Highway bosses are calling on residents to help solve the problem of Skipton's traffic-choked streets.

North Yorkshire highways officials are planning a Skipton traffic management strategy and have published a consultation draft document to encourage people to voice how they want to see traffic controlled.

The volume of traffic in the market town has grown 16 per cent since 1990 and experts expect it to rocket by another 27 per cent by 2015.

County Councillors, district councillors, members of Skipton town council, the chamber of trade, civic society, police and public are all invited to make comments.

The document highlights a number of key areas including car parking, parking on residential streets, road signs, public transport, road safety, facilities for disabled people, rail transport and cycling.

A county council spokesman said the strategy was at a very early stage and depended on funding.

Cash could be found from the Government through its Integrated Transport Strategy, by accessing rural bus grants, by encouraging partnership funding and from the European Union as well as the Countryside Agency.

He said: "Relatively few highway improvements have been carried out within the town and the network remains largely inappropriate for the pressures and conflicts of modern traffic.

"Traffic growth has led to deteriorating conditions particularly in the centre of the town and in the surrounding, largely Victorian, areas."

Independent Councillor Janet Gott said one of the major problems was the number of lorries which still came into the town.

"Drivers come in to get something to eat and go to the toilet. I have suggested that a field off the Skipton western bypass is turned into a lorry-stop where the drivers can get facilities.

"It could also be used by tourists and we could look at the possibility of providing a park-and-ride service.''

Councillor Robert Heseltine (Ind. Bolton Abbey) said: "Officers of the county council and district council do not have a monopoly of wisdom on traffic matters.

"It's the public that have to live with the current situation and it's right they should have full input.''

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