A FORMER Blackburn Mayor and council leader has broken ranks with Labour colleagues and expressed major fears about plans for a massive town centre Traffic shake-up.

Coun Peter Greenwood is encouraging people to blitz the town hall with their views on the plans, which he says could create safety and pollution problems as well as putting a strain on the public transport system unless it receives huge investment.

And he says that roads in his Audley ward, which encompasses part of the proposed orbital route around the town, will see a 25 per cent increase in traffic.

Blackburn with Darwen's Labour-ruled council announced its plans in late 1998 and Coun Greenwood said at the time that he was not happy with the plans to create an orbital route using roads such as Higher Audley Street, Lower Audley Street, Great Bolton Street, Montague Street, Preston New Road, Barbara Castle Way, Eanam and Higher Eanam.

Church Street and Darwen Street should be made more pedestrian-friendly as a result of the proposed new route.

But Coun Greenwood has now gone into more detail about his fears for the future.

He said: "Everyone would welcome a reduction in car usage, the question remains as to how practical this is in reality.

"Without public transport alternatives no one is going to reduce car journeys significantly. With 500,000 new cars on the road each year the problem just grows.

"Massive investment is needed to get a public transport system in place before any reduction in car usage can even be considered.

"Improving a few junctions, creating bus lanes and cycle ways will only have the desired effect once a public transport system is in place that meets not only the demands of the bus operators but also the social needs of the travelling public." Coun Greenwood added: "Given that the decisions need to be made it would be helpful if the residents of the town could make their views known so that a more considered decision is made on their behalf on how to resolve a very thorny problem."

Coun Greenwood claims:

The pedestrianisation of Church Street would create a physical barrier between the shopping precinct and markets and the railway station and Darwen Street.

Access to Darwen Street on a one-way system via the Boulevard, from Salford and out via Jubilee Street would mean that from the other direction motorists will have to use Barton Street, Northgate, Preston New Road and Barbara Castle Way to get to Penny Street or the Thwaites roundabout.

Traffic will be forced to choose between joining the orbital route at Cicely Lane on to Higher Audley Street or at Copy Nook.

Higher Audley Street and Audley Range will be expected to take up to 25 per cent more traffic at peak times creating pollution and safety issues for residents and school children living in the area.

New developments such as the building of a cinema and retail park in Audley and the new complex at Townsmoor will complicate the situation even further.

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