RESIDENTS in the traffic-choked Fareham area are to be consulted on a five-year blueprint aimed at developing Hampshire's transport system, tackling congestion and creating a better environment.

Hampshire County Council has launched its first local transport plan for public comment. Exhibitions are being held at Lockswood Community Centre at Locks Heath Centre next week and at Fareham Shopping Centre tomorrow week.

A county council spokeswoman said the plan sets out an approach to deal with the problem of traffic growth, together with increasing journey lengths and the effect on peoples' health, quality of life and the local economy.

Around 80 per cent of all trips over a mile are being made by car and by 2010 there is expected to be at least one car for every two people in the county.

If trends like this continue, more than half of the motorway and trunk road network in Hampshire could become seriously congestion in the next 20 years - in addition to the already busy towns and cities.

The county council aims to develop a fully-integrated transport system. Design work has begun on a £75m programme over the next five years to develop area transport strategies. This is part of a total investment of £350m.

In the Fareham area, the draft programme includes improved access to public transport, imp-roved bus facilities, extra cycle routes, and work with schools to develop their travel plans.

The county also envisages measures to help buses and cyclists on the A27, better access to Swanwick Railway Station, improvements to Newgate Lane and improvements in Fareham town centre to support walking, cycling and public transport use - plus facilities for mobility-impaired people and steps to reduce road accidents and to encourage healthier lifestyles.

The light rapid transit scheme being developed in the Fareham- Gosport area, with modern trams, is seen as a key element, providing people with an alternative to cars.

More than 150 organisations, from health authorities to the Met Office, businesses and transport providers have been involved in the preparation of the transport plan and more than 1,500 interviews have been carried out among a cross-section of the population.

Councillor Dudley Keep, chairman of the county council's planning and transportation committee, said: "Transport and the way we travel presents us with one of the greatest challenges facing Hampshire.

"People's attitudes and travel behaviour are not going to change overnight, but I am optimistic that with the policies and proposals of this local transport plan, we are making a good start."

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