Delays expected for 3 weeks whilst new roundabout is installed

Drivers are being warned to expect delays for the next three weeks and to plan journeys accordingly whilst a mini roundabout is installed in Handforth.

As part of the required planning conditions for the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road scheme, Cheshire East Highways will soon be working in Handforth to install a mini roundabout at the junction of Handforth Road and Welland Road.

The work is scheduled to take place between Monday 30th July and Friday 24th August, between the hours of 9.30am and 3.30pm.

Temporary traffic signals will be in operation for the duration of the works.

A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said "We understand that there is no right time to undertake works on such busy parts of the network, and this work has been planned to try to minimise disruption to local residents, businesses and members of the travelling public. Delays are to be expected.

"On site personnel will be on hand to provide help and advice to members of the public for the duration of the scheme and are the best way to find out more information about these works."

Tags:
Handforth Road, Manchester Airport Relief Road, Welland Road
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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Jon Newell
Wednesday 25th July 2018 at 5:30 pm
I note that this work is linked to the A6 - airport link road.
Have they taken into account that no-one has a blind clue as to when this link road might be completed? From looking over the bridges over the road, they are no where near completion.
Are we building a link to nowhere?
Peter Evans
Wednesday 25th July 2018 at 10:41 pm
Am confused: is this the same round about that it was reported would take 2 weeks to install a few days ago? If so, then that's rapid building inflation (though no one seemed to think 2 weeks made any sense). If its a different round about then: is 3 weeks equally optimistic & will 2 simultaneous roundabout installations cause total grid lock (again)?
John Mills
Thursday 26th July 2018 at 5:20 am
9-30 until 3-30. What a full days work! No wonder this project goes on for ever. If only we all could work a 6 hour day. This whole project has been a disgrace.
Brian Barker
Thursday 26th July 2018 at 6:17 am
Presumably this is in anticipation of a considerable increase in traffic!
Clive Cooksey
Thursday 26th July 2018 at 6:49 am
Unbelievable. Another classic case of not being able to run a booze up in a brewery.
Jon Newell
Thursday 26th July 2018 at 6:53 am
I have just realised where these works on Handforth Road /Road are.

This will be one of the obvious diversions for those unable to use the Summerfields / Dean Row exit from the A34.

Does no one a CEC have access to a map? Or if they do, does no one think the "planning" and taking into account resident's needs might be a worthy consideration.

There is no way this second piece of work should begin until the work on the A34 exit is finished.
Buster Wild
Thursday 26th July 2018 at 8:02 am
Why is a mini-roundabout needed at this junction? Is it so residents from the Welland Road estate are able to enter Handforth Road easier. They will still have to wait for the traffic from the right to clear as at present. When the A555 is at long last completed, traffic on Handforth Road will surely be reduced. I note these roadworks will be ongoing at the same time as the entrance to the bypass from Dean Road will be closed for three weeks. Great planning.
John Harries
Thursday 26th July 2018 at 9:37 am
I too cannot see the need for a roundabout, the present junction appears more than adequate to handle the joining/leaving traffic density at Welland Road and there isn't any significant scope for adding more homes - is there (except maybe for the proposed demolition of two adjacent detached homes to make way for an unwanted and inappropriate private care home?).
Some 'expert' however (probably at CEC a few years back so inevitably he/she has moved on to an even better/over remunerated position...) has conceived a project to grab more compensation from the A555 mega[not]build. Just move your thoughts back a few weeks to the 'other' connected project at the Station Road/Handforth Road traffic lights. One would have thought this bright idea would at least have improve traffic flow, (IMHO) it hasn't, in fact it's managed to create even more of a bottleneck and the sole major benefit appears to be a barrier to prevent frequenters of the Freemasons Arms from rolling out the doors straight onto the main road (no recorded history of deaths are there so what was the basis for these supposed improvements that possibly only benefit no more than 30 or so regular users of a public house, it would be a lot less money well spent to simply fund moving the pub door to the side of the building!!) - which also took a ridiculous length of time to complete with contractors working 6 hour weekdays only (and added to congestion misery for everyone). This new 'improved' road layout now narrows/slows vehicle movements and also restricts/places in danger cyclists (and apparently pedestrians, following the tragic recent death just 50M from this junction) - you can work out the numbers yourselves but sledge hammers and nuts (nuts, nuts and lots of nuts) comes to mind.

