RESIDENTS living on a Radcliffe road have hit out at the council for not doing enough to address their concerns over traffic.

Grindsbrook Road is used regularly by drivers travelling from Bolton Road to Higher Ainsworth Road as it means they are able to avoid the traffic lights at the junction with Starling Road. The road is also ‘no access’ to Bolton and Bury Road for drivers heading north, meaning it is essentially one-way.

Residents claim that in using the road, cars regularly hit speeds of 40-50 mph despite a 20 mph speed limit in force.

Other complaints include the amount of traffic using it as a cut through and vehicles travelling on the wrong side of the road in order to overtake.

They say they have raised their concerns with the council over the years, but are unhappy with the solutions provided.

A 20 mph speed limit and accompanying humps were installed on the road two years ago, but residents say they have proved ‘ineffective and useless’.

Resident Judi Sheppard has complained to the council and the police. She said: “Grindsbrook Road is a residential street, it was never intended to be a major thoroughfare.

“The volume of traffic now using it is excessive.

“The traffic using the road routinely exceed the speed limits, often travelling at very high speed and often on the wrong side of the road overtaking slow, law abiding users. Quite honestly, we feel the council are merely giving lip service to the 20 mile per hour zone.”

She added: “Bins on Grindsbrook Road are emptied on Thursdays but on other days during the week heavy refuse vehicles speed down.

“I assume on their way to the tip?

“The road is not deemed sufficiently important to be on the gritting programme but the grit lorries routinely travel down Grindsbrook Road, not spreading grit but en route to other areas of the borough.”

Those who live on the road say the problem has worsened in recent years. One resident said: “The traffic severs the residential community in two. The road calming measures put in have had absolutely no effect whatsoever in solving the amount of through traffic or speeding.They closed the top of the road a few weeks ago to install fibre optic cables in the area and it was pure heaven.

“It became what it should be, a residential street where you can walk across the road without fear for your life.”

Police attended the site twice in January to carry out speed checks in response to the concerns of residents and councillors.

Sergeant Gary Watters said: "On January 12, 15 vehicles were stopped and drivers were given advice.

"On January 18, the enforcement took place. Approximately 18 vehicles were stopped, nine of which were reported for offences ranging between 28 and 40mph.

"A 32 tonne HGV was also reported as there is a 7.5 tonne weight restriction in place.

"There are plans to attend on a regular basis, as and when we are led by residents."

A spokesperson for Bury Council said: “There is no evidence that the route is being used by excessive volumes of traffic, or by HGVs regularly abusing the weight limit.

“The real problem may be that a number of irresponsible drivers are simply ignoring the speed limit, despite the safety measures we have put in. It is the responsibility of the police to undertake enforcement of the speed limit and the weight limit.”