MOTORISTS in Liverpool were last night urged to stay away from Lime Street in an unprecedented bid to stop the route becoming gridlocked.
The busy city centre stretch will become a virtual no-go zone from Monday, as a seven-month scheme to improve pavements, pedestrian crossings and traffic islands gets under way.
Although the city council is not bringing in restrictions on the road, they are warning drivers to avoid it "for their own good" because they expect the work to create even longer delays than there already are.
Motorists are being asked to add an extra half a mile to their journey by travelling along the newly-widened Seymour Street, which runs behind Lime Street station.
But the city council insists it is likely to save them time overall because there will be fewer traffic jams along that route.
Business groups last night called the plea to drivers "optimistic". And the management team at St John's shopping centre said road work schemes in the area over the past 18 months had already caused a 45% drop in drivers using their car park.
Frank McKenna, chairman of Downtown Liverpool in Business, said: "I think the highways department is being very optimistic in thinking people are voluntarily going to stop using this route.
"Most people agree that improvements are needed, but the main problem throughout all of the roadworks is the lack of information.
"Motorways have flashing boards warning of changes or problems and that is the sort of system we should be using."
It comes as the Government confirmed compulsory purchase orders on shops at Lime Street station.
The public inquiry into plans to demolish the row of shops in front of the station approved the orders earlier this year, and the Secretary of State confirmed the order yesterday.
Most of the shops are now empty and the Concourse tower is vacant.
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