BRADFORD Council will press ahead with plans for a 20mph zone and associated traffic calming measures for Ilkley, a senior councillor has said.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said he was confident it was the right scheme for Ilkley.

A Parish Poll carried out in Ilkley to gauge reaction to the planned 20mph speed reduction with road humps resulted in a resounding no, this week, with 4,148 of the town’s eligible 11,950 voters turning out to vote - 34.71 per cent.

When asked 'do you want a combined town wide 20mph zone with road humps? 3,606 people voted 'no'.

However, the poll is non-binding and Bradford Council has published an order comes into force on November 3, 2023 to enable the scheme to go ahead.

Cllr Ross-Shaw said he understand the strength of feeling of those who voted but added those voices had already been heard before the poll took place.

He said: "The improvement of road safety particularly for the most vulnerable road users - pedestrians and cyclists, has always been at the heart of the decisions on the 20mph zone and traffic calming measures for Ilkley. We understand the strength of feeling of those who have voted in this poll. Those voices had already been heard before the poll even took place. This is why the final signed off version of the scheme, is already substantially different from what has gone before and contains a large number of amendments, based on the feedback received.

“Ilkley has 636 streets and 257 of those will be within the boundary of the new 20mph zone. Of those 257 streets, only 12 will have traffic calming as part of the measures. These are streets mainly around schools and nurseries.

“20mph zones are proven to work in reducing both the number and severity of collisions, improving road safety for pedestrians and cyclists. We have already delivered similar schemes elsewhere in the district and thanks to the extensive local conversations we’ve had on this scheme, we’re confident that this is now the right scheme for Ilkley.”