‘Buses completely stuck’ in Chorley village amid chaos on road closure diversion route
The drivers of double and single decker vehicles had to get out of their cabs to direct other motorists out of the way.
Traffic was forced to take the pavement through a Chorley village after it became a diversion route for one of the busiest roads in Lancashire.
The A59 in Tarleton is currently closed every night between 8pm and 5am while safety works are carried out on Bank Bridge.
Vehicles are being re-routed via Croston, but on at least one occasion so far, the village’s narrow streets - lined with parked cars - have proved unable to cope with the resultant influx of buses.
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On Monday evening - the second night of the diversion - Station Road ground to a halt when buses met head on, the Lancashire Post has been told.
One motorist caught up in what she described as “carnage” said buses and cars ended up “using the pavement as a lane” after the route became completely blocked.
Residents have also complained of HGVs thundering through the village in the quieter early hours of the morning.
Meanwhile, Lancashire County Council - which is undertaking the bridge work and designed the diversion - has revealed the closures may now continue until 10th November, having previously been due to end three days earlier. The authority said anyone witnessing "road safety” issues should report them to the police.
Station Road functions as an existing bus route, but with fewer services than it is currently having to accommodate while the A59 is shut.
Hesketh Bank resident Helen Slinger told the Post she became embroiled in a “perfect storm” at around 9pm on Monday - when “at least” four buses found themselves on the already congested thoroughfare at the same time, heading in opposite directions. One of the vehicles was the double decker X2 Stagecoach service, running between Southport and Preston, which had been diverted from the A59.
Helen said the usual motoring niceties needed to maintain the flow of traffic along the route were insufficient for the scenario that unfolded.
“Even on a quiet night, it takes a bit of getting down that street, because of the parked cars - you have to wait while somebody [else comes through]. But the buses actually got stuck - and I was trapped between two of them.
“They couldn't back up or go anywhere, so in the end drivers were getting out trying to direct the cars [around] them.
“The double decker in front of me had come to a head with a single decker, which had to come down the left-hand side of my car, over the pavement. One car actually had to pull onto [the area in front of somebody's house].
“We must have been stopped for about 10 minutes and then once we cleared that blockage, there were then another two further down. They weren’t quite as significant, but I think my entire journey [along Station Road] was on the pavement - it was just bonkers,” Helen explained.
The Post asked Lancashire County Council why the Bank Bridge work could not have been completed using a single lane closure and temporary lights - and whether the authority had considered putting parking restrictions in Croston for the duration of the diversion.
In response, a spokesperson for the authority said: “We are carrying out a series of co-ordinated works at Bank Bridge as a priority to improve road safety ahead of winter and the possibility of worsening weather conditions.
"This necessitates an overnight road closure and diversion to allow several facets of planned and coordinated works to take place in a safe and timely manner.
"However, no additional parking restrictions are in place due to the works taking place outside of peak times - and any road safety concerns should be reported to police.
"We are grateful to drivers and residents for their patience and understanding over the next couple of weeks while this important safety work is completed.
"We anticipate that, all being well, the work should be completed by 10th November.”
A spokesperson for Stagecoach added: “We’re operating a temporary diversion on a small number of evening and overnight journeys while the A59 at Bank Bridge is closed for essential roadworks.
“Our drivers are following the signed diversion route and are taking extra care when travelling through the affected area. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank customers and local residents for their patience while these essential works are completed.”
In contrast to the gridlock during the evening, Croston Parish Council chair Paul Sloan told the Post that some residents had reported feeling their homes "literally shaking at times" as a result of HGVs "hurtling though the village” overnight once the traffic had cleared.
During the closure, vehicles are being diverted between the A59’s junction with the A565 and the Carr House roundabout. The lengthy alternative route takes in Croston Road, Meadow Lane and Westgate Road (all part of the A581) and Station Road, Bretherton Road, Flag Lane, South Road and Carr House Lane (making up the B5247).
An anti-skid surface is being to applied to Bank Bridge after concerns were raised about the accident rate at the location, with three smashes occurring in the space of just six weeks over the summer - the most serious of which left a hole in one of the sides of the structure, which has had to be temporarily plugged with concrete blocks.