What a 'waste'

The compromise was announced at last week's leisure services committee meeting, and involves installing traffic-calming humps on the road running through Moor Park to the main sports pavilion.

The decision comes as protesters continue to campaign for speed humps on several residential streets around Moor Park, which are currently used as rat runs between Preston's major roads.

Councillors who wanted cars banned from Moor Park have hit out at the plan, describing it as a waste of money.

Coun Michael Moulding said: "There is no point in putting speed humps here because people don't drive fast on the park. We wanted a ban on cars - that wouldn't have cost anything. "There are many better ways to spend this money. Residents on busy streets such as Trafford Street, where a girl was killed last year, have been asking for speed humps for ages, where they would do some good."

Councillors were presented with three options at Thursday's meeting. They rejected plans for low fences to prevent cars going onto the grass and threw out a suggested all-out ban on cars in the park.

Their decision to opt for the speed humps has angered Coun Pat Whittle, who said: "If anything, this will make cars drive onto the grass, which is something we don't want to happen. In fact, the only reason we wanted to ban cars was to save the grass.

A spokesman for Preston Borough Council said the plans for Moor Park would have no bearing on the possible schemes for the Trafford Street area.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.