MORE than 300 people gave their views on traffic problems in Ilkley as part of a public consultation at the town's annual carnival.

Consultants Oscar Faber - charged with the task of helping highway bosses spend £300,000 on town centre improvements - set up a stall at the event on Monday and invited townsfolk to make their voices heard on a range of traffic-related issues.

During the day 336 people visited the tent and placed 'issue' cards on a large-scale map of the town and surrounding area.

And they made it clear that slowing down traffic in town was their number one priority. More than ten per cent of the 492 cards placed on the map referred to areas where people felt traffic needed slowing down.

Residents also called for the introduction of no parking zones and more cycle lanes and pedestrian crossings.

The success of the carnival consultation came as a welcome relief to consultants Oscar Faber after only 71 people attended a similar exercise at the Clarke Foley Centre last month.

"It's a bit of a contrast," admitted Oscar Faber project manager Jonathan Spruce. "But I think the main thing is that we have got feedback from 400 people. People tend to pick the event that is most convenient to them and it usually tends to be the same one.

"I think from both events the issues that have been raised are the issues that a lot of people were aware of beforehand. But what the consultation has done has allowed a definitive answer to be given as to what people think the problems are. The idea of the

consultation was to find out what people in the town thought, more than the council or other

organisations."

District councillor Anne Hawkesworth agreed that the carnival was the ideal place to get the views of townsfolk. "I thought them (Oscar Faber) being there was very good. What please me about them attending things like that is that we will be getting the

responses through from the general community and residents, not from the official groups."

The results of both consultations will form part of a report to be delivered to Bradford Council by the end of August. The report will be used to help council bosses decide where to spend a £300,000 government grant.

"People say 'slow traffic down'. We will be

examining the options that can slow traffic down, be they traffic claming measures or speed limit changes and their impact on other things that people raised," said Mr Spruce.

The second phase of the study is set to take place in July when people will be invited to attend further consultations in Ilkley town centre.

Anyone who is unable to attend those can send their comments on traffic problems to Oscar Faber at Royal House, Sovereign Street, Leeds LS1 4BJ.