CANTERBURY could be used to trial revolutionary ways of curbing car use and ease the city’s chronic traffic congestion.

County transport chiefs are to put Canterbury forward as a location for a new Government experiment, which could see up to £7.5million ploughed into schemes to reduce the amount of traffic in the area.

Ministers are inviting towns and cities across the country to bid to become what is being dubbed a “Sustainable Travel Demonstration Town.”

The initiative has been set up to assess the long-term impact of a co-ordinated programme of measures to encourage people to use alternative ways of getting around, particularly and to and from work.

Kent County Council believes Canterbury would fit the bill for the Government trial and county councillors are expected to back its bid next Wednesday (September 10).

The Department of Transport says it expects the successful town or city to be prepared to come up with innovative ways of reducing congestion, working alongside other agencies and organisations, including bus and rail operators.

These could include car share schemes, better cycle paths and pavements, more park and ride facilities and cheaper bus travel.

Canterbury county councillor Graham Gibbens, who chairs KCC’s Highways Board, said it could prove an opportunity for the city to build on the success of existing projects.

“Canterbury has already done an awful lot of work to try to manage the congestion and if we were successful in our bid, it would be a huge boost for the area,” he said.

A letter inviting applications says particular emphasis will have to be given to reducing commuter traffic and the impact of the school run on congestion.

Those who qualify would also be expected to work with bus companies to improve public transport and to do more to make footpaths and pavements more user-friendly.

A KCC report says Canterbury would have the best chance of success, partly because it is already trying to tackle its well-documented problems.

Launching the initiative in June, transport minister Kim Howells said: “This is an opportunity for a forward-thinking town to make a step change in how its citizens go about their daily business.”