Rochdale MP Paul Waugh has criticised utilities companies for failing to coordinate roadworks that are leading to huge traffic jams in Littleborough.
With temporary traffic lights installed in Hurstead, Littleborough and Hollingworth Lake, residents have faced long delays and tailbacks in recent days.
Mr Waugh said he was writing to the utilities firms to explain their works, some of which are described as emergencies, and stressed that new Government laws should make it easier to fine companies that cause unnecessary delays.
“As a driver myself, I totally share the frustration and anger of many motorists in Littleborough for whom roadworks feel like a highway to hell.
“Many people will tolerate a bit of a delay if there are emergency works needed but this is beyond a joke now for many. Parents and kids are late for school and work, older folk are missing hospital and GP appointments, businesses just can’t function when these roadworks are out of control.”
Mr Waugh said he was working with local councillors to find solutions but said that better traffic light signalling could cut traffic jams by 16%, that new charges on companies would stamp out needless delays and that a new relief road to ease pressure on the A58 were all his priorities.
Plans include:
- New traffic light systems – £450,000 secured from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority will upgrade outdated signal systems along the A58. Better phasing and modern coordination are expected to reduce congestion, helping a corridor that has long struggled with pinch-points, narrowings and the dual pressure of local and strategic traffic.
- Lane rental powers – following the motion brought by Littleborough Labour councillors and sustained pressure for tougher regulation, new national legislation gives councils the ability to charge utilities £1,500–£2,500 per day for lane closures. Waugh said this “rebalances decades of perverse incentives” and will push companies to fix assets properly rather than repeatedly returning for temporary patchwork repairs.
“Lane rental flips the economics,” he said. “Suddenly it’s cheaper for utilities to do the long-term repair they should have done years ago than to keep coming back and digging up Littleborough.”
- A new relief road – the long-proposed link between Albert Royds Street and Smithy Bridge Road is now partly funded, with work expected to begin during this Parliament. This long-awaited alternative route will relieve pressure on one of the narrowest, most constrained sections of the A58 and provide the first meaningful diversion route in decades.
- Further corridor improvements – informed by the Council’s independent review, officers are sequencing additional measures to address unsafe junctions, poor pedestrian accessibility and chronic pinch-points. These will be brought forward as funding is secured.
Councillor Tom Besford, Littleborough Lakeside, said:
“Residents are absolutely fed up. Everyone in Littleborough has sat in traffic that shouldn’t be there, watched the same utility works come back again and again, and wondered why nothing ever changes. For the first time, we’re getting the tools to push back — proper traffic management, real penalties for utilities, and a clear plan for long-term fixes instead of endless disruption.”
Waugh concluded:
“Littleborough has tolerated chaos on its main road for far too long. With a Labour government, a Labour Mayor and a Labour Council working together, we finally have the means to challenge the utilities, modernise the corridor and deliver the relief local people deserve. After decades of excuses, the work is finally beginning.”