A NEW weapon is to be used against careless drivers - psychology.

Council bosses are planning to use new road markings that "trick" motorists into taking more care. And the methods could prove to be an alternative to the much-criticised speed bumps.

The new road layouts make roads appear narrower than they are and create uncertainty for drivers, forcing them to slow down.

"Psychological traffic-calming" works by blurring the boundary between road and pavement, changing the colour of the road surface and removing centre white lines.

Some have already appeared in Blackburn.

Changes made to Darwen Street outside the Cathedral in 2003 proved so successful that the council is getting ready to expand the forward-thinking methods to other parts of town.

Work will soon be starting on the remainder of Darwen Street, towards the bridge, to complete the original scheme.

Blackburn with Darwen Council regeneration boss Coun Andy Kay said: "Here, although vehicles and pedestrians still have their own space, the removal of guard rails and colour changes of road surfaces goes some way to create a shared space.

"Drivers realise that they are entering a different environment and as such, take greater care."

As well as the the methods known as "psychological traffic calming" - which were developed by Transport Research Laboratory for the Department for Transport - being introduced in Darwen Street, similar techniques will be employed when work goes ahead on a new scheme at Sudell Cross.

The council plans to include the traffic-calming techniques in the development of land around Freckleton Street, where a new large-scale retail complex will be built.

The plans to develop that site have been put on hold after funding from the North West Development Agency was delayed, although council chiefs have promised the work will go ahead.

The remainder of the Darwen Street scheme is expected to start early next year.