CHANGES to Blackburn’s road network could stop people driving at “hair-raising speeds” through the town centre.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s planning and highways committee approved plans for a new link road onto Barbara Castle Way as part of a wider scheme

Cllr Phil Riley said: “This is part of our attempts to reshape this part of the town and make the Whalley Range Bazaar area feel like it is part of the town centre.

“It enables a much more direct exit from The Mall car park and it leads to the ability to improve Sudell Cross and fix the problem people have at King George's Hall where they can’t get off the ring road.

“The other point is about speeding on Barbara Castle Way. This will be part of a set of interventions we will be making along there to try and reduce the number of idiots driving at pretty hair-raising speeds in a built-up area.”

In September, a driver was recorded travelling more than three times the speed limit on the road, reaching speeds of up to 98mph. The vehicle was captured by a speed camera near the junction with Victoria Street on the 30mph limit stretch.

And in the latest of a string of serious crashes on the road in recent years, 59-year-old pedestrian Ian Davies was killed after being hit by a car in October.

Figures from website Crash Map show there were eight serious and two fatal crashes along the whole of Barbara Castle Way between 2013 and 2017.

As part of the scheme, a new signalised A6078 Barbara Castle Way/Richmond Hill junction would be created, with Richmond Hill and Richmond Terrace being connected by a new proposed link road running on the back of the existing car park located between the two streets.

As part of a wider scheme and in addition to creating a new signalised A6078 Barbara Castle Way/Richmond Hill junction, the existing A6078 Barbara Castle Way/Victoria Street four-arm signal junction would be redesigned, while at the existing A6078 Barbara Castle Way/Ainsworth Street three-arm signal junction there would be new cycle facilities.

Further reconfiguration of the existing highway network to the south of the A6078 Barbara Castle Way would also be carried out.

The project involves new junctions on Barbara Castle Way with Randall Street and Victoria Street and the reopening of the full length of Northgate, currently closed between Duke Street and Sudell Cross, to through traffic in both directions.

The project will make it easier for cars to get to Whalley Range and Northgate/Sudell Cross, involving two years of roadworks on Barbara Castle Way.

Council planning manager Gavin Prescott added: “This application and link road is part of the wider Fabric Borders scheme. The only bit that requires planning permission is the link road.

“We feel this is a really important scheme to complement what’s going on in the town centre in terms of regeneration. We have had significant funding from the Government and we are keen to bring this forward.

“It will help vehicle and pedestrian movement in the town centre.”