TRAFFIC jams in Colne are one step closer to being a thing of the past after the county council pledged a long-term solution – but it is unlikely to be the bypass some people have called for.

Highways and transport boss Councillor John Fillis said the results of a major traffic survey carried out in the town last year have been released, which means experts can now work out how to fix the problem.

However, the report found that, because one in two motorists were heading for Colne itself, a bypass might not be the best solution.

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Cllr Fillis said: “This report marks a positive step forward in our understanding of current traffic in and around Colne and will give us a firm basis from which to develop options to solve Colne’s congestion problems.

“We now know that there is real potential to make changes to our roads that will make travel easier.

“The amount of local traffic, taken together with the overall pattern of through movements, means that we can first look at how we can improve traffic movements in Colne itself before we need to look at a bypass.”

The traffic studies, conducted last autumn, found 50 per cent of all traffic entering Colne was using it as a shortcut to other destinations, such as North Yorkshire, mainly through key north-west routes and east-west routes throughout the day. The other half finished their journey in the town.

Traffic between the M65/A56 west of Colne and the A6068 east of Colne represented around 46 per cent of all traffic, while traffic between the M65/A56 and the A56 north of Colne represented 43 per cent.

The study, which also revealed roadworks on the M65 between July and December last year had ‘no impact’ on traffic in the town, showed there is ‘no clear case to build a north-south bypass’, the council said.

Instead, a more local solution that could serve both Colne traffic and west-east through traffic should be considered.

Councillors could now look at the potential for further improvements to the existing A6068 corridor.

They will also ask what could be done to make it easier for traffic to travel east-west through the town and, if no alternative can be found, whether there is still a case for the bypass.

A full public consultation will be held when any changes are proposed.

County Councillor Azhar Ali, who represents the Nelson South area, said: “The North Valley has become a bottleneck and there are huge delays at peak times. This study and we will make sure proposals are developed for public consultation.”