If one considers all the new planning proposals for homes in the area impacting on the 'new' A34 and the old A34 Manchester/Wilmslow Road (B5358) it doesn't take a great deal of 'amatuer' forethought to realise the place is going to become a grinding, clogging traffic mess - all thanks to a 'most professional' County council that doesn't have a clue and worse, gives a damn.
It might be too late for wholesale change to the big plan but don't forget who allowed this to happen next time you get to the ballot box - give them a good kicking and get them out!!
David Smith
Thursday 26th July 2018 at 10:17 am
Why??? What for??? A waste of time and money!!! I cant see the point!!!
It just slows the traffic down, causes more pollution - noise and emisisions. Most mini roundabouts are ineffective anyway as you can just drive straight on over most of them. I don't think it's a legal requirement to go round the baseball mound in the middle.
However, being a reasonable person I'm willing to have someone convince me that I am wrong.
Any takers - perhaps from the council?
Marc Staples
Thursday 26th July 2018 at 10:42 am
Just read this and cant believe the work is scheduled for the same time as the other works at the summerfields works for the A34 are they really planning both together !!!
Bob Bracegirdle
Thursday 26th July 2018 at 11:09 am
I have noted in many worksfrom CEC and BT that the workmen come from as far afield as Middlewich, Preston, and even Lancaster. This accounts for the short day as travel has to be taken into account.

Yes, it is mad.
Jon Armstrong
Thursday 26th July 2018 at 12:35 pm
I think slowing down traffic is kind of the point. Many cars travelling down the hill either side of this are well in excess of 30, and it must make it difficult to safely pull out of this estate at busy times.
Nik Eastwood
Thursday 26th July 2018 at 5:36 pm
agreed, it will slow down the traffic using that part of the road, it will also mean more cars crashing onto the roundabout like they did for years on the current bypass [and most likely, they still do] and other roundabout on dean row road where the new development will be.

didnt realise there was much traffic leaving welland rd, then again it might be more usefull if a wellend road resident[s] could comment.

its not so bad, if it wasnt for the timing of the works, which we all agree is terrible.
Toni Fox
Thursday 26th July 2018 at 7:22 pm
As the Cheshire East Ward Councillor for Dean Row I will try to answer the queries raised.

My understanding from the last update from Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council is that the A6 - airport link road is currently scheduled to open in the Autumn of this year.

When planning permission was granted for this link road one of the Conditions of the approval was that money would be made available to Cheshire East Council to implement traffic mitigation measures in Handforth and Disley. These two areas, according to the traffic modelling forecast submitted at that time and which wasbased on 2009 traffic figures, predicted a significant increase in traffic movement. (+28% from the Dean Row roundabout to the traffic lights at the junction of Station Road and Wilmslow Road when the link road opens).

Myself, Councillor Burkhill and Councillor Mahon, who are the ward councillors for Handforth, attended meetings with Strategic Highways Officers at Cheshire East Council to consider possible mitigation measures in and around Handforth.

A number of options were discussed and traffic modelled before an agreement was reached to implement two initial mitigation measures. The first was the installation of the pedestrian lights at the traffic lights at the Station Road/Wilmslow Road junction which local residents have been campaigning for for many years. Whilst the junction may be more cumbersome than previously it does enable residents, children walking to the railway station, and the more vulnerable to safely cross the road at this junction. The second mitigation measure is the new roundabout at the junction with Welland Road. Speed camera's have evidenced that this is a "hot spot" for speeding vehicles on a road that is heavily pedestrianised, particularly by school children attending Wilmslow Academy and traffic modelling has indicated that the implementation of a roundabout will reduce the speed of motorists.

Both these measures are being introduced to slow motorists down, to discourage commuters from using this road as a rat run, and to improve the safety of pedestrians.

Any residual funds following the implementation of these two schemes will be ring fenced for any further potential measures. It is a requirement that a new traffic assessment is undertaken on the corridor of roads leading off the new A6 airport link road one year after opening to measure its impact. When this information is available further discussions will be held with Strategic Highway.

The working hours on the installation of the new roundabout at Welland Road of 9.30am to 3.30pm have been implemented specifically because of the closure of the link road onto the A34 opposite Summerfields to reduce congestion during peak hours. Similarly both road works are being carried out during the school holidays when there is a significant reduction in traffic levels.

