A PLAN allowing drivers to use the hard shoulder of the motorway in East Lancashire could be the answer to the regular rush-hour snarl-ups which blight many people’s journeys.

The £5.5 million scheme is seen as a cheaper alternative to permanently widening the M65 to three lanes between junctions five and six.

Instead of expensive and lengthy lane construction work, cash would instead be spent on relatively simple surfacing work and installing new matrix signs.

Elsewhere in the country, most notably on the notorious stretch of the M42 by the NEC in Birmingham, the use of the hard shoulder at peak times has proved successful despite initial safety fears. The decision to use the hard shoulder in East Lancashire is probably the right one in current times.

But the worry is that the move is just a Band-Aid to deal with a more serious problem that is not going to go away.

More traffic is forecast for our roads and eventually the money will have to be found to expand the motorway to cater for everyone who wants to drive.

A better solution would be to invest in our public transport so more people are willing to catch the bus or be attracted back to our railways.

A long-term answer is needed for our transport problems and political leaders need to grasp the nettle.

As business bosses in the county have pointed out, a free-flowing motorway is vital for East Lancashire’s future prosperity, as is a good public transport system.