Consultation to start on future of transport in West Lancashire

Lancashire County Council has unveiled an ambitious and wide-ranging vision to transform the transport network in West Lancashire over the coming decades.

Lancashire County Council is producing a set of five Highways and Transport Masterplans to cover all 12 districts of Lancashire and, where necessary, neighbouring areas, to begin to make the case for multi-million pound investments in the transport i! nfrastructure needed to support future housing and business development.

• Linking Skelmersdale to the rail network with a new rail station and bus interchange in the town centre.
• Transform the way people in Skelmersdale travel by redesigning roads, removing underpasses and making it easier for people to walk, cycle and use public transport within the town and to access wider job opportunities.
• Creating better cycling and walking links between Skelmersdale and Ormskirk, building on existing plans for a linear park along the former railway line.
• A dedicated cycling and walking link between Burscough and Ormskirk to provide a direct off-road route via a new linear park.
• Tackle congestion in Ormskirk town centre, building on options outlined in a recent study to manage and reduce traffic, focused on making walking and cycling ! more attractive options, including a new and innovative cycle hire sch eme.
• A complementary route management plan would realise the potential of a new Thornton to Switch Island link road in Sefton to provide a better route for traffic travelling between the M58 and Southport.
• Investigate options and prepare a business case for electrification of the Ormskirk to Preston railway line to fulfil its potential as a commuter route.
• Complete the proposed Tarleton Green Lane Link road by the end of 2016 to reduce HGV traffic through the village.
• Investigate options to ensure access to services from rural areas.

Positioning Skelmersdale to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the Liverpool Superport will be fundamental to this work, allowing the town to benefit from economic opportunities and extra jobs by being part of the Superport.

Further work can then take place to make the business case for improvements, ensuring the county council is ready to capitalise on future opportunities to secure funding.

Funding for major transport schemes is being devolved from the government to local enterprise partnerships, p! resenting a huge opportunity to tackle some of the issues which will o therwise hold our economy back.

"West Lancashire's transport network largely functions well but there are a number of outstanding issued which need to be solved in order for the district to grow in a way that is in keeping with its character and heritage."