Priority roadworks list to be drawn up for Keighley (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Priority roadworks list to be drawn up for Keighley

9:00am Wednesday 26th September 2012 in News

Fact-finding: Coun Steve Pullen

A councillor is going on a fact-finding walkabout to investigate which Keighley roads are most in need of repair.

Coun Steve Pullen will join a Bradford Council traffic engineer to check roads and pavements on the shortlist for possible funding.

He will report back to fellow members of the Council’s Keighley Area Committee so they can decide where to spend this year’s traffic management budget.

The committee has £27,000 to spend before next April, but has a list of potential schemes totalling £52,500 in Keighley, Ilkley and surrounding villages.

At its latest meeting, the committee called for further research to ensure the money was spent on schemes that provided the most benefit for local people.

The potential list includes parts of Skipton Road, Low Street, Spring Gardens Mount, Arncliffe Avenue and Lynwood Court , all in Keighley, and Providence Lane and Station Road in Oakworth .

Repairs could include footways, kerbs, highway drainage, potholes, patching or treatments to extend the lifespan of a road surface.

Committee members were told a key aim of the funding was to reduce the number of compensation claims made to the Council for issues such as people tripping on uneven pavements or damaging cars on potholed roads.

The repairs budget has been reduced significantly over the past three years, from a high of £800,000 to this year’s £125,000 for the whole district.

Keith Dredge, one of the committee members, said there was a limited budget for repairs and the work needed to be prioritised.

He said officers were drawing on the local knowledge of councillors in each ward when drawing up the recommended list.

Committee member Russell Brown said it made good sense for Coun Pullen to check out the potential locations, adding: “There's a lot to do and not a lot of money to do it with.”