A THIRTY-YEAR transport plan for North Yorkshire's 5,700 miles of roads will be in the spotlight today.

Senior councillors at North Yorkshire County Council will be asked to approve the latest version of the Local Transport Plan at a meeting today, setting out how the authority will deal with the roads as well as 2,500 miles of footpaths and 2,000 bridges over the next three decades.

The county council's executive member for transport Cllr Don Mackenzie said: "North Yorkshire has one of the largest transport networks in the country, spread across a vast largely rural area, with one or two areas of serious traffic congestion like Harrogate.

"The wellbeing of our residents and the economic future of our region, of its towns, market towns and villages, of its industry, its tourism, its cultural and heritage development, all rely on transport networks that are fit for purpose. This new plan sets out that purpose and takes the long view as well as setting out short-term aims."

If it goes ahead, the plan will replace the current document which runs out in March, and will include plans to improve east-west connectivity on the A64 and the A59 - currently closed in places because of landslip fears.

It covers highway maintenance, ranging from which potholes will be repaired and which bypasses need resurfacing; and improvements from dropped kerbs to building new roads.

However the documents show that tight budgets are limiting what plans the council can make. Requests for improvements in cycling infrastructure have been turned down, as the draft plan shows that "severe financial constraints" stop the council  making a widespread plan to invest in cycling and mean they have to bid for one-off bids grants to pay for specific projects.

The county council held public consultations while drawing up the new plan, and has outlines five "key objectives" for the transport network around North Yorkshire over the coming years.

They include contributing to economic growth, improving safety, boosting "equality of opportunity" through access to services, managing the environmental impact of transport, and providing providing healthier transport opportunities.