PRESTON'S drivers could find themselves paying to use town centre roads as County Hall bosses try to ease the town's chronic traffic congestion.

The far-reaching suggestion is one of a number being considered as part of an Intelligent Transport System, to be piloted in the area.

County Hall chiefs have secured funding to look into the possibility of making the Greater Preston area - including Penwortham, Lostock Hall, Walton-le-Dale and Bamber Bridge - a pilot area for an Intelligent Transport System.

It is hoped the scheme will bring an end to the tailbacks stretching out of Preston, a common sight on virtually every day of the year.

Organisations concerned about Preston's transport, such as hauliers and shopkeepers, have already been consulted on the plans by a working party established by Lancashire County Council.

As a result, a set of far-reaching suggestions have been unveiled, including:

Charges for using roads at peak times, with windscreen cards being introduced and drivers billed when they use certain roads;

The creation of a new system which detects buses as they approach a traffic light junction, enabling the lights to change to give buses the right of way at a junction. Such a system is currently being introduced on Ringway;

New air monitoring machines which will feed back to a control room, allowing for parts of the town centre;

The introduction of electronic signs at the edge of the town which would tell car drivers where there were car parking spaces, permitting drivers to plan their journey into town more effective.

A council spokesman said: "The proposals, if implemented, should have a positive effect of the town, improving conditions for the travelling public within the Greater Preston area and creating a more effective public transport network, reducing reliance on the car."

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