Hello everyone, 

We hope that you, your family and your friends remain safe and well.

Even though the impact of the coronavirus is still being felt right across the UK and the world, it seems for many people life is now returning to normality. With the lifting of the lockdown restrictions, Moorfield Road has once again returned back to the real danger it has always been.

We appreciate that issues relating to Coronavirus take precedence at this moment in time. However, it was announced on Monday 18th May as part of a nationwide campaign, the five forces across the North West would be sharing a common goal as they continued to crackdown on speeding motorists. The two week-long campaign was being coordinated by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) – with a warning from the North West that if you speed in the region, police would take action. Fact - we have seen no Police presence on Moorfield Road as part of this campaign even though Moorfield Road has been identified as a priority area for speed enforcement.

During the lockdown period the Moorfield Action group has been contacted by many concerned residents shocked at the excessive speeds of vehicles they have witnessed. With people spending more time at home and more local people walking along Moorfield Road, it has opened the eyes of many locals who were never in a position to see how bad the situation had become due to work and other circumstances. In response to the latest batch of emails we have explained that the action group was formed to co-ordinate as a group of concerned residents, rather than individuals with the aim of making Halton Borough Council to install physical traffic calming measures, to ensure the safety of our family’s an the wider community.

Even though the Moorfield Road Action Group has raised key concerns regarding the continued danger from excessive speeding, dangerous driving and the misuse by large overweight HGV Vehicles it has fallen on deaf ears. We have failed to have any real impact on these serious road safety issues because of the lack of support from our local M.P, Representatives of Halton Borough Council and Cheshire Police. Please remember that not one of our Local Councillors, either in the Farnworth or Halton View Wards, have supported residents with this issue during the last 3 years of campaigning.

Halton Borough Council

Before the lockdown restrictions were introduced the Moorfield Road Action Group received an email from Rob Polhill, Council Leader which had been written on his behalf by the Council’s legal team. In this email he refused to acknowledge or act upon the issues raised in this online petition and stated that the Council would not be taking any further action with regards to the road safety issues on Moorfield Road.

Ever since the Community first raised these serious road safety issues, we have been met by dismissive and unhelpful attitudes from our Local Councillors (including Rob Polhill Council Leader). These Local Councillors have been totally unwilling to fight the corner for the very same people who helped to elect them. If you feel strongly enough, please contact your Local Councillor and explain your views and concerns.

Widnes Local Policing Unit & Cheshire Police

Despite promises by Cheshire Police to undertake focussed periods of action or to at least show a higher level of visible Police presence on Moorfield Road, these actions have never come to fruition. We all know that the real problem is that drivers who regularly use Moorfield Road are aware that there will be very little Police presence to enforce speeding restrictions, stop dangerous driving or stop large HGV’s accessing the road.

Even though Moorfield Road has been identified by Cheshire Police themselves as one of the priority areas for speed enforcement for Halton View and Farnworth wards, there has been no evidence of successful intervention. The new 30mph speed enforcement signs finally installed by Halton Borough Council (after a long ongoing battle) are having no effect whatsoever on level of speeding vehicles because drivers using Moorfield Road know that Cheshire Police are rarely present.

David Keane Police Crime Commissioner for Cheshire

Before lockdown measures were introduced on 23rd March 2020, a meeting took place on Moorfield Road on 13th February 2020 with Mr David Keane Cheshire Police Crime Commissioner, Widnes Local Policing unit, members of the Moorfield Road Action Group and other residents. Local residents were given the chance to express their views and raised key concerns about the continued danger from excessive speeding, dangerous driving and the misuse by large overweight HGV Vehicles.

Mr Keane walked along Moorfield Road to see the issues for himself, knocking on doors, to make his presence known and letting residents express their views to him personally and to make it known what he would be doing for us going forward. Residents not belonging to the Moorfield Road action group gave the same response when asked about the problems relating to traffic issues on Moorfield Road. Residents highlighted the fact that despite the limited presence of the Cheshire Police camera van being in an obvious position and in full view of traffic it was having little effect on the amount of vehicles driving at excessively high speeds.

Mr Keane confirmed his commitment to find a solution to the serious road safety issues and promised it would be dealt with proactively by the Widnes local policing team. After he had walked along Moorfield Road, the observations he made led him to the same conclusion to that of The Moorfield Road Action Group. He felt that the only real long-term solution to our problems would be the installation of physical traffic calming measure by HBC. Mr Keane stated that he and his team would formulate an action plan to address our road safety concerns by the following week and that his team would provide figures for the amount of speeding offences, both tru-cam and the Cheshire Police Mobile Camera van and also any recorded road traffic accidents relating to Moorfield Road. The Moorfield Road has never heard anything back from Mr Keane or his team despite emails requesting any further updates and the provision of the promised road traffic information.

Mr Keane promised residents that Cheshire Police would continue to treat Moorfield Road as a priority area for speed enforcement until inconsiderate drivers got the message that excessive speeding and dangerous driving in a residential area was unacceptable behaviour and breaking the law. Despite this promise, residents have seen no Cheshire Police presence for many months before and during lockdown, with the speeding problem getting even worse now that the roads are quieter. What makes this situation more serious at this time is the fact that there are substantially more pedestrians using Moorfield Road.

Previous H.B.C Traffic Evaluation reports have shown that over 43% of all traffic using Moorfield Road are breaking the speed limit. The SID camera sited on Moorfield Road has recorded vehicles achieving speeds in excess of 100 mph and shows that over 625,000 vehicles are exceeding the permitted speed limit of 30mph every year and therefore breaking the law.  Despite all this evidence, Halton Borough Council, refuse to act upon these facts as they do not pose any real danger to local residents and unfortunately these same figures are not being taken seriously by Cheshire Police roads and crime unit.

If any of the recipients to this update have any ideas or suggestions as to how we can further our cause, please contact us at the email address below.

Thank you for your continued support. 

In the meantime everyone take care yourselves and each other!

Contact: moorfieldroadactiongroup@gmail.com