Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

The report informs the Area Committee of a proposal to widen the exit lane on Lisburne Lane at the signalised junction  with Marple Road to allow cars to form a two lane side by side queue to increase vehicle capacity. This scheme also aims to improve pedestrian facilities by introducing push button pedestrian crossing control across Lisburne Lane and Marple Road which will result in a pedestrian crossing stage as part of the traffic signal operation at this junction. The existing central pedestrian island on Lisburne Lane is proposed to be removed.

The Area Committee is recommended to approve the proposed junction modification including pedestrian push button crossing facility on Lisburne Lane and Marple Road as set out in this report and recommend that the Executive Councillor (Supporting Places) approves the proposals within his remit for a Strategic or District Distributor route and, subject to no objections being received within 21 days from the statutory legal advertising period, the orders can be made.

Officer contact: Graham Price, 0161 474 4893, graham.price@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) inviting the Area Committee to consider proposals to improve the junction of Lisburne Land and Marple Road, Offerton to improve the capacity of the junction for vehicles exiting Lisburne Lane and to improve pedestrian crossing facilities.

Councillors expressed concerns about whether the proposals would constitute value for money given the projected costs and the likely impact on traffic flows on Marple Road. Councillors expressed the view that installing traffic signals at the junction of Lisburne Lane and Dialstone would be more beneficial, particularly in view of the new housing developments at the former Dialstone Centre and former Cherry Tree Hospital sites. In response, the representative of the Corporate Director confirmed that the cost of the proposed improvements at Lisburne Lane/ Marple Road would be funded from developer contributions associated with the former Dialstone Centre site and that these improvements were a condition of that planning permission. It was also confirmed that previous investigations of the Lisburne Lane/ Dialstone Lane junction had not shown the installation of signal controls to be justified due to the pattern and volume of vehicular movements.

RESOLVED – (1 against) That in relation to the proposed improvements to the junction of Lisburne Lane and Marple Road, Offerton the Executive Councillor (Supporting Places):-

(i)            be informed of this Area Committee’s concern that the proposals were not an effective use of resources, and the belief of the Area Committee that installing a signalised junction at Lisburne Lane and Dialstone Lane would be a more effective use of these resources

(ii)          be requested to undertake a feasibility study into the installation of signals at this location.