CAR drivers in Bolton are being targeted with a new campaign to encourage them to consider if the journeys they make in their cars are absolutely necessary.

The campaign -- entitled Better Travel By Public Transport -- includes research conducted by the county's transport governing body, the GMPTE, which has identified that many motorists automatically jump in their car without considering if it is the best way to get to where they want to go.

The advertisements, which can be seen all across buses and cinema screens in the town, depict three scenarios where it would have been much better for the protagonists to have travelled by public transport.

The posters are Car-Free, Carefree, which show people relaxing on public transport as they go about their business; No Parking shows the frustration of a young boy in a car who is desperate to get out and play in the park while his mother struggles to find a parking space and The Car Driver shows the unhappiness of somebody who can not enjoy a pint with his colleagues after work.

Helping to launch the campaign in the town, Bolton councillor Guy Harkin said: "We are hoping that this campaign just makes people think a bit more about the times they use their cars.

"We fully recognise that for much of the time cars are an essential part of people's daily routine.

"The research which GMPTE has done suggests that around four per cent of all car journeys could just as easily be completed on public transport.

"The campaign aims to change the attitudes and behaviour of people who unnecessarily use their cars and to remind people that sometimes using public transport is by far the better option."