Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore, who’s constituency includes the town of Silsden, has today called on Bradford Council to sort out the traffic chaos in Silsden which has led to some residents taking over one and a half hours to travel from the Addingham A65 roundabout to the A629 roundabout at Steeton and Silsden Railway Station.
In a letter to Bradford Council’s Chief Executive, Kersten England, Robbie calls on the council to formulate a structured plan to ensure that traffic disruption is kept to a minimum and that multiple sets of temporary traffic lights are not used in succession at the same time to avoid major travel disruption. Robbie also asks the council to look into turning off the temporary traffic lights when work is not being carried out and at peak times to avoid congestion which he claims, ‘is having a negative effect on the air quality on Kirkgate’.
Whilst many of these lights are put up for construction projects which are not run by Bradford Council, it is ultimately the responsibility of Bradford Council – as the highway’s authority – to grant contractors permission to put up temporary traffic lights on public roads. The council should then have the power to put limitations on how and when these lights are used.
Commenting Robbie Moore said: “The traffic through Silsden is disgraceful at the best of times. What we are witnessing now is pure traffic chaos. I commute regularly through Silsden and know first-hand how disruptive these temporary lights are to residents and commuters.
“I have raised this as an urgent matter with the Chief Executive of Bradford Council, asking that an action plan is put in place to keep consecutive roadworks and temporary traffic lights to a minimum and to look into disabling temporary traffic lights at rush hour to keep traffic flowing.
“The increased stop start traffic congestion throughout the town due to these lights will also be contributing to a rapid rise in poor air quality in certain pinch points around Silsden, especially on Kirkgate, Keighley Road and Bolton Road. I know that Bradford Council are trying to improve air quality in areas around Bradford – let’s see how seriously they are taking it in Silsden.”
