TOWN hall chiefs are being urged to find a ‘meaningful solution’ to traffic chaos in one of the busiest roads in the borough.

Liberal Democrat campaigner Warren Fox and Astley Bridge resident Joanne Gallagher have written to Bolton Council over severe congestion in Blackburn Road.

In 2016, Mr Fox submitted a petition with 500 signatures to the council demanding that it addresses the heavy delays faced by drivers in the area.

He said: “Two years ago years I handed a petition into the Mayor of Bolton which was signed by 500 residents, requesting for action to be taken to cut congestion on Blackburn Road. We need the council to look into a meaningful solution as it’s getting worse.”

Around 25,000 vehicles use Blackburn Road every day, causing heavy congestion at peak times.

In August, 2016 the council agreed to investigate possible solutions to the problem, but residents remain frustrated by a lack of progress and have called for a meeting with Stephen Young, the council’s director of place.

Ms Gallagher said: “The current traffic situation on Blackburn Road is adding unnecessary time into our already busy lives. It’s bad for the individual, bad for the environment, and bad for local businesses.

“I’d like Bolton Council to look into plans like new light sequences or yellow boxes to help the flow of traffic.”

Cllr Nick Peel, Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for environmental services, said: “Congestion is getting worse everywhere because car ownership and usage is increasing.

“It is not only Blackburn Road that is affected, but every every route in and out of Bolton and every other major town.

“Solutions are not easy to find. Things can be done in terms of looking at junction capacity, but there is no magic wand to wave that will make it all okay.

“The council is committed, within the available resources, to improving all of our roads in Bolton as much as we can.”

Cllr David Chadwick, the council’s cabinet member for highways, added that the ideal long-term solution to the congestion problems would be a new bypass road.

He said: “To really resolve the problem we would need a new bypass, but that is going to cost mega bucks.”

A council report from 2016 identified preliminary proposals to implement improvements at the junction of Moss Bank Way and Blackburn Road in an effort to improve traffic flow.

However, it added: “This is subject to the funding being identified and is likely to be implemented within the next five years.”