Carrington residents ‘desperate’ to stop HGVs travelling through village say Trafford Council is ignoring their concerns
- More than 200 HGVs travel through Carrington every hour during peak times
- The heavy traffic has impacted the physical and mental health of villagers
- Friends of Carrington Moss are encouraging Trafford Council to explore alternative options
The Friends of Carrington Moss group is campaigning against the influx of heavy goods vehicles through the village which they say is impacting the physical and mental wellbeing of residents.
It is estimated that 200 HGVs travel through Carrington every hour during peak times, with more than 100 every hour at all other times of the day and night.
This is becoming unbearable for Carrington residents, who are pleading that Trafford Council explore alternative options.
Anna Chopping, the group’s secretary, claims that the HGVs have started to damage homes in the village: “Their houses shake, they’ve literally got cracks in their walls.
“The council have come out and said that the cracks aren’t big enough and that there’s no direct proof that they’re caused by the HGVs.”
She said the council has offered no solution despite the high speed and volume of these vehicles.
The HGVs, which pass through the village roads as early as 7.30am every morning, have had mental repercussions for many villagers.
Anna said: “There are people who are having to take antidepressants and nerve suppressants.
“Someone described it as feeling like you’re living on a motorway.”
While Trafford has been alerted to these issues and invited to multiple workshop sessions by the Friends of Carrington Moss, Anna said there has been no effort to lessen the number of HGVs driving through the village.
Marj Powner, group chair, said: “We asked Trafford to put the health and wellbeing of residents first. Not only was it not put first as an objective, but it wasn’t even included.”
Alternative solutions were suggested to lessen the problem, which the council has chosen not to implement.
“We did ask for traffic calming measures, that was our priority. Trafford has actually ignored what the residents have asked for, even though they could’ve put in traffic calming measures very cheaply,” added Marj.
Residents of nearby villages have also expressed their desire for this heavy traffic to be stopped.
Paul Beckmann, a nearby Warburton resident, said: “We believe that alternative options should be explored with residents, not behind closed doors. We have been asking for workshops and genuine engagement for many months and it has not been forthcoming.”
Brenda Williams, a Partington resident, added: “We do have other ideas, which would be much more cost-effective […] but we do not have a forum to discuss them in, and they didn’t offer any additional opportunities for us to be involved in the future.”
Trafford Council has recently approved plans for the Carrington relief road which is thought to further increase the number of HGVs travelling through the village.
It did not respond to requests for a comment.
However, Councillor James Wright stated that the Carrington Relief Road is an important part of a Greater Manchester wide reform that will improve the area’s public transport systems.
“It is important to stress that the Carrington Relief Road is but one part of a series of transport measures planned for the area,” he explained, although HGVs were not mentioned.