The long-running saga of Manor Park bends has taken a leap forward with the approval of a £5 million 'bypass'

scheme.

Bradford Council's executive committee gave its backing to major safety improvement works for the bendy stretch of road near Burley-in-Wharfedale on Tuesday.

The fine details of the project, which will see a new, straighter section of carriageway created on fields south of the existing route, will now be hammered out.

Bradford Environment chief and

district and Ilkley parish councillor Anne Hawkesworth was responsible for having a new safety report on the area, which recommended the 'by-pass' plan be drawn up.

She said: "I did expect this outcome but I am still, of course, very glad.

"What happens now is that the plans have to be looked at in more detail and all the nitty gritty worked out so a funding bid can be put together and submitted to central Government.

"It will then be put into a pot with other, equivalent schemes from around the country which have been put forward on accident reduction grounds.

"The money given out will vary depending on the merit of each scheme, but we are certainly looking in the region of £5 million for this."

Coun Hawkesworth added that the political ball was now firmly in Burley-in-Wharfedale and Menston MP Chris Leslie's court.

Mr Leslie, who as a Junior Minister has the ear of the Government, met with members of the A65 Safety Committee last week to discuss how to push the plans forward.

John Traynier, a founding member of the Safety Committee who has lived at Manor Park for 25 years, was at that meeting.

He said: "We are delighted it has gone to the next stage. It is excellent news, because there is a lot more to this than just the high accident rate.

"Residents have had to put up with increasing noise, air pollution and traffic over the years along with serious access difficulties and even problems just trying to cross the road.

"But now it is very important we don't take our eye off the ball, because a lot of hard work, in terms of presenting the plan effectively to make sure it receives the funding, is still ahead of us.

"Talking with Chris Leslie was very useful and he has told us he is prepared to meet with Stephen Byers, the Transport Minister, to discuss the plans at the appropriate time.

"As a Minister himself he can't actually raise the issue in the House of Commons, but we are looking at asking MP Ann Cryer to speak for us there."

Under the plans the current road would become a much quieter, access-only route for local householders, and also open to cyclists and horse-riders.

The new section of road, meanwhile, is likely to be fitted with speed cameras, traffic islands and be subject to a 40mph limit.

The campaign for action to tackle the bends, a notorious accident blackspot, gained impetus when new figures showed that the crash rate had trebled there in 2001, to 15. Three people were killed in the smashes.