CAN I right some of the wrongs recently levelled at Blackburn Council by a plethora of frustrated road users, with whom I both empathise and sympathise?

The council does not became the highways authority until April 1, 1998, but does currently act as an agent on behalf of Lancashire County Council in a range of matters.

However, road schemes, traffic-calming measures, etc, are often undertaken as part of a county-wide package, whose planning, budgeting and implementation are determined at County Hall, not Blackburn Town Hall.

Secondly, there are numerous bodies who have a statutory right to dig up the pavements and highways. These include the providers of gas, electricity, telecommunications, water and sewage disposal and also includes cable TV companies who largely sub-contract and who are therefore indirectly responsible for the devastation to much of Blackburn and Darwen's pavements.

While, as a local authority, we hold regular consultations with these various bodies, it does not prevent them digging up the highway if they need to do so - as recently happened within days of the new surface being laid in King William Street.

Thirdly, our industrial heritage provides us with two sets of problems not encountered in towns of more recent construction or expansion. The first of these is the replacement of antiquated water delivery and sewage disposal systems. This is an on-going activity likely to take at least a decade, probably longer, and which causes major disruption whenever and wherever it occurs - Branch Road being a current example.

The second is that as a borough we have a roads system constructed in an era of low-volume traffic and some not even with the motor car in mind.

With the advent of heavier and heavier goods vehicles and widespread private car ownership, the system is under severe strain and in places simply cannot cope.

Government cash restrictions on the roads maintenance programme during the 1980s and 1990s has caused further deterioration so that the council is millions adrift in its budget from what it would have been had spending levels been maintained at an early-80s level.

The piecemeal approach to transport policy also resulted in a 10 year delay in completing the M65 extension which, when opened at the end of this year, will dramatically alter traffic flows in and around the borough, and the failure to fund the completion of the inner ring road which also impacts strongly on traffic flows. Finally, we are in the process of a bridge review - of which the borough has more than most in the county. This, although incomplete, has already indicated substantial structural problems and at this point there are no resources to rectify the situation, though we will be pressing the Government for extra funding.

It is likely on this count that we will have to introduce a whole range of traffic management schemes that will inconvenience thousands, though it is our intention to do so only after widespread consultation.

It is easy and perhaps understandable for citizens to be critical. I hope this letter goes some way towards clearing up areas of confusion and I can assure you that the process is likely to become more difficult before acceptable solutions can be put into place.

COUN ASHLEY WHALLEY, (chair, highways and transport), Blackburn with Darwen Council.

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