Highways chiefs at Bradford Council have been accused of wasting more than £116,000 of taxpayers’ money by installing an “expensive toy” at a danger junction.

Road safety campaigner Ian Lyons said he was “disgusted and surprised” that a high tech variable message sign (VMS) scheme – part of a scheme in Shipley costing £116,131 – has been installed next to Baildon Bridge at the junction of Otley Road and Green Lane.

The scheme includes four VMS signs in Shipley to give drivers information about roadworks, journey times, events and parking in Bradford district.

Mr Lyons has led an ePetition campaign which has attracted in excess of 300 signatures for a safety overhaul at the junction – a move Bradford Council has repeatedly said would be too costly.

Mr Lyons, of Cliffe Avenue, Baildon, said: “I have been fighting for improvements at Baildon Bridge junction for a while now and the Council keeps coming up with the same excuses that it would be too expensive to put in traffic lights or a roundabout there.

“They have also consistently said that it is not a priority because there have not been deaths there as there have been in other places.

“Initially, that would sound quite reasonable. Then you think of them coming out with a project like this – spending nearly £120,000 on something that is effectively an expensive toy “It is unbelievable and their spending priorities are completely inconsistent.”

A Bradford Council spokesman said money allocated by Metro, the West Yorkshire transport authority, for the variable message signs had been ‘ring fenced’ and could not be spent on a junction improvement scheme.

She said: “We have met Mr Lyons to discuss traffic improvements at the Green Lane junction.

“We have limited resources and have to prioritise projects. We are hoping that a future programme of the Local Transport Plan will consider the issues at this junction but there are a large number of other important schemes that are also awaiting funding.”

Traffic engineers have altered the traffic light timings near the junction during the off-peak period and at school leaving times to allow traffic to pull out of Green Lane on to Otley Road.

The spokesman said: “The Variable Message Signs are used to inform the public about traffic congestion, accident or incident warnings, road closures and diversions, weather warnings and provide journey times. It is hoped that the signs will help ease traffic congestion in the district.