YOUNGSTERS were yesterday celebrating after their town was selected as one of only three places in the country to pioneer a £3.2m transport project to help clear traffic congestion.

In the five-year initiative, funded by the Department of Transport, Darlington will encourage its residents to use alternative means of transport to cars for their journeys, such as walking, cycling or using public transport.

The project, called the Local Motion, also encourages people to lead a healthier lifestyle by using alternative transport options for short distances.

Darlington is the only town in the North to be chosen to try out the scheme - Peterborough and Worcester being the other two.

Organisations including Darlington Borough Council, and bus operators Arriva and Stagecoach are all supporters of the Local Motion. The town has already been running a similar project, called Town on the Move, for several months, and the Local Motion has been greeted as an extension of the work that has already been done.

Several of Darlington's major roads are notoriously congested, and yesterday, officials from across the town welcomed the new project.

The Local Motion initiative was launched in an event in the town's Market Place, which featured a performance by a Kylie Minogue lookalike singing her hit single, The Locomotion. Several hundred school children, all of whom travelled to Darlington town centre by bicycle, bus or on foot, gathered at the event, and a balloon launch - hailed as the biggest the town had ever seen - also marked the occasion. Mike Airey, chairman of Local Motion and Darlington Partnership's economy and environment group, said the initiative was a step forward for the town.

"The Local Motion team has set ambitious targets but, with support from the local community, the initiative can really place Darlington on the map, showing other UK towns and cities what the Darlington community can achieve and setting the standard for others to strive to."

The Mayor of Darlington, Councillor Stella Robson, also welcomed the introduction of the project.

"Joining the Local Motion is a great way to help the environment and get healthier.

"People of all ages can take part and try different ways of getting round the borough," she said.

* See your free eight-page supplement, Darlington on the Move, toda