Police officers are set to visit Horwich primary schools following two separate crashes in the area which left two children in hospital.
On Monday, September 9, a crash on Chorley New Road at around 4.20pm left a child – believed to be a teenager – in hospital with injuries. The road was closed for hours following the incident.
Then, less than 24 hours later, another child was hit just a five-minute walk away, on Lee Lane. Police and ambulance were called to the scene at 3.50pm on Tuesday, September 10.
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The causes of the crash are unknown, but police now plan to visit local primary schools to talk about road safety.
Cllr Ryan Bamforth, an independent councillor in Horwich North, said local Greater Manchester Police officers are ‘very keen’ to get into schools to engage with children.
Schools that could be visited include Horwich Parish CE Primary School, St Mary’s RC Primary, Claypool Primary School, and Chorley New Road Primary Academy.
Cllr Bamforth, who plans to ask a question at a council meeting in October about road safety due to the crashes, said: “Our focus is on the primary schools – it’s more risk perception. I think younger children are at more risk of crossing the road than older generations.
“My primary care is that they get into the primary schools first, and then after we’ll move on to the secondary schools.”
The councillor said GMP are looking into the possibility of showing video footage of the recent crashes at school assemblies, but they do not wish to distress children.
Local residents told The Bolton News that children ‘run a gauntlet’ every time they cross the road, with no zebra or pelican crossing available.
Others said drivers regularly speed as high at 60mph on the road, despite a 20mph limit.
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According to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s ‘Vision Zero Strategy’, the city region is committed to try to eliminate ‘all road fatalities and life changing injuries’ by 2040.
The strategy says a ‘safe system’ approach should be taken to create safer roads and reduce the impact of any mistakes made by any road user.
According to the strategy, the risk of being killed is almost five times higher if a pedestrian is hit at 30mph compared to 20mph.
The city-region has also committed to providing more ‘crossings where people need them’ in its Streets for All Design guidance.
Cllr Bamforth said: “If it was up to me, I’d have designated crossing points on Victoria Road – because Victoria Road is a very fast road as well, where you got a lot of speeding.
“Lever Park Avenue is an issue, you’ve also got Green Lane, that’s an issue – the bottom part of Chorley Old Road, as you’re coming into Horwich, that’s a very fast-moving road as well, and then you’ve got the area on Chorley New Road between Winter Hey Lane and The Crown – because it’s a very wide road you do get a lot of people speeding up on there.”
He added that he was less of a fan of zebra crossings as he has experienced drivers ignoring them and driving through as he tries to cross, despite Highway Code rules dictating that drivers should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross.
Cllr Bamforth added: “They do need designated crossing points, they definitely need designated crossing points – I’m not a fan of zebra crossings, but if it means a zebra crossing, then a zebra crossing or pelican crossing – especially considering it’s a busy throughfare for children as well.
“Especially on Green Lane, you’ve got a play park there – there is a children’s play park and you’ve got football fields, so it is an attraction area for children to go so they can enjoy themselves – children need to play to help them develop, but they have to be able to go to areas where they are safe to play.”
If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.
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