Call for action to stop road being used as a rat-run (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Call for action to stop road being used as a rat-run

Residents are calling for traffic-calming measures on a stretch of road above Crossflatts where they say "an accident is waiting to happen".

Greenhill Lane and Sty Lane, Micklethwaite, have been closed from Micklethwaite Lane and the end of Lady Lane since a retaining wall collapsed, spilling tonnes of stone and earth next to a house in Greenhill Lane in September.

But residents say the closure has given respite from heavy lorries and speeding cars.

Every resident in Greenhill Lane has now signed a petition to Bradford Council calling for the road to be restricted to access for residents only when it does re-open.

Leonard Thring, whose garden was affected by the wall collapse, said: "We are relieved the road is closed because of heavy lorries which go down a very narrow and dangerous bend. The road was never designed for lorries carrying such heavy loads."

The 75-year old retired Royal Navy warrant officer added: "I asked the highways department about two years ago for speed and weight restrictions and I was told that it was not viable."

Residents fear the wall collapsed because of the pressure on the road from heavy goods vehicles.

Richard Kunz, 37, who organised the petition, said: "It is a very steep, narrow, blind-cornered road. There have been accidents on that corner and cars cannot pass at that point.

"There have been some complaints about it being closed but these have been from people who use it as a thoroughfare.

"The road used to be access-only for residents and we would like to see this again. The road itself is just not suitable for through traffic."

Another neighbour, Victoria Dowd, said: "This road is a nightmare because it's used as a rat-run.

"We were delighted when it was closed." The 38-year-old mother of two added: "I walk my children, aged four and seven, to school. The footpath is pretty narrow and we have to go single-file and cars go flying past.

"Even though the Bingley bypass has opened we still have a rush-hour here during the morning and evening. We think nothing will get done unless there's an accident."

Drivers are being diverted via Bingley and East Morton from Micklethwaite Lane until repairs to the wall are completed, which is expected to be in February.

Andrew Parkin, the council's principal engineer for highway structures, apologised for any inconvenience.

He said: "Unfortunately, this is emergency work which is proving to be a very complex engineering problem to solve.

"The area where the wall collapsed is on a very steep incline and on the approach to a very tight, narrow bend.

This, coupled with the poor ground conditions and the closeness of utility mains, means it is a very delicate operation and safety is of the upmost importance.

"We believe the cause of the collapse is a combination of the underlying ground conditions, the age of the wall and groundwater.

Heavy goods vehicles might also have contributed."

Engineers are looking to use a technique called "soil nailing", where steel anchors up to ten metres long are driven into the ground and fixed with concrete. These will be used to anchor a new retaining wall which will support Greenhill Lane.

Mr Parkin said: "Construction is expected to start in the New Year and we hope to be able to re-open the road by the end of February.

"We are now investigating traffic-calming for the road and will inform residents of our findings in due course."