A teenager is celebrating after winning a three-year campaign to get a crossing with signals for pedestrians and cyclists at a dangerous junction near her school. Eleanor Horner raised a petition with 619 signatures and spoke eloquently at a Trafford council meeting, then aged just 13.
Last night, the now 16-year-old Altrincham Girls Grammar pupil watched with her father Andrew as Trafford's executive committee approved proposals for major improvements on the A56 Dunham Road, between its junctions with Gorsley Lane and St Margaret's Road. After the meeting, Eleanor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Although I was quite a bit younger when I started this campaign, I realised me and my school friends felt very vulnerable crossing the road at the road.
"I often had to take a longer route to school to avoid that junction because I didn't feel safe. I know that other children attending my school and others nearby also felt the same way." Eleanor said that getting the 619 signatures on her petition took 'no time at all'.
"There was a lot of support in the area among residents," she said. Father Andrew said: "I am so proud of what Eleanor has achieved. I think what she did, raising a petition and speaking at a council meeting aged just 13, was fantastic. It's taken some time but it's great to see it come to fruition."
Green Pary Coun Dan Jerrome, echoed Andrew's words when he said: "I want to congratulate Eleanor. She recognised that hundreds of schoolchildren were in danger and in fear of crossing this road. It's good to see schemes like this coming to fruition."
The executive committee's decision means the uncontrolled crossing for pedestrians crossing the A56 will be ditched. Instead, there will be a 'quality route' from Gorsey Lane to and from St Margaret's Road for pedestrians and cyclists with a signalised crossing for both, crossing the A56, using the existing layby between St Margaret's Road and Devisdale Road.
Gorsey Lane will be made one way in a southerly direction from a church access to its junction with the A56, resulting in no access to Gorsey Lane from the A56. Alternative routes will be via Highgate Road or Booth Road. There will be 'no waiting at any time' restrictions on both sides of Gorsey Lane from its junction with Dunham Road for about 25 metres in a northerly direction.
Devisdale Road will be changed and access to Dunham Road will be via St Margaret's Road. Parking on the north side of the access road between St Margaret's Road and Devisdale Road will be removed and the number of bays reduced on the south side.
The footway will be built out on both corners of St Margaret's Road and its junction with Dunham Road. Meanwhile, a bus stop/coach parking bay will also be introduced on St Margaret's Road.
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