ALMOST two years to the day since a road accident on the Addingham bypass claimed the life of a schoolgirl, highway and lighting engineers have agreed to fit lights on two bus stops.

Amy Howard, 12, was killed when she was hit by a car on the section of the bypass between the Silsden Road roundabout and Chelker Reservoir on December 4, 2006.

The Skipton Girls’ High School pupil had just got off a bus on the bypass and was making her way home to Crossbank Road when she was hit by a Honda CRV, driven by a 42-year-old woman.

An inquest into Amy’s death heard that the area was not illuminated and was extremely dark at the time of the accident.

This prompted Bradford Coroner Roger Whittaker and road safety campaigners to call for lighting to be installed in the area around the bus stops.

Initially the remoteness of the scene ruled out lighting because there were no electricity cables in the area, but highway and lighting officials then came up with an idea to use solar panels.

This week, a spokesman for Bradford Council said that the lighting columns would be put up at the bus stops, a few hundred yards away from the roundabout, by Christmas. The actual lights would then be installed and activated as soon as possible after that.

Other road safety improvements including a reduction of the speed limit to 50mph near the bypass junction with Main Street are expected to be implemented next year.

Addingham councillor Michael Kelly was delighted with the news about the bus stop lights.

Coun Kelly, head of services to young people at City Hall, has campaigned for a reduction in speed limits near the Silsden Road roundabout because pedestrians cannot see over it when fast vehicles are approaching.

He said: “It is particularly encouraging if we are going to have it before Christmas because we really do have dark nights now.

“It will no doubt make it safer for pedestrians and bus users to cross that particular section of the road in the future. I could not be more delighted. That is tremendous news.”

As far as the speed limit reduction is concerned, Coun Kelly said: “That has all be agreed in principle – I look forward to the time when it comes through to the area committee.

“We want that sooner rather than later but we have to wait till the process takes its time.”