I WAS concerned to read the article and letters about the proposals for the Leigh Busway (Costing off track claim campaigner, Bookie Pat bets it's all cut and dried, 'The decision has already been made', 'worst option', Metrolink is top priority, Leigh Journal, July 2 1998) and would like to take this opportunity to clarify the situation for your readers.

The proposals for the Leigh Busway are just that - proposals. We take the views of local people very seriously, which is why we have been holding public meetings, before deciding how to progress with any scheme in the area. Contrary to the opinions expressed on the letters page, we have not made a decision that the Busway will definitely go ahead.

Once we have received comments from local residents we will study them carefully and report them to Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, together with comments made by Wigan MBC and Salford City Council, who are also being consulted.

If, after taking in to account the views expressed at the consultations and the views of the two local authorities, the Authority decided to go further with the proposals, GMPTE would have to apply to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for a Transport and Works Act Order to build the Busway.

This would almost certainly lead to a Public Inquiry at which, again, local residents would be able to state their views.

It can be seen, then, that we are currently at an early stage in the overall process, and this is why it can be difficult to make categorical statements on matters of detail at public meetings.

It it is decided to take the proposals further we will certainly want to discuss the detail of he design of the scheme further with local people. We realise that it is only by doing this that we will ensure that our plans best meet the needs of the local community.

Our current aim, at these public meetings, has been to explain to local residents why we favour a Busway for the area, as opposed to a rail link or Metrolink extension.

Replacing the railway would be very expensive - about £80 million - and would take longer to develop and build. It would also need an annual subsidy to help cover its costs and would only be likely to afford a run of low frequency service.

In addition, extending Metrolink to Leigh would also be considerably more expensive and would take a long time to build.

The Busway, in contrast, would be affordable but still bring benefits to the area.

Firstly, bus journeys would be faster and more reliable than at present. Secondly, an increase in people using public transport would mean less congestion on the roads and less pollution. In addition, there should be fewer accidents, as someone travelling by bus is less likely to be involved in an accident than if they made the trip by car.

I hope this helps to make GMPTE's view of the situation clearer to your readers.

W.J.Tyson OBE

Chairman and Managing Director

TMG Limited

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