A councillor is demanding a pelican crossing to help hundreds of children cross a busy road where a lollipop woman was involved in an accident with a car.

Worth Valley Councillor Kris Hopkins wants the project to be part of Bradford Council plans to spend £800,000 on making Keighley town centre more pedestrian-friendly.

He is backed by St Anne's RC Junior School headteacher Catherine Goodridge whose pupils cross North Street with the help of crossing patrol Shirley Cutler.

Mrs Cutler spent two weeks off work recovering after her hand was struck by a car as she prepared to help youngsters cross the road.

At present, children cross half-way to a pedestrian refuge, but reaching the other side of one of Keighley's busiest roads is difficult.

Mrs Cutler, 37, of Pearl Street, Keighley, said: "I was on the cinema side of the road and stepped out. My hand was bruised and sore but not broken. It is a dangerous road to cross because it's very busy, especially with cars travelling into town."

Coun Hopkins, who serves on Bradford Council's transportation, planning and design committee, said: "The Council has a golden opportunity to include this much-needed road safety measure in the plan. The Council has no excuse not to act. Let's get it right before a major tragedy."

Mrs Goodridge said: "We feel very unhappy about the situation because North Street is treacherous to cross.

"Cars accelerate away from the traffic lights at the junction with Cavendish Street and they are going quite quickly when they reach the crossing.

"There's an island in the middle of the road but it is still difficult to cross. A pelican crossing would make it much safer for everyone."

City Hall is proposing a number of measures to improve traffic flow in Keighley town centre. They include:

Improvement of North Street/Bow Street junction.

Traffic signals at Cavendish Street/Lawkholme Crescent junction.

Easier crossing facilities in North Street and Cavendish Street.

Pedestrian crossing on Cavendish Street between Hanover Street and East Parade.

Traffic signals at Spring Gardens Lane/North Street junction.

Reduced lorry numbers on North Street and Cavendish Street.

Banned right turn from Alice Street.

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