FOR weeks we have been saying that Blackburn's new town centre traffic scheme is a disaster.

But Blackburn council has steadfastly denied that there is anything wrong, claiming that they have had only one official complaint.

Now we have proof of what people feel about the scheme.

A telephone poll in last night's Evening Telegraph asked readers if they approved of the current traffic management scheme in Blackburn town centre.

The answer was an overwhelming NO.

There were 161 votes disapproving of the scheme and only 15 for.

Now will officialdom listen? Probably not. Blackburn council have stubbornly refused to even discuss the matter further at their meetings.

But if 161 people take the trouble to pick up the telephone in an evening poll and register their disapproval there has got to be something wrong with the traffic system.

If the planners had got it right, as Blackburn council keeps insisting, the vote would have been the other way round.

There can be be no argument. This was an overwhelming thumbs down for a traffic system which frequently brings Blackburn to a shuddering stop.

In the light of the vote it will be very interesting to see the reaction of Blackburn council.

Surely, even they cannot continue with their ostrich-like insistence that the system is acceptable.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.