Quote: Leeeigh Leeeigh "You make excellent points but could you just clear this bit up, as surely you are just encouraging people out of the town by making it easier to get to a train station out of town. Can't see a massive advantage (when put against the cost of setting up) of all this to help bring people and investment into Leigh town. People that travel to Leigh on the train wouldn't use the parking and the new road as such.'"
I see your point there but its a 2 way street, pardon the pun.
However it's done we need to make the town more accessible. Look on the map and its bang in the middle of a triangle that has 3 motorways, the West Coast Main Line, the Liverpool/Manchester line, yet has poor links to all of them.
There's maybe 3 million people within a 20 mile radius, but roughly only 100000 residents and very few large industies inside this triangle. There's lots of opportunity if it's opened up properly.
Folk from these parts already travel out of town by whatever means, folk rarely travel in because theres nowt to come for, poor public transport, and little parking.
It's not so much a matter of catering for us (though people may be tempted to move into the area bacause of it's improved commuter links), its catering for others by making the town easier to get to.
Stumbling block is as WF says with 'Our Andy' and Warrington BC, though there is a route to Kenyon along an old line that is on the borough boundary, about 1/4 mile beyond where the by-pass ends.
To be honest the bloke needs to get behind local matters again, which he'll have plenty time to do come next summer.