Residents of the Aire Valley believe better public transport would solve congestion in the traffic-choked area.

The call for better bus and rail services was a key finding of a series of consultation sessions designed to shape future transport policy.

Almost 300 people attended the events at Keighley, Bingley, Shipley, Heaton, Baildon, and Saltaire, where they were invited to pinpoint traffic blackspots and suggest possible remedies.

The top complaints were traffic congestion, a lack of cycle lanes, 'rat-running', pollution, and the need for better bus services.

A survey found buses running along the A650 were operating at just 17.6 per cent occupancy at the busiest time of day, and more than 80 per cent of cars contained only the driver.

The worst congestion blackspots in the Aire Valley were identified as the A650 in Saltaire, Bingley town centre and the village of Heaton.

But the majority of those who attended did not believe further road building would solve the existing problems. The most popular solution was improved public transport, followed by better traffic management.

An additional 133 comments forms were submitted by those who attended.

Jonathan Spruce, principal consultant for Oscar Faber who carried out the study, said there had been a good response to the consultation, but stressed it was only the first stage in a long process.

"It is fair to say that we were very pleased with the response to the consultation exercise. The feedback we had was very constructive and they saw it as a very positive exercise, which is the whole intention. We had almost 300 people in total attending and we have also consulted outside these events with 34 organisations or interest groups in the area."

Questionnaires are due to be sent in mid-April to around 70,000 households in the Aire Valley suggesting three broad transport strategies.