WATCH: Wigan jokers play crazy golf in Saddle Junction cycle lane
The video was filmed by 45-year-old Michelle Richardson Jackson, from Pemberton, and shows her 15-year-old daughter Xenia Jackson and her son's fiancee Imogen Watkinson playing crazy golf.
Michelle said: "A lot of people in the area have called it crazy golf junction so we just decided to do the video for a laugh.
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Hide Ad"We were in hysterics filming it, people were going past in their cars waving and pipping their horns.
"We're gobsmacked by the reaction. We just thought a few people would share it and like it."
One of the players donned an exaggerated golfer’s costume while the other turned up as a kangaroo for a crack at the unusual green ‘fairways’.
Olympic cycling champion Chris Boardman, the region’s tsar in charge of getting people pedalling more, has already responded, saying he found it amusing and it inadvertently backs up the decision to make the changes there.
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Hide AdHowever, some of the hordes of social media users who have shared it more than 1,400 times on Facebook were far more critical, saying the golfers’ antics reflected their own views the new layout is a bit sub-par.
Wigan Council did not comment on the content of the video but reassured motorists who have endured long queues at the huge junction recently that work is almost done.
Becca Heron, the local authority’s director for economy and skills, said: “The good news for motorists is the main works at Saddle junction are on track to finish in the next couple of weeks once some final signalling work has been installed and then the site will be cleared.
“We are hopeful the whole scheme will be finished by Christmas.
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Hide Ad“We thank people for their patience with the project and hope those who currently live close to the town centre will take advantage of the new cycle lanes and will leave the car at home and travel by bike into the town centre.”
Mr Boardman, who memorably secured Olympic gold medals for Great Britain in the saddle, also commented on social media.
The Greater Manchester cycling and walking commissioner tweeted: “Absolutely love this video: people playing crazy golf at the soon-to-be-opened saddle junction Wigan.
“Great that despite all those cars, they can do it in safety, demonstrating it’s safe for a 12-year-old. (Also, all traffic moving freely!).
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Hide AdThe pastime in the video is perhaps more appropriate than first thought as photographer Brian King, who shot drone footage of the junction and construction project, told the Wigan Observer it resembled a crazy golf course.
In total Michelle posted three videos, with more than 360 people commenting on Facebook.
Deb Burrows wrote: “This is what we said it looked like.”