Calls are being made for the council to scrap plans for a £3.5million traffic lights scheme at a town centre roundabout - with drivers warning it would make congestion worse.
Dozens of people have taken to social media to slam the plans to replace the Hibel Road roundabout with traffic lights and warn it could create a traffic nightmare in the area.
The council has announced it will spend a £3.5million government grant on restructuring the roundabout, at the junction of Hibel Road with the Silk Road and Hurdsfield Road, and installing ‘phased traffic lights’. Cheshire East bid to the Department for Transport for the money to improve the flow of traffic.
But there has been a furious backlash, with calls for the plan to be stopped.
Coun Laura Jeuda, who represents Macclesfield South, said: “It’s crazy.
“It’s a huge waste of money on something which could cause more traffic chaos.
“I use this roundabout every day and it’s fine.
“We already have traffic lights at the bottom of Hurdsfield Road and top of Hibel Road.
“I want to know what evidence there is, who made the decision and who was consulted. What about real dangerous hotspots like the Flower Pot junction and the Moss Lane and Congleton Road junction. Another example of people who don’t know the town making disastrous decisions.
“The council needs to scrap the plan.”
Drivers say the plan is a huge waste of money on a junction which does not suffer serious congestion.
Coun Janet Jackson, who represents Macclesfield Central, said: “It’s barmy. The council should stop this scheme, even if it means we’ll lose the government money.
“It shouldn’t be a case of using the money just because we have it.
“Traffic lights will make things worse not better and it will be a massive disruption. There are much better things to spend £3.5m on.”
Coun Nick Mannion, who represents Macclesfield West and Ivy, called it ‘extraordinarily expensive’, adding: “If they want to spend money on improving traffic flow and air quality why not invest at Broken Cross where we have serious problems.”
The council says the plan will help with the regeneration of the town centre and improve air quality at the junction, which is in one of four Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) in Macclesfield, with pollution levels higher than the national limit.
A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council, said: “Macclesfield’s highway network is heavily congested and, while there are other ‘pinch points’ on the local highway network, the Hibel Road/Silk Road junction does experience congestion, particularly in the peak periods.
“To support the delivery of the council’s Local Plan Strategy, the council commissioned an assessment of what highways and transport measures would be required, both now and in the future.
“This work was set out in the ‘Macclesfield Movement Strategy’, which was adopted by the council’s cabinet in October, 2014 and was inspected as part of the Local Plan inquiry.
“The strategy sets out a range of locations where investment will be required, including the improvement of the Hibel Road/Silk Road junction to increase traffic flow and connectivity.
“A key factor in the success of our funding bid to the National Productivity Infrastructure Fund was the ability to demonstrate that the work could be delivered promptly. The Hibel Road/Silk Road scheme could achieve this.”
