More than 1,000 people have signed a petition asking Bradford Council to rip out a multi-thousand pound road safety scheme.

The move follows the death of a four-year-old boy on Reevy Road West, Buttershaw, in March.

The residents have told the Council they want the scheme, which was implemented early last year, to be removed and replaced with traffic lights or zebra crossings.

They claim the speed cushions do not work because motorists look at obstacles ahead instead of the road.

And they believe heavy vehicles zoom straight over them.

Nathan Brown died after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the road. Local people failed to resuscitate the youngster who lived nearby.

At today's highways sub-committee meeting officers were telling the chairman, Coun Phil Thornton, that they felt the system should remain but the road should be monitored.

They were pointing out to members that surveys of traffic volume and speeds showed there had been improvement since the scheme was implemented 14 months ago.

But the sub-post master of Buttershaw Post Office, John Braddock, said people were adamant the system was not working.

He said: "This is a main arterial road which is totally wrong for this type of scheme. Sleeping policemen are fine in country lanes, but not on roads with this volume of traffic.''

But senior traffic officer Phil Sawley says before the scheme was implemented 2,105 vehicles used Reevy Road West between 8am and 6pm. Following completion of the scheme only 761 vehicles travelled down it in the ten hour period.

And speed meter readings indicated averages of 30mph before the scheme, but the average at the cushions is now 19mph.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.