Barnsley one of country's traffic hotspots

Traffic levels are up by a staggering 24 per cent, taking Barnsley to number eight in the top 10 traffic hotspots across the country.

The figures have been released by pressure group The Campaign for Better Transport, which warns unless action is taken the result will be chaos on the roads.

Executive director Stephen Joseph said: “We can’t go on like this - traffic is destroying our communities, our health and our environment. The Government must stop catering for all this traffic and instead give people and businesses good alternatives.”

But Barnsley Council’s development director, David Kennedy, says the growth in traffic levels is an indication of the successes of the regeneration in the borough.

He says more people now have cars because the economy is improving, link roads have been built, there are new business parks and the number of motorists driving in and out of Barnsley to work has risen. But he acknowledges that, although the economic upturn is welcome, the congestion that goes with the success is not.

Mr Kennedy said: “We are trying to manage it by investing in public transport to make it more attractive.”