ILLEGAL parking makes a main road a constant danger, according to people living nearby. 

Darwen Road in Bromley Cross was the site of a serious car crash on Friday night which left driver, Curtis Constantine, fighting for his life.

People living along the road told The Bolton News how at one point on the route, the exact location of last week’s incident, the road narrows and is made worse by people parking on double-yellow lines outside Ku’s Special takeaway. The takeaway was unavailable for comment.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, described the part of Darwen Road where it meets Hough Lane as a “death trap” and that an accident was “waiting to happen”.

Bromley Cross councillor David Greenhalgh sent his best wishes to the injured driver, and anyone else involved in Friday’s crash, and their families, and he hopes the 23-year-old recovers in hospital.

He said he could not comment directly on Friday's incident, but added that, in general, Darwen Road has traffic issues and could be a dangerous route.

Mr Greenhalgh said: “There is an issue with people parking illegally, there are restrictions, but people flaunt them, particularly outside the takeaway. There is a problem with people speeding as well. Pending the outcome of any investigation or inquiry, we will of course look at any extra safety measures.

“Darwen Road has had issues with speeding and erratic driving and we have previously addressed that with intermittent cameras along the road.

“There is the issue with illegal parking and people waiting where they are not supposed to wait, and we should look at stronger enforcement of restrictions if necessary.

“We will be having a meeting with police to ascertain what happened, so we can take any measures and use any powers we have to make the road safer.

“We will also work with the council’s highways department at the town hall.”

Warren Fox, from Bolton Road Safety Group, echoed Mr Greenhalgh’s best wishes for Mr Constantine.

He added: “I’m sure I can speak for everyone in Bolton and the wider community, and say that he is in our thoughts at this time, and we are all praying that he makes a full recovery.”

Mr Fox said road safety in Bolton North East was particularly bad, and believed incidents were considerably more frequent than the national average.

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He added: “Many residents have complained about road safety issues here, in particular about vehicles which are parked on double yellow lines. Many have raised concerns about the lack of road markings too.

“There are proposals afoot to build more houses in the area, which will bring more cars. Residents have every right to be concerned about road safety. This area is one of the most congested in Bolton.”

A Bolton Council spokesman said road safety was a priority and the number of road deaths and accidents in the borough have continued to reduce in the last few years, which showed things were improving.

The spokesman added: “In the past five years, the police have recorded no accidents within a 50m radius either side of the junction with Hough Lane.”