THE "disastrous" relief road project in Whitefield is proof that major changes are needed to transport policy, said Bury Council's leader Derek Boden.

And he promised action in the coming years while the Government's plans were being debated at national level.

"In the last three years, even the Tories have realised that building more roads is just not going to work," said the Labour councillor for Besses in Whitefield.

"In my part of the borough we paid, and still are paying, the price for that disastrously mistaken policy. Thankfully that blind adherence to putting down concrete is coming to an end."

Plans to widen the M62 at the cost of more than 300 local homes were scrapped two years ago.

Coun Boden admitted that some people would criticise the plans and said they would take time to soak in.

"It's reasonable for people to say 'where's the alternative?'. You have to put money in to have something up front. You just can't say 'leave your car at home tomorrow and there will be a bus waiting', you've got to have that in place first."

The leader was all in favour of charging for company car parking spaces, as long as it was all ploughed back into public transport.

Looking at the less congested roads this week during the school holidays, he urged more pupils to walk or ride a bike to school.

Coun Boden said he was wary of introducing tolls for cars entering Bury town centre. "It might mean that people with pots of money can come in but others can't. That policy might be better for bigger city centres."

Coun Boden said Bury had a role to play in the meantime, using transport grant money to create more cycle lanes and bus priority lanes.

"By the time the Government starts to implement the plans the ground will have been prepared locally. Expect actions as well as discussion."

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