AN OTLEY resident is demanding road safety action to prevent ‘another tragedy’ on Bridge Street - 18 months after raising the issue.

Eighty five year old Bridget Curzon died in an accident involving a tipper truck at the road’s pedestrian crossing, near Cattle Market Street, on September 10.

Councillor Colin Campbell (Lib Dem, Otley & Yeadon) announced at the time that he would be asking for a road safety review.

Now an Otley householder, who asked not to be named, has described how she highlighted concerns about the crossing with Leeds City Council - via Otley’s then MP, Greg Mulholland - in March, 2017.

She said: “I had seen so many near-misses and was concerned that, at best, a rear-end shunt was likely and at worst a tragedy.

“I explained that while driving towards the river the view of the crossing is obscured by stationary traffic stopping on the Keep Clear markings - for safety’s sake, sensible motorists have to almost stop to check the crossing for pedestrians.

“Greg contacted Leeds and then sent me a copy of their reply.

“They said that the Keep Clear markings could not be changed to a yellow hatch box because ‘we are not able to put in yellow box markings at a junction where there are no traffic signals’.

“Have I missed something? The yellow box at the junction of Bridge Street and Courthouse Street is a junction without traffic signals, as is the junction on Kirkgate outside the church, which has a huge yellow box.

“I felt that I had been fobbed off, and hearing of Mrs Curzon’s death last month while I was away on holiday was very upsetting.

“Otley is becoming an increasingly dangerous place for pedestrians and complaining seems to have little effect.”

A Leeds City Council spokeswoman said: “Following the tragic incident last month we are reviewing the site and engaging with the police around safety concerns at this junction, and to better understand the facts behind this terrible incident.

“However, it remains the case that the junction is not a suitable site for yellow box markings and therefore we will look to explore other options that could work for the area.”

Cllr Campbell believes enforcement may hold the key.

He said: “In effect the keep clear space adjacent to the crossing has the same status as a box junction, in that you can be ticketed for stopping.

“I have asked for enforcement officers to visit, particularly at school times, more frequently and to enforce.”

Otley’s MP Alex Sobel (Lab, Leeds North West), meanwhile, is calling for a pelican crossing to be installed.

He said: “Mrs Curzon’s death was a tragedy. Once again I offer my deepest sympathies to her family and friends.

“As soon as I heard about the circumstances I wrote to Leeds City Council asking them to install a pelican crossing with fixed traffic lights, and to carry out an in-depth review into the overall safety of the road and junction.

“A number of constituents have written to me asking me to raise their concerns about the safety of the junction on Bridge Street and I will continue to campaign for the necessary improvements.

“I hope that by working together we can prevent a tragedy such as his from happening again.”