BURNLEY's unique plans to improve highway safety could be used as an example for schemes throughout the country.

The borough applied for £5m government cash, but Department of Transport ministers voted to give the money to a five-year scheme for Gloucester.

However ministers were so impressed with Burnley they made £200,000 available to Lancashire County Council to spend on the borough.

Fears that the cash might be swallowed up by county were allayed at last night's planing meeting.

Chairman John Greenwood told members he had received an assurance that the money meant for the town would be used for the borough.

One part of the scheme involves a 20mph zone which would be backed up mobile speed cameras. Geoff Fairhurst, engineering and highways services manager, said such a plan had never been tried before anywhere in the country and its success hopefully be the catalyst to promote similar schemes elsewhere.

Councillors were told officers plan to use the money to target the area roughly bounded by Trafalgar Street, Manchester Road, Accrington Road and Rossendale Road.

Four options are being considered.

One is a "safe routes to schools" exercise designed to locate the main pedestrian routes to schools, mark them and improve safety.

The others involve improving traffic calming measures on distributor roads; looking for a safe cycle route to the town centre; and looking for safe pedestrian routes to the town centre.

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