MEASURES to speed up journeys from Keighley bus station have been introduced.

Buses travelling towards Bradford and Leeds can now exit along Cooke Street and turn right into Cavendish Street.

The drive between the town hall square and Santander bank has been made possible by an emergency exit of vehicles from the bus station.

Until now all buses had to leave by the top exit and emerge onto congested North Street using the special set of traffic lights.

This regularly meant several minutes of delay as buses got stuck in heavy traffic using the North Street/Cavendish Street junction.

Bus operator The Keighley Bus Company believes the new route could take up to five minutes off journey times during the busiest periods.

The faster exit is the result of a joint project between the bus company, Bradford Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

The effect of the change will be monitored for six months to see whether the expected improvements are delivered.

The project is designed to complement other on-going minor traffic improvement works around the town centre and alterations to the North and Cavendish Street junctions that are planned for construction later this year.

Cllr Alex Ross-Shaw, the council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, welcomed the change.

He said: “This is just one of the many incremental improvements to traffic flow for Keighley town centre which taken together we hope will make a significant difference in reducing traffic congestion in the long-term.

“Not only is this good news for travellers, it is also good for economic activity and improving air quality by reducing harmful vehicle emissions."

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Alex Hornby, chief executive officer at Transdev, owner of The Keighley Bus Company, said it made “perfect sense” to continue constructive dialogue with local authority colleagues.

He added: “We are addressing our customers’ number one demand of punctuality and deliver traffic flow improvements which will bring all round benefits to the economy of Keighley.

“This will allow us to speed up journey times, which is good news for our team, our customers and those who visit, live and work in the town.”

A West Yorkshire Combined Authority spokesman said the organisation was approached by the bus company to facilitate the opening of the Cooke Street entrance.

He said: “We are pleased that the work has been completed and that a number of buses are now operating out of the Cooke Street exit.”