The widening of the link road onto the A34 to 2 lanes was a Condition of the approval of the Bollin Park development off Adlington Road and should have been completed prior to the occupation of any of houses on this development. Unfortunately implementation of this scheme has been delayed for some time because of the delays and closures on the A34 bypass that are associated with the A6 airport link road.

It is unfortunate that these two road works coincide however there are reasons for this -

The installation of the mitigation schemes for Handforth and Disley are required to be completed before the A6 airport link road is allowed to open.

The widening of the link road onto the A34 at Summerfields has already been delayed for some 2 years and there will be additional pressure on this junction when the development at Heathfield Farm, accessed off the Dean Row roundabout, commences shortly.

If anyone would like any further information please do not hesitate to contact either myself, Councillor Burkhill or Councillor Mahon.

Councillor Toni Fox - Independent
Dean Row Ward, Wilmslow
John Harries
Friday 27th July 2018 at 9:07 am
Cllr. Fox, thanks for that factual background.
Clearly it's been thought through but as you state, based in traffic figures taken 9 years ago. I will not denigrate the Strategic Highway Officers and what they do but much of it is bunkum. When asked about similar impacts after the revised junctions at Handforth Road/Clay Lane eventually materialise their "..best guesses" of the new flows will be 'reassessed' by various bodies i.e. police, road safety organisations, local/ regional council etc. - as it stands, this particular junction design is an accident in waiting with pedestrians and cyclists at the top of the likely list. In other words they don't actually know very much at all, a great deal of guess and by god stuff - and that usually comes down to informed common sense. I know they do their best but it really isn't good enough.
IMVHO, inserting a roundabout at Welland Road doesn't make sense no matter which way you look at it, in particular as you appear to suggest it's a speeding issue that predicated the decision.
Planning and strategy for the area....go out and ask the current population - Wilmslow/Handforth/Styal/Alderley Edge - what they think of what has been allowed to happen?
Bunkum, sledge hammers and nuts, plenty of nuts!!
Toni Fox
Saturday 28th July 2018 at 11:59 am
Mr Harries,

I completely share your, and other residents, views that the proposals for the large scale development in our local area has been a travesty from the outset.

The development sites were allocated before the Council had even conducted a Green Belt assessment.

The Council refused to conduct an up to date traffic survey of the effect that the new developments will have on the local area, even when they knew that some areas are already operating over capacity.

The Council refused to implement the necessary increase in services/infrastructure (Wilmslow High School for example has been oversubscribed for years) prior to allowing such large scale development.

These are some of the reasons why I voted against the Local Plan along with many other Independent and Labour Cheshire East Councillors.

The other four Wilmslow Conservative Councillors however, voted to approve the Local Plan along with their colleagues.

Residents views have been ignored on many issues since the last election and it is up to residents to vote differently if they want to see a meaningful change in how the Council is run at the next elections in May 2019.

Councillor Toni Fox - Independent
Dean Row Ward, Wilmslow
Manuel Golding
Saturday 28th July 2018 at 7:20 pm
I must comment on Residents of Wilmslow's Independent CEC councillor for Dean Row.
I fully agree with Cllr Fox's remarks.
The truly awful, frightening and unjustified ethos of the council, its leadership and its employees are a couple of Professor Albert Einstein's prophetic thoughts that appropriate to the current Cheshire East Council's Conservative councillors and their leadership at Sandbach.

1) The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.

CEC has very serious limits or claim to any sort of genius, it generally makes a good case for being stupid (and that is being very polite).

2) Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Voters of Wilmslow - You've tried the usual route to what you believed was the sane and safe road in CEC. We can clearly see the people you entrusted with your votes to represent you have abjectly failed you. Your elected Wilmslow CEC Conservative councillors clearly do not work for you. Therefore it would be bordering on insanity to expect a better outcome for your votes next May.
Rather than going down the same old failed route, next May vote for the independent Residents of Wilmslow candidates - Putting People Before Party.

If you are fed up with your current Cons councillors and wish to make a big difference for the better for Wilmslow, why not join RoW - make that difference count for Wilmslow - contact us on 07930 377778 or 07846 082660
Pete Taylor
Sunday 29th July 2018 at 10:37 am
I think we have seen over and over again that Party Politics has no place in local Councils. Every time there has been a choice whether our “representatives “ should cast their votes for what their electorate have clearly expressed, or toe the Party line, they have put Party before people.
Alderley Edge booted out every single Party Politician at the last election and put in place a full team of independent Parish Councillors and an Independent CEC Councillor; it is time for Wilmslow to do the same.
Paul Tracey
Monday 30th July 2018 at 2:46 am
Someone asked for a resident of Welland road, well, here goes.

