North Yorkshire's biggest roads are set to become 'information super highways' to help drivers avoid jams.

And motorists could be encouraged off the A64 coast road and on to trains to beat holiday congestion on the main route to the coast.

A new park-and-ride system or new railway stations could be developed to let motorists park up and let the train take the strain.

The Highways Agency revealed today it is developing a new high-tech system to warn motorists of bad road conditions ahead and steer them on to alternative routes when necessary.

Variable message signs at major junctions on the M62, M1, M18 and A1M will indicate congestion or bad weather conditions ahead, such as fog, rain or snow.

And the Yorkshire Driver Information System will be extended later to the A64 route to Scarborough and and A1 throughout North Yorkshire.

The agency said it was taking on a new role. "It has dropped its old image of being a road builder as the strategic road network is largely complete." said roads minister Lord Whitty.

"From now on it will become a network operator by more actively managing roads and ensuring motorways and trunk roads work more closely with other transport systems."

Kevin Lasbury, the agency's northern network divisional director, said the agency was in talks with Railtrack and Northern Spirit about the provision of rail services to the coast.

He said he could envisage motorists reaching the York outer ring road en route to Scarborough being greeted by a sign warning them of the delays they might expect along the route and encouraging them to change over to rail travel.

He said the changeover could be assisted by provision of new park- and-ride facilities or a new rail station at some point along the route, but he was unwilling to speculate at this stage where the new station might be built.

He said sensors in the road could provide detail about traffic movements and information might also be obtained from hauliers along the route on traffic and weather conditions.

The new road information system should be in operation on Yorkshire's motorways by 2001 at a cost of £20m. But the system will be up and running on the new A1/M1 link road between Bramham crossroads and Lofthouse when the road opens late this year or early next year.

see COMMENT 'Moving into the 21st century'

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