Julia Silvester at the Wearish Lane junction

Your councillor, Julia Silvester, has told of her shock at learning that a driver feedback sign at Wearish Lane was damaged and all the important information regarding traffic speeds has been LOST.

It comes at a sensitive time, when one local boy was hit by a passing vehicle on Wigan Road. Residents are demanding action over the situation with speeding vehicles, and generally fast-flowing traffic at this danger spot.

The feedback sign, which was placed on Wearish Lane as a temporary measure, warns drivers of their speed, but also collects vital traffic information for highway engineers who consider future traffic safety plans.

Warning sign at Wearish Lane

But after making enquiries about the device, Liberal Democrat Julia Silvester has learnt that a wreckless individual has damaged the camera and all of the information it had been recording was lost, and the sign was not functioning correctly. Now it has since moved on to Hartford Road.

However, the situation at the junction has got so bad that the road safety partnership has recommended the use of a mobile speed camera and a location for its use on Wearish Lane is being looked into.

Julia said: “I am absolutely appalled that somebody has put other people’s lives at risk because they damaged the sign. It was put in place for a reason – to encourage drivers to think twice about their speed, collect vital information for future safety measures, and to generally help in making the road safer for pedestrians.”

“I had asked the Council how long it would be before the sign could be returned to the road because I am concerned that we need to take action now in light of what has happened recently,” she added.

Julia had also requested that the sign be positioned on the site that it has moved to because of similar problems with traffic speeds.