PROBLEMS associated with Blackburn town centre's controversial traffic system are coming under the microscope at a public meeting tomorrow.

Blackburn Civic Society is worried that Blackburn Council is not paying enough attention to how town centre developments affect all kinds of users, whether they are pedestrians, cyclists, car users, public transport customers or operators.

Members of the public can voice their opinions at the meeting tomorrow at St Mary's House, Blackburn Cathedral, at 7.30pm.

The aim is to thrash out the problems in the town centre and create the first stages of a strategy to deal with traffic problems and improve things for pedestrians.

The strategy will be sent to Blackburn Council, who will be urged to implement the plan. Civic society vice-president Doug Chadwick, who will chair the meeting, said: "The whole problem will be addressed at the meeting with regard to the movement of traffic in the town centre.

"We want a totally integrated strategy to allow all the activities to co-exist comfortably and work for the benefit of each other.

"My view is that the town centre is pedestrian-unfriendly.

"Walking across the town centre is a total confrontation of vehicle after vehicle.

"The most important single issue is pedestrians as we are all pedestrians in the end."

The meeting will feature speakers Green Party candidate Robin Field highlighting problems of the pedestrian and cyclist, Doug Nicholson, representing Blackburn Borough Transport, and Roy Walsh, chairman of Blackburn Civic Society, who will talk of the problems faced by car users.

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