Silsden, Steeton and Eastburn residents are to come together to press for a footbridge to be built over the busy Aire Valley Trunk Road.

Thousands of pounds has been spent by the Highways Agency installing safety measures on the A629 at the Silsden roundabout.

The work included rumble strips to slow down the traffic, special crossing places for pedestrians and cyclists, and warning signs.

But residents who live in the three nearby villages say people are still taking their lives into their own hands when they cross the road, and want a footbridge to be built.

Silsden's police chief, Insp Paul Spencer, is also concerned about road safety on the A629.

"As an adult you've got to run across that road, so I can't imagine what it's like with children," he told Silsden Parish Council last week.

"It's a nightmare and I don't want to see anyone getting hurt. If you cross that road regularly, you're running a gauntlet."

The A629 is due to be detrunked next year, passing its responsibility onto Bradford Council.

Parish councillors are trying to persuade the Highways Agency to build a bridge before this happens.

Now a suggestion has been made that Silsden, Steeton and Eastburn should come together and speak as one voice.

"The Highways Agency should be paying for that bridge while they still have the road," said Coun Chris Atkinson. "I think it's time we started to demand a bridge."

David Emmott, chairman of Steeton-with-Eastburn Parish Council, said his members did not want a bridge but he was urged to ask them to re-consider.

Coun Michael Elsmore added: "You can see people walking to the station on a morning and they're taking their lives into their own hands. More people would use the railway station if the road was made safer."

Silsden Parish Council chairman Geoff Whittaker said he daren't take the risk of crossing the road.

"The lack of people attempting to cross that road is because there's no safe way of doing it," he said.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency spokesman said the decision on whether to install a footbridge now rested with Bradford Council, as it was out of the agency's remit for the A629.

"A decision on whether a footbridge should be provided can now be taken at a local level," he said. "If Bradford Council investigated the feasibility of such a bridge and it was found that one was needed, they could progress it further through the local transport plan."