Cycle ways, pedestrian islands and specially built-out parking bays to slow down traffic have been planned for two busy roads in Skipton.

Highways chiefs want to slow down cars and make using the road safer for pedestrians and cyclists in Gargrave Road and Broughton Road.

Twenty-two people have been injured in Gargrave Road in the last five years. There there are three schools: Ermysted's Grammar School, Skipton Girls High School and St Stephen's junior school.

In Broughton Road, where there is one school, Ings junior, there have been 34 people injured in the same period.

The far-reaching plans go before North Yorkshire County Council highways sub-committee tomorrow.

The proposals for Gargrave Road include building a cycleway between Snaygill roundabout and Rockwood Drive.

Over the rest of the road, as far as the town centre, highways chiefs want to reduce the width by building a series of parking bays and construct pedestrian islands near the entrance to Aireville Park.

They also plan to introduce waiting restrictions between Rockwood Drive and Gainsborough Court.

Similar plans have been recommended for Broughton Road, including a reduction in speed limit from 40mph to 30mph.

Also included is the construction of a new footpath from opposite Gisburn Street to Thornton Street, building a new footpath over Belmont Bridge where people now have to step into the road and extending the junction with Cavendish Street to make turning out safer.

Pedestrian islands will be constructed near Ings School, Thornton Street, and near the junction with Carleton New Road.

Craven Councillor Janet Gott has broadly welcomed the plans but has hit out at the proposals to alter the Cavendish Street junction and Belmont Bridge.

"There isn't room for a footpath over the bridge. Most people use the other side of the road anyway. And the plans for the Cavendish Street junction will create a bottleneck of people trying to turn both out and in,'' she said.

Mike Moore, director of environmental services, said a cycle path had been ruled out for Broughton Road because the amount of on-street parking restricted room, but longer term there was a possibility of a cycleway linked to the Leeds-Liverpool canal.

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