Residents living on Wigan Road in Bolton, where four people died in a head-on crash in January, say dangerous driving continues and fear another tragedy is inevitable. More than seven months on, neighbours describe the street as a 'race track' and report multiple cars being written off over the years.
The crash happened at 12.45am on Sunday, January 11, involving a red Seat Leon driven by Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, 18, and a Citroen C4 Picasso taxi driven by Masrob Ali, 54. Both men died, along with two passengers in the Seat - Farhan Patel, 18, and Mohammed-Danyaal Asghar-Ali, 19. One passenger in the Seat and four in the taxi survived, including husband-and-wife Tom and Georgina Daniels.
Residents report ongoing reckless driving
Melissa McCarney, 19, who lives near the crash scene, told the Manchester Evening News: "I do think it shocked a few people, but it won't be long before there's another one." She added: "You get a few people that drive absolutely recklessly. It's just stupid things - driving at speed and police chases on this road. We had a police car crashing into my granddad's car before, that was a couple of years ago. His car has been hit a few times. You do have to be careful. You don't get very nice drivers anymore. They just don't care."
Olivia Bibby, 84, who has lived on Wigan Road for 36 years, said the situation is 'definitely getting worse'. She said: "They're still flying up and down here. There was a car upside down the other day. They are just speeding - so, so fast - it's ridiculous. It's all the time, especially at night. There's always some vehicle - I don't know if it's a bike or what - but it's so loud and it sort of pops. I've had three cars written off here. One day we had a police car on fire. Somebody let a coach loose up the road, it wrote four cars off here. It's bad. I've got to be very careful. It's a bit silly at times, but it's just terrible."
Call for traffic calming measures
Another resident, a 60-year-old woman who asked to remain anonymous, said she had four cars written off in 12 years, including two within months of each other. She described the road as a 'race track' for some drivers and called for measures to restrict overtaking, such as narrowing the road. "There's been people run over, tossed in the air, broken legs, everything. I would say there are at least two or three serious incidents a year, from the top down to the bottom," she said.
Zafar Din, 58, who lives in London but regularly visits Bolton, suggested lowering the speed limit throughout Wigan Road to 30mph, claiming the changing speed restriction 'throws people off a bit'. He said: "There needs to be some sort of traffic calming measures, maybe humps or something to slow them down." A couple in their 70s, who asked not to be named, described the road as 'very dangerous' and called for a speed camera. The husband said: "A lot of people are driving so fast. [Drivers are] just coming out of the petrol station without looking if there's any vehicles coming. They need some sort of speed camera out here. I think that would be the best thing."
Official response and ongoing investigation
Wigan Road has a speed camera near the junction with Hythe Street, and Bolton council says speed is monitored by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras elsewhere. A 'your speed' indicator device near the Blackshaw Lane junction was not working when the Manchester Evening News spoke to residents on Wednesday (August 26). A Bolton council spokesperson said: "The council is committed to working with key stakeholders to deliver Vision Zero, which is a strategy that sets out Greater Manchester's long-term commitment to eliminating road deaths and life-changing injuries by 2040. Speeds along Wigan Road are actively monitored via a network of ANPR cameras with data shared with GMP to assess and enforce, where possible. We are deeply saddened by the tragic road traffic collision that occurred in the early hours of January 11 this year, and we recognise the impact this had on the community. Since then, we have been working closely with our ward councillors and community leaders."
Greater Manchester Police has been investigating the fatal crash. On February 5, officers carried out dawn raids, arresting a 42-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man on suspicion of fraud offences, a 22-year-old man on suspicion of handling stolen goods, and an 18-year-old man on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking. All four were later released on bail, and the investigation remains ongoing. Officers have also carried out multiple road safety operations in Bolton this year, including one five days after the Wigan Road crash, as part of Greater Manchester's Vision Zero project. GMP is working to tackle what it calls the 'Fatal 4' of speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt and using electronic devices behind the wheel.
Following the January operation, Chief Inspector Mike Parker, from GMP's Roads Policing Unit, said: "These offences form part of the Fatal 4, which are among the leading causes of serious and fatal collisions. Our role is not just to enforce the law but to intervene early, educate drivers, and prevent avoidable harm." Online video footage appeared to show a Seat Leon being driven at speeds of up to 122mph, dodging traffic and veering onto the other side of the road, believed to show the same car involved. The video formed part of GMP's investigation.
Inquests into the four deaths were opened earlier this year, with a pre-inquest review scheduled for September 10. Around 600 people attended the funeral of Masrob Ali at the Masjid-e-Sajedeen mosque in Blackburn, where his daughter Humayra described him as 'the gentlest soul' and 'so kind and the best dad'. The family of Mohammed-Danyaal Asghar-Ali paid tribute through a statement issued via GMP, with his mum saying: "Danyaal was my heart, my soul, my everything. He was the one who taught me how to be a mother, my first born, my baby. I can't express the emptiness he has left inside me. I keep having to remind myself that I will never see his smile, never hear his laugh, never get to hug him ever again."
