RADICAL £10 million plans to try to cut Canterbury’s chronic traffic congestion have been unveiled by county road chiefs.

Long-suffering motorists could find journey times speeded up with the introduction of sophisticated technology which allows the phasing of traffic lights to get traffic flowing more smoothly.

Kent County Council also wants to install an extensive network of electronic information signs on major routes into the city warning of delays and advising alternative routes.

A key part of the wide-ranging package of measures is for new slip roads off the A2 at Wincheap and a new park and ride service at Harbledown. KCC is in talks with the Highways Agency about access roads and says it will pay for the improvements.

The congestion-busting masterplan is likely to cost £10million, but the county council says it will be money well spent if it brings some relief to Canterbury, which has the unenviable reputation for some of the worst traffic congestion in the county.

Road users will have to wait at least a year before any of the proposals come to fruition. Maidstone will be the first to get the new traffic “superbrain” gathering information and monitoring data from CCTV, road sensors, satellite tracking and bus and rail operators.

After years of unsuccessfully bidding for cash for major road schemes, KCC accepts it must tackle town centre gridlock more realistically.

Cllr Keith Ferrin, the council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “We have tenders in for the software and all the work can be done within our available funding. This will be a cutting-edge traffic information system that will substantially reduce travel times and give reliable information to everyone.”

The traffic information system would be operated centrally from Maidstone and be “fully operational” by spring 2008, he said.

The £10million spending plan has been criticised by local environmental pressure group PACE, which says the money should be spent on traffic reduction, not management.

Co-ordinator Emily Shirley said: “We need to get more cars off the road which is the county council’s own stated planning guidance.

“These are backward looking measures, and I can’t understand what the KCC is playing at.

“Canterbury is already in breach of air quality levels in Broad Street because of congestion and it is arguable that helping traffic flows actually encourages more vehicles onto the roads.

“The money would be better spent on providing more effective public transport and improved cycle routes to encourage people to leave their cars at home.”

But chairman of Canterbury For Business (C4B), Paul Barrett, said: “Anything that helps improve the flow of traffic through Canterbury has to be welcomed.

“Park and ride does, and a fourth site will be welcome, but is not a cure. However the A2 slip roads should be a huge benefit in cutting cross city traffic.

“Of course, a debate needs to be had about our reliance on the car. But the fact is until there is a dramatic improvement in public transport, many people, especially those living in outlying areas have no realistic choice but to use their cars.”

FACTFILE

* Around 160,000 vehicles travel in and out of Canterbury every day.

* Cross-city traffic accounts for nearly half the vehicle movements during peak rush hours.

* Park and ride services cut the number of cars coming into the city centre by around 1,500 every day.

* It is forecast that traffic volumes could rise by up to 26 per cent across the district over the next 10 years.

* New slip roads off the A2 could cut traffic to parts of the city by up to 20 per cent.