PARISH representatives in Sutton, Glusburn and Cross Hills are to meet later this month to discuss a wide-ranging plan which could provide a breath of fresh air to the traffic-choked villages.

Congestion in the area has been made worse by a series of changes, including the growth of South Craven School, the linking of the M65 and M6 and the expansion of the industrial estate at Kildwick.

Villagers have been campaigning for years for changes in the road network. They also want an increase in public transport as part of an overall traffic strategy for the area, which they hope will reduce pollution.

Now, a list of areas of concern has been produced by a Cross Hills villager, with suggested solutions aimed at reducing traffic congestion and encouraging more people to use public transport if an improved service is provided.

The proposals include a direct access to Sutton for the future development of the former Silentnight site, which is set to be filled with more than 60 houses after the company won planning permission following a public inquiry.

And promoting the upgrading of the A56 Skipton to Colne road and designating it as an official heavy goods vehicle route with a subsequent ban on lorries along the A6068 is another proposal.

Some of the ideas listed have already been suggested in a survey carried out by North Yorkshire County Council in its consultation over the now "dead and buried" Glusburn bypass. These include a bridge over the Kildwick level crossing, which is responsible for a lot of the congestion around Cross Hills.

Two of the ideas are:

l Building a relief road from the new roundabout at the Kildwick industrial estate to Eastburn bridge.

l Constructing a local relief road from Eastburn Bridge to Holme Lane (between Sutton and Cross Hills) to provide a direct access to Sutton residents and reduce the use of the busy junction of Holme Lane and the A6068.

This second suggestion would also provide a direct route to the planned £1 million Cross Hills railway station and the Aire Valley Trunk Road, and a direct access to and from South Craven School, which causes traffic build-up at busy times. Further discussions on concessionary fares before the new railway station opens are also proposed.

Both Sutton and Glusburn parish councils have copies of the proposals and are set to meet in private at the end of the month to decide the way forward under the banner of Transport Initiative 2000.

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