BY 2005 Leigh could have a £26 million guided busway to Salford and Manchester, providing proposals get public and government support.

GMPTE will submit an application for powers to implement the project under the Transport and Work Act, on January 31.

After that, the public will have six weeks to voice objections -- or support, and transport chiefs anticipate a public inquiry will be held in September, ruled by an independent inspector.

GMPTE's Director of Panning and Communication Keith Howcroft said something must be done to ease Traffic congestion and a guided busway was the most appropriate and quickest-to-implement solution.

He said: "Traffic congestion is increasing, even in Leigh. I have been gridlocked in Leigh in the evening.

"The rush hour doesn't exist, it lasts two or three hours in some places. People are changing the way they live their lives to get to work or home early."

Transport bosses

The 17-stop bus way, beginning at Leigh Bus Station and ending in Manchester City Centre, would link up Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesley and transport bosses hope it will provide a reliable 40 minute journey between Leigh and Manchester.

On the route, a guided busway would run from East Bond Street along the route of the old railway line to Ellenbrook, while bus priority measures will be in place along the rest of the route, so buses are not slowed by congestion.

A new bus interchange is planned at Tyldesley and a new fleet of guided buses would be able to run on the specially build guideways as well as on normal roads.

£26 million has been provisionally allocated for the busway by the Greater Manchester Transport plan.

Mr Howcroft added: "We now believe that we've got a scheme that will really work to alleviate the problems experienced by bus users along this route. By segregating buses from other traffic, they will be able to keep to timetable as well as having shorter journey times."

But he acknowledged that feedback from public consultation had been mixed, with some people calling for better railways and a metro-link.

He said: "We have looked at all those ideas and concluded that what we are proposing here is the most cost effective and will take a relatively short distance of time to deliver. Railways are very expensive and with the current state of the rail industry who knows when it would be built."

Long term

He added a metro-link had not been ruled out in the long term.

At the expected public inquiry, objectors and supporters of the scheme will be able to put forward their case, and a government appointed independent inspector will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

It will then be up to the secretary of state to decide if the busway can go ahead -- and it could be 12 months before any decision is made.

Transport chiefs estimate construction work will take approximately two years.

More details on the scheme are available on GMPTE's information line 0161 242 6777 or GMPTE, FREEPOST (MR7116), 9 Portland Strett, Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, M1 8DT.