Speed limits and better lighting on a section of Denton Road in Ilkley are being debated by town councillors in a bid to prevent accidents.

Although Bradford Council figures show only one accident was reported in recent years, Ilkley parish councillors fear the road needs better speed restrictions before a serious accident happens.

The parish council is considering making a bid for a 30 miles per hour speed limit and lighting on an current unlit section of the road, close to Ilkley Pool and Lido, and Ilkley Rugby Club. It plans to debate the issue at a future meeting.

The local council has been in talks with a Bradford Council senior engineer who is suggesting a 40mph limit and a ‘gateway’ on the road before motorists go from the national speed limit to the residential area.

Deputy clerk Jean Yule told the parish council on Monday that a Bradford Council officer believed the parish council is more likely to succeed in getting new restrictions if it opts for a 40mph zone leading into the 30mph area.

She said Bradford’s statistics also showed only one recorded accident, on a summer afternoon last year, when lighting was not an issue.

The parish council was also told that an application to fund lighting on Denton Road could be made to Bradford’s Keighley Area Committee.

Ilkley Parish Council chairman, Councillor Kate Brown, said both issues needed to be put on the agenda for a full council meeting.

However, Coun Mike Gibbons was concerned that the road would not get safety improvements until a serious accident had occurred.

He said: “I hear what they’re saying, but how often do we hear that something is an accident waiting to happen, or the saying ‘does it take an accident before something is done?’ We shouldn’t just take the fact that there have been no accidents for granted.”