THOUSANDS of people in the borough are being invited to help to drive through plans for Quality Bus Corridors.

Transport bosses say it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty details of the multi-million plan to speed up public transport and encourage people out of their cars.

They are holding a series of public meetings starting on Saturday (Sept 2) and promise they will take all views on board.

Some 18,000 copies of the proposals have been printed, many to be sent to households along the proposed route.

The QBCs will start in Manchester and travel the length of Bury Old Road and Bury New Road in Prestwich and Whitefield, before carrying on to Manchester Road all the way to Bury.

The plans have already been discussed in principle, both at Bury Town Hall and at all the local area boards.

The latest proposals offer residents consultation on the fine details, such as the location of new bus stops and the exact length of bus lane sections on the route.

The programme has been developed by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, the ten GM councils, and bus operators. They see it as a key part of plans to develop an integrated transport network in the region to tackle problems such as congestion and pollution.

The corridors themselves may cost £2 million to set up, while First Manchester has invested £3 million in new vehicles. Work is due to start before the end of March next year, and be completed in 2003.

The bus lanes will operate at peak periods, from 7am to 10am and from 4pm to 7pm, and save commuters eight minutes on their journey during rush hour.

A total of 18 improvements along the route from Bury as far as the Manchester/Salford border have been identified on the new plans.

Along the lanes, buses will be able to change the traffic lights to let them through. Other improvements include new bus shelters, raised kerbs, more cycle lanes where space permits, upgraded traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.

Bus operators say the number of passengers is increasing on routes already established elsewhere in Greater Manchester. Other busy roads in Bury, such as Bolton Road, have been lined-up for future programmes.

Councillor Wayne Campbell, Bury's spokesman on the GMPTA, said that to reduce the number of road journeys, people needed confidence in using public transport.

"We are doing our utmost to make sure that public transport users have the best possible services.

"A Quality Bus Corridor such as this would ease congestion and pollution and give the people of Bury the opportunity to take advantage of reliable, punctual and comfortable bus services."

Coun Campbell said public opinion would play a major part in the scheme, and urged people to make their voices heard at the various open days.

Mr Keith Howcroft of the PTE said: "Something needs to be done. Widening the roads or building new roads is not on, there's nowhere to go.

"It's a very good partnership between the PTE, the bus operator and the local authority. It's a good scheme which will deliver a lot of benefits including high quality, good frequency bus services which will give people a genuine alternative."

Mr Wayne Norfield of First Manchester promised improved reliability, frequency and time-saving. He said the company was investing £3 million in new buses, such as the articulated ones on the 135 route which would run every ten minutes during weekdays.

Exhibitions, where staff will be available to answer questions, will be held at:

Saturday Sep 2, at Tesco in Bury New Road, Prestwich from 11am to 2pm.

Monday to Thursday, Sep 4 to 7: unstaffed exhibition at Unsworth Library, Sunny Bank Road, Bury.

Thursday Sep 7, at Prestwich Library, Longfield Centre, from 3pm to 7.30pm.

Friday Sep 8, at Bury Interchange, from 8am to 10.30am. Again, on Monday Sep 11, from 3pm to 5.30pm.

Thursday Sep 14, at Whitefield Library, Pinfold Lane, from 3pm to 7.30pm.