THE Lake District could provide a blueprint for the future of transport elsewhere in the country, according to a Government minister.

Beverley Hughes, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, made the prediction during a visit to Cumbria.

Officially launching the Lake District Transport Strategy, Ms Hughes also heard about plans for a smart card, which should make public transport more accessible throughout the county.

As reported by the Gazette, the swipe card could be used on buses, trains, steamers and taxis, to allow people to leave their cars at a central location, and hop aboard any form of public transport.

Their card would be swiped, and the transport operator would be reimbursed at a later date.

The minister said detailed analysis was needed of how the system would work, but if Cumbria was successful in a bid to the DETR to launch a pilot scheme, the planning done here could be used elsewhere in the country.

Ms Hughes said the Lake District Transport Strategy, which covers 2000 to 2005, and includes plans for strategic transport gateways on the approaches to the national park, and improvements to rail links, could point the way forward for other areas.

However, she stressed the strategy was about addressing issues to do with transport and the economy which already existed in the Lake District.

"We are not experimenting on the Lake District," the minister said.

"If together we can find some solutions that will assist us in helping other parts of the country, we are helping address the real issues that are already here."

She told local authority officers and councillors from across the county that the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, was keen to work closely with them on the future of the Lake District.