CHANGES could be made to one of the most notorious roads in the borough to make it safer for motorists and pedestrians.

Rawson’s Rake, in Holcombe, is believed to be one of the steepest roads in the region and is well-known as an accident blackspot.

It is narrow, particularly hazardous in wet and icy conditions, and does not have a separate footpath for pedestrians.

Bury Council has looked at various options for making the road safer, including improving footpaths, erecting more signs and closing the road in bad weather.

An informal consultation is now being held about erecting a “no entry” sign next to the lych gate at Emmanuel Church, which would stop traffic heading downhill from Holcombe to Ramsbottom because many incidents involve vehicles travelling downhill.

A council spokesman said: “Concerns are regularly raised about traffic on Rawson’s Rake, particularly during a bad winter. We have been in discussions with residents, the church, the Holcombe Society and others to see how these might best be addressed. This is an informal consultation exercise and we will analyse the responses before deciding whether to put forward formal proposals.”

The Holcombe Society will hold an open meeting to discuss the proposal at 8pm tonight at Emmanuel Holcombe CE Primary School, in Helmshore Road. Falmai Binns, from the Holcombe Society, said: “Clearly this proposal will affect the whole village, who have been using this convenient route to Ramsbottom for centuries.

“There has been much discussion over the pros and cons. We feel that to get a balanced view, and reply responsibly, an open meeting will facilitate engagement with all concerned. Hopefully, by listening carefully, we can reach a solution which will protect everyone’s interests.”

Cllr, Luise Fitzwalter said: “I am in favour of the proposal. I think it’s worth a go as an experiment. I am concerned that if we do nothing, someone is going to get killed. This winter we have had one fall of snow and within 30 minutes, there was a five-car pile-up in Rawson’s Rake.”

Anyone who wants to have their say on the proposal can email traffic@bury.gov.uk before Friday, January 18.