MOTORISTS hammering along Bolling Road at great speed were this week condemned as 'utterly thoughtless'.

Barbara Davy, of Parklands, Ben Rhydding, has spent 30 years watching the traffic situation deteriorate and believes action is urgently needed to address the problem.

She said: "A lot of the attention is on the A65 at the moment but I think it is time the problems along Bolling Road were highlighted."

Mrs Davy believes the introduction of speed cameras would force selfish motorists to slow down and reduce the risk of fatalities.

She has the backing of district councillor Anne Hawkesworth (Con, Ilkley) who is urging Bradford Council to examine traffic problems along the road 'very seriously indeed'.

"I am not one of those people who is absolutely 'furious.' I am anxious about this stretch of road and want to appeal to the better nature of motorists," said Mrs Davy.

"It is as much about improving the quality of life for people living in the area," said Mrs Davy.

The 30mph speed limit is being ignored all too often by motorists in a hurry to get from A to B, according to Mrs Davy.

She has catalogued a virtual non-stop traffic nightmare from dawn until dusk and is saddened there is no end in sight to the problem.

"On Bolling Road and Springs Lane there are motorists simply ignoring the speed limit. Maybe people don't know what is going on here or maybe they just don't care," she said.

Bradford Council has said its hands are tied due to lack of funds and the fact the road is not deemed enough of a blackspot to warrant immediate attention. Mrs Davy in no way blames the council, placing the responsibility firmly on the motorist.

"This is a stretch of road with two schools, a supermarket, a hospital and a clinic - but it is also a residential road."

Mrs Davy said her neighbours were having to resort to drastic measures to try to slow the traffic down.

"One man deliberately parks his car in the road in an attempt to make the traffic slow down," she said.

Mrs Davy said motorists viewed the stretch of road from Ilkley Grammar School to the row of shops in Ben Rhydding as a 'clear run'.

"The noise rarely stops. The mass exodus in the morning, the school run, people coming home, people coming home in taxis late at night. There are about three hours in the middle of the night when it's quiet," she said.

Mrs Davy said simply walking along Bolling Road could be an alarming and unpleasant experience.

"Hearing cars coming up behind at speed can be frightening, particularly for people with a toddler," she said.

Mrs Davy said that whilst radar traps a few times a year would not solve the problem, the introduction of the cameras just might.

"I am not angered, I am saddened. It is the thoughtlessness of the whole thing," she said.

Coun Hawkesworth (Con, Ben Rhydding), herself a Ben Rhydding resident, said: "I am a big fan of speed cameras. I think they do make motorists slow down.

"I fully support Barbara's concerns. I think motorists view this as the quickest way of trying to get through town," she said.

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