadworks confirmed, but I would be amazed if it weren’t off-peak only. That does add to the time, but we’re still unclear why it would take so long.

  9. Roy says:

    33 weeks of roadworks disuruption and still no sign of the pavements retification work of High Street Cheadle.
    No new Roadworks should be allowed to start until the A6 M56 relief road is Finished and Open and all restrictions have been removed from the A34
    Please Iain give a Start date for the much promised pavement repairs on and around Cheadle High Street

    • Iain Roberts says:

      Hi Roy, there have already been pavement repairs on Cheadle High Street. I’ve walked it, and there are definitely improvements. Of course, it’s an ongoing process. On a busy High Street paving stones come loose and get damaged over time. I also know that not all the original issues have been solved, but progress has been made.

  10. Bryan Neill says:

    “roadworks on Cheadle Road, around the college site, are proposed to take up to 33 weeks” What the heck are they actually doing that takes 33 weeks?????

  11. must be the same lot building the houses on the Highgrove site been going on now for ages. Good job they were not on Hadrians Wall. The 4 house’s on Grasmere 47a upwards have took over a year and the pavement has never been repaired. Rubbish today buiders, road repairers,

  12. Daid Johnson says:

    Well said Paula Gabbie, this situation already applies to Gatley. Over the years predictions and complaints have been ignored and the situation has worsened and is obviously going further downhill without stop. Local residential roads have become overrun by non-residents seeking ways around A34 and Cheadle Road hold-ups and the noise and air pollution sickens!

  13. julie b says:

    I always thought it would be a nightmarish situation as no one could ever answer the many questions asked at all the meetings regarding the access problem onto Cheadle Road. Larus Trust have just erected an very very lengthy fenced pedestrian (pupils) walkway cutting off vital parking for college staff- all exiting onto Cheadle Road- I’m one of them! Not surprised at all about all this – knew it would happen but 7 months throughout winter-…..ridiculous.

  14. Sidney T says:

    Enough us enough, too far tgis time! How about we organise a sit down protest and block the road all day? Get the press thete too. We’ve had enough of being treated like idiots! TfGM are appaulling too.

  15. Simon Basa says:

    The thing we all need to remember is that places like Cheadle and Gatley used to be villages… small rural villages and the roads were built for the volume of traffic you would expect in a small rural village.

    Over the years these villages expanded and car ownership and use expanded with it. Over these same years, a substantial financial investment in the transport networks has taken place (motorways, ring roads, relief roads etc.). But all that this has done has proven that there are only so many places you can actually build effective new roads – unless you have no objection to building new roads through current housing – you know, where people live?

    Wherever you build a new road you are destroying habitat and environment, you have to purchase peoples land or make compulsory purchases and without fail, there are thousands upon thousands of complaints from all walks of life and from every perspective. When you satisfy the drivers you upset the cyclists, when you satisfy the cyclists you upset the pedestrian, when you upset the pedestrian you anger the drivers…. and so on, ad infinitum.

    The fact of the matter is that there are too many cars on the roads that we have, the roads we have were never designed for the volume of traffic in 2019. Perhaps congestion charging is the answer? Voluntary surrendering of second or low use vehicles? Higher tax on second and third vehicles? Tax breaks for cyclists/pedestrians? The alternatives are that we continue to tarmac over the fields and greenspaces of this country and build more roads, but as research shows, if you build more roads, you generate more traffic and a few years on, you’re back to square one.

    There is no single, simple answer and any politician that says there is, is a liar. There are a multitude of things to try but as soon as they are suggested, people kick and scream againsts their ‘rights’ to own and drive a car.

    ‘We’ are part of the problem but ‘we’ cannot countenance many of the answers.

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