Road safety campaigners have welcomed a package of measures being introduced in Otley.

Leeds City Council wants to bring in waiting restrictions on a number of town centre and residential roads to improve safety and reduce congestion, particularly around junctions.

Audrey Cartwright, secretary of the Otley and District Road Safety Committee, said they followed an in-depth examination of the town by a City Council official and traffic warden Linda Smith.

Mrs Cartwright said the restrictions, which are currently being advertised around the town, were an important step. "Anything that can make improvements to the situation are very welcome," she said.

"There are a lot of problems in a number of places, particularly around some of the junctions where cars find it difficult to turn in and out of roads."

A tour of the town by Mrs Smith highlighted some of the worst areas which had been taken on board by the City Council, said Mrs Cartwright.

And the road safety committee was confident that highways engineers would do their best to tackle the problems, she added.

The latest plans being put forward include:

Prohibiting waiting on lengths of Billams Hill, Riverdale Gardens, North Avenue, North Parade, Manor Street, Whiteley Croft Road, Myers Croft and Station Road.

Limited waiting on Nelson Street.

Coach pick-up and set-down points in Boroughgate.

Town and city councillor and chairman of the Otley Town Partnership Phil Coyne said he thought the restrictions would benefit residents, while the pick-up points would boost the town centre.

"They are extremely welcome and urgently needed. They will be a great plus for the town and are a key objective of the partnership and the town council," he said. "The other residential improvements are, in my view, very important as well."

Objectors to the measures have until Monday, April 26, to contact the city council highways department.

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