Trafford Council is to rearrange a consultation with residents over the future of Oxford Road in the light of complaints over the condition of the road and its reputation as a “rat run”.
We reported how residents are calling for action to stop cars and other vehicles using the road as a shortcut, with residents’ spokesperson Rob Bacon claiming the road was now “dangerous”.
A consultation had been planned for last month but cancelled due to a cyber attack on systems used by Amey, which delivers many of the council’s services.
A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: “Discussions are continuing to take place with regards to the scheme on Oxford Road. The consultation was cancelled due to a cyber attack on Amey’s computer systems which we are recovering from.
“Trafford Council are currently in the process of rearranging the residents’ consultation.”
The council said it was also “looking into” into a Freedom of Information request relating to an alleged £66,000 spent on the road in the last year, as claimed by Bacon.
Businesses on the road have also sought to play down suggestions that they are at odds over the future of the road.
Justin Orozco, co-owner of California Coffee and Wine, had said he would support a move to close off the top end of Oxford Road in order to create a paved “destination” for the community.
But he insists he will happily go with the consensus view preferred by his neighbours, which include the likes of Red Angel, Oxford Road Cafe, Yara and Off The Wheaten Track.
He said: “I don’t want anybody to lose any business – it’s about making the road safe and making it a lot better.
“I want what’s best for the road and what is best for the area. Whatever my neighbours want – whether it’s X, Y or Z – I will go with that.”
He added: “I love my neighbours and don’t want any harm, we’re all just trying to pay next month’s rent and get through all this.”
Jonny Hanson, owner of Oxford Road Cafe, said any solution “has to work for everyone”.
“The rat run is a massive problem,” he said. “There’s so much more delivery traffic from Uber and Deliveroo these days and it’s carnage during the school run time.
“The consensus of opinion from everyone here is that we want money to sort it out. Some sort of traffic-calming measure in the form of speed bumps or a chicane could work.
“There’s no easy solution but the one thing residents and businesses want is to reduce the speed on the road.”
