Campaigners are concerned the city's roads will hit crisis point thanks to an influx of thousands of extra visitors once the £800m revamp is completed.

Top names like John Lewis and a revamped Marks & Spencer could bring thousands of extra visitors to the city.

And that is fuelling growing fears Preston's main arteries will hit meltdown under the pressure and led to calls for urgent investment to boost city transport.

The concerns come as the results of the Evening Post's Great Transport Debate survey into the state of Preston's transport network were revealed today.

Preston's clogged roads and £12m roadworks hell are driving commuters and residents round the bend – but, according to the findings, few seem prepared to ditch the car in favour of public transport. More than three-quarters of people do not think the city is 'car friendly', yet more than half never use trains, 40% never use buses and three-quarters never use the city's park and ride facilities, the figures reveal.

And a huge majority – 87% – of people are demanding Preston's roadworks undergo improvement now.

Aiden Turner-Bishop, of the Campaign for Better Transport in Lancashire, said: "I think Tithebarn is a potential transport nightmare.
"Imagine all the cars, the Christmas shoppers going to John Lewis all going on to Ringway.

"They are just not thinking it through, it is like Peter Pan in Never Neverland. They need a long-term strategic think and to look at ways of dealing with the car culture."

The findings will today lay bare the scale of the task facing Preston's regeneration plans.

Related links:
>Resort objects to Preston's £750m dream
>Fix the roads before dream

They also suggest attempts to get more people on to public transport and out of cars is failing. Figures uncovered earlier this year revealed car traffic in Lancashire increased by 13% in five years.

More than half of people travel to work by car, according to our poll. Just 2% car share, despite efforts to promote the idea.

The bus is the most popular form of public transport – with 16% of people using them in spite of Preston's increasingly bitter bus wars between Preston Bus and Stagecoach.

The city's roads are already straining under the pressure of more than 55,000 vehicles. Emergency services have missed response targets and at least four major incidents last year sparked hours of gridlock.
Crucially though, more than 80% believe congestion charging should not be introduced in Preston.

Instead people would like to see more park and ride sites, pedestrianisation of Fishergate and a new motorway junction at Brock, near Garstang.

>> Vote in our latest web poll