I found the salient points from Councillor Toni Fox's helpful post as follows:

"...one of the Conditions of the approval was that money would be made available to Cheshire East Council to implement traffic mitigation measures in Handforth..."

"...evidenced that this is a "hot spot" for speeding vehicles on a road that is heavily pedestrianised..."

"Both these measures are being introduced to slow motorists down..."

"The installation of the mitigation schemes for Handforth and Disley are required to be completed before the A6 airport link road is allowed to open."

So, this magic roundabout will both reduce and slow traffic. It will certainly slow it down, at that specific point. Reduce it? It was originally intended for traffic mitigation, yet now it is being claimed that it is due to the speeding traffic. This seems to me like a plan B argument as the original one was so weak. A roundabout is simply not needed.

Personally, I think this installation is purely legislative, simply because it was part of the original A6-Airport link traffic mitigation decision made many years ago. This link cannot open until this roundabout has been installed, hence why it is being done now.
Kathryn Blackburn
Wednesday 1st August 2018 at 9:06 am
If this was happening somewhere in France there would be wide spread public protest. Tractors, cars, barricades and many angry voices not in print but on the streets - on camera. The French do not enjoy being inconvenienced. Neither do we. We just do not create enough hassle for the authorities for them to sit up, take notice, listen and learn when enough is enough.
John Harries
Wednesday 1st August 2018 at 7:04 pm
Folks.
Well put Paul Tracey, and Kathryn Blackburn makes the point exactly.
It's clear there is deepening discontent with 'planning...' and the wishes/expectations of the local community being disregarded (more accurately, ignored) - and Pete Taylor hits the core issue precisely.
It's late but not too late to maybe alter things. First write to your MP, she might be the wrong colour for some (blue that is!) but she listens and could help with some sort of moratorium/review of the bigger picture. I know it's holiday time but why not strike whilst the iron is hot, she's holding a number of informal weekday drop-in meetings in August (reads a bit like a pub crawl!!) commencing
- 6th August, 1-3pm The Cheshire Grill, Lach Dennis CW9 7SY and 4-6pm The Antrobus Arms, Antrobus CW9 6JD
- 7th August, 1-3pm The Red Lion, Pickmere WA16 0JX and 4-6pm The Bears Paw, High Legh WA16 0RT
- 8th August, 1-3pm The Bells of Peover, Lower Peover WA16 9PZ and 4-6pm The Legh Arms, High Legh CW8 4QT
- 30th August, 2-4pm The Egerton Arms, Chelford SK11 9BB
and let us press the point, maybe win some time.

It's the CEC representatives (unfortunately they are mostly the same colour blue) who need to be shifted meantime and there are about 10 months in which to do it; the voting populace need to be stimulated, the pot stirred!
Give the local incumbants a good verbal kicking, get them out of their comfort zone and into the glare of local adverse publicity - they are in public office so take every possible opportunity to name and shame them (be careful you don't stray beyond the Laws of libel though).
I've no personal vested interest but Residents of Wilmslow (RoW) might be a ready made concerted way forward, why not give Manuel Golding a call and see what they are planning?
Let's all at least do something to change the current structure, a face to face with Esther - write, shout, join, argue, expose, cajole....
Geoff Ferguson
Thursday 2nd August 2018 at 12:16 pm
Just to add to the very well put comments above.
Firstly from the 30th July to the 24 August is four working weeks not three. This work was originally scheduled for earlier in the year but was postponed because of the alleged "problems" with the A555 to the A34. We should not be surprised that the 17 week closure period of this link has overrun by a few weeks
This road was resurfaced in June, something that was long overdue and now we have further works for a roundabout that is not needed, whether it is part of some overall scheme of the airport relief road fiasco or not.
Deleted Account
Tuesday 7th August 2018 at 5:27 pm
Whilst Cheshire East are at it, why not stick in further roundabouts on Finsbury Way, Hallwood Road (both ends) Brereton Rd, The Carriages (?) and Hall Road too to add to the mayhem ?

In fact do the lot from one end to the other !

What a complete and utter shameful waste of money this is but at least the contractors seem to be working.

And not sunbathing against the telecoms box on Dean Row Rd and on the lawns on Ringstead Drive like their A34 slip road brothers were....