A damning picture has been painted of Keighley's traffic-choked town centre.

Vehicles often take up to 10 minutes just to travel several hundred metres, it is claimed.

Now calls are being made for a major survey in a bid to find solutions to the gridlock.

Keighley & District Travel (K&DT) communications manager Graham Mitchell has presented a report highlighting the problems to the Keighley Economy Group.

It is feared that the whole prosperity of the town centre could plummet into decline if no action is taken.

Meanwhile the bus company has proposed -- to police and council highways chiefs -- several measures to help improve traffic flows, including a ban on some right-hand turns, changes to timings at selected traffic lights and stricter enforcement of parking and waiting restrictions.

Mr Mitchell said: "The town desperately needs an in-depth traffic survey and some new thinking. No such survey has been undertaken since the Eastern (Parkwood) Bypass was mooted seven or eight years ago.

"If we do not seek and find some answers soon the ability of us all to move across our town will become more and more restricted, with a consequent decline in the prosperity of the central area.

"There is no easy answer, no quick fix for Keighley -- a junction town where three major routes meet -- but to do nothing is not an option."

The calls for a survey have won general support, but with some reservations.

Councillor David Emmott, chairman of the Keighley Area Committee, said: "It is well worth doing a survey and I am in favour of anything that could help resolve the situation, but the danger is that you could just move the problem elsewhere."

Keighley councillor Andrew Mallinson said: "I believe that a survey is required to deal with traffic flow in the town centre. However, there are a number of influential schemes yet to be completed.

"The Skipton Road entrance to Keighley for traffic going in and out of the town is to be started and completed this year.

"The Bingley Relief Road is also due to be completed soon, which will have an impact. Until work like this is done a survey is pointless. In principle we do need a traffic survey, but we must be aware of the bigger picture."

Insp Nigel Cawthorne, of Keighley police, said parking and waiting restrictions were being strictly enforced in the town to help ease traffic movements. But he would welcome a survey.

He added: "We had a meeting about two months ago with K&DT, council highways officers and other agencies, and as part of that we said we would strictly enforce waiting restrictions.

"We agreed to have a meeting with K&DT every couple of weeks so that problem hotspots could be identified and action taken.

"We are working together to help maintain good traffic flows, which at the end of the day benefit everyone."

Bradford Council said a scheme to help relieve traffic problems had been drawn up a decade ago, but was rejected.

And it says that with major developments planned in the town, including the proposed re-siting of Keighley College, decisions about further traffic schemes should be put on hold until the effect of the building projects is known.

A council transport and planning spokesman said: "We are aware of Keighley & District Travel's concerns and have talked to Keighley Town Council about town-centre traffic issues.

"A major scheme was drawn up in the early 1990s after a great deal of consultation and research, but this was rejected and no formal decisions have been made to take matters forward to date.

"Some of the problems brought up by K&DT are short term, occurring only on particular days and at certain times, such as delays on Cavendish Street on a Saturday. A satisfactory resolution of such issues may be difficult to achieve.

"We would like to move things forward, but there are a number of major developments in the pipeline for the town, including plans to re-site Keighley College. A planning application has also been made for an Asda supermarket off Bradford Street.

"It is not feasible to draw up any solutions until we know how these schemes could affect the town's traffic situation."

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