Pressure is growing to make improvements.
The junction of Leicester Road, Middleton Road, and Bury Old Road in Salford.
Salford council has come under fire over a claim it waited ‘years’ to try to improve a junction in the city despite safety concerns.
Independent councillor Andrew Walters said he contacted senior officers at the council in 2022 raising fears about the junction where Bury Old Road meets Middleton Road and Leicester Road.
The roads are split across the boundary of Manchester and Salford, close to Crumpsall Hospital, with a number of colleges located nearby.
To see planning applications; traffic and road diversions and layout changes; and more, visit the Public Notices Portal HERE
But during a meeting on September 17, Coun Walters said an external bid to improve the junction was only made by Salford council in June 2025 – three years after the dangers were first highlighted.
It follows recent comments from Conservative councillor Ari Leitner who said this week that people have to play ‘Russian roulette’ to cross the road, making a ‘dash’ between traffic.
Salford council said in response to Mr Leitner that it is working with its partners to explore funding opportunities for this junction, and that changes could include a ‘renewal’ with improved pedestrian and cycling facilities balanced with other road users.
Manchester council was also contacted but did not provide a response.
The seriousness of issues at the junction was highlighted with reports at the start of September that two girls, both aged 16, were injured during an evening collision.
The issue was debated by councillors in Salford this week.
During the Salford council meeting this week, Coun Walters demanded answers over why it took so long to take action.
He said: “I actually got a firm commitment from senior officers [from Salford council] in 2022 that not only would it be prioritised, but because it’s on the junction of Salford and Manchester, and there was some debate about responsibility, I was informed by senior officers that Salford would take the lead.
“However, following this incredibly serious accident, I was informed that an external bid [for funding/improvement works] was not put in by Salford until June 2025.
“That’s over three years from the promise from officers to take it further until they actually did something.”
Salford’s ceremonial mayor chairing the meeting said the question could be answered by email due to time constraints.
Join our Stockport WhatsApp group HERE
Coun Leitner told the Local Democracy Reporting Service earlier this week that urgent action is needed at the junction due to a lack of safe crossings.
He said he also asked Salford council to tackle the concerns in 2022, but claimed nothing has been done.
“There’s no way for pedestrians to know when they can and can’t cross, and it’s a miracle nothing’s happened until now,” he said.
“You’re playing Russian roulette, you’re standing at the junction and all you can see is the lights next to you, you can’t see the traffic lights at the other three streets, you’ve no idea if they’re about to start going.”
Speaking at the September 17 meeting, Coun Mike McCusker, Salford council’s cabinet member responsible for transport, offered his best wishes to the girls who were injured, and wished them a speedy recovery.
He added: “Two injuries are absolutely terrible, it’s a horrible thing that those girls had gone through, and it’s horrible for their families and the worry that they have.
“Unfortunately, a thousand people are killed and seriously injured across Greater Manchester highways every year.
“We have a vision of zero, we want zero people killed or seriously injured across Greater Manchester by 2040, we’re going to try and halve the numbers by 2030, a number of actions are taking place.”
He added that ‘record investment’ is being made in Salford to improve roads, but explained that there is a ‘£16bn backlog that all councils are facing across England and Wales.’