Transport bosses have come under fresh pressure to ease restrictions on building new junctions on the M6 and M55 because of the county's growing highway hell.

Tory MP for Lancaster and Wyre Ben Wallace told the House of Commons roads in his constituency were under "tremendous traffic pressure" because of Preston's urban sprawl.

There are more than 55,000 cars clogging Preston's streets and traffic volumes across Lancashire are up 13% across the county compared to a decade ago.

Current predictions suggest journey times and congestion will rocket by 40% in the next 15 years – with in excess of 77,000 cars in Preston alone.

Last year the Evening Post reported how Preston Council leader Ken Hudson reignited the debate over a new M6 junction between 32 at Broughton and 33 at Galgate in a bid to relieve chronic congestion in the north of the city.

Traffic there is set to get worse with the Royal Lancashire Show moving to Myerscough next year, plans for 600-plus homes on the old Whittingham Hospital site and a new garden centre opening in Brock.
Many new homes are also planned for Garstang.

All that, says Coun Hudson, could have knock-on effects for the whole of Preston and many see a "junction 32A" as the only viable answer.

Ultimately, he says, it will lead to gridlock. He adds: "We are going to keep banging the drum because if the Government keeps saying we need all these extra houses – and it is possible that Preston will be designated as a growth area – that means more traffic and we need to make better use of the motorway to dissipate it."

Hugh Bladon, a founder member of lobby group the Association of British Drivers (ABD), says his organisation is currently campaigning for an extra motorway junction between Weston-super-Mare and Bristol in the south-west of England.

He says: "To pretend that people are not going to get into their cars and drive to work is just pie in the sky. We need solutions and extra motorway junctions is one of them."

The Government has made it clear that a firm case for a new junction would need to be established. Guidance published by the Department for Transport last year stated that ministers would have a "general presumption against additional access to motorways".

But Transport Minister Tom Harris insists that "ministers do have some level of discretion to go beyond that guidance where it seems necessary".

However, he adds: "I would expect the local authorities to be working with the Highways Agency to come up with alternative solutions so that we did not need to create any extra junctions on any of our motorways.

"If there is a case for creating an extra junction I would be happy to look at that.

"However, I would be reluctant to move from the stated policy, since it is one that is designed to ensure a free flowing of traffic and to maintain a high level of road safety."