A COUNCILLOR believes most people were happy for there to be fewer cars on the road - as long as they get to keep driving theirs.

At a recent meeting of Bradford Council, members from different parties raised a number of motions relating to climate change, air quality and zero emission vehicles.

But one Councillor pointed out that while most people want fewer vehicles on the road and cleaner air, many are not willing to give up their own cars.

Motions raised at the full Council meeting last week included one by Adrian Naylor (Ind, Craven) calling for the Council to draw up plans “to ensure that all buses and taxis operating in the district are zero emission vehicles by 2025 or before.”

Councillor Kyle Green (Cons, Ilkley) proposed a motion calling for the Council to commit to installing more electric vehicle charging points and investing in cleaner transport systems.

And Councillor Kevin Warnes (Green, Shipley) suggested proposals to limit traffic outside schools in a bid to improve air quality.

At the start of the year Bradford Council voted to declare a “climate emergency” - agreeing to adopt tougher measures to tackle climate change.

But at last week’s meeting the Councillors putting forward the motions called for the Council to act much faster to deal with the issue.

Cllr Warnes said: “Why can’t Bradford be more radical? Why are we always lagging behind when we could be leading the way? We can’t afford to hang around.

“Air quality in Bradford is a disaster, and there are huge levels of traffic.”

He said he recently came across figures that show there are now 50 per cent more cars on the road than there were in 1994.

He added: “Most parents I speak to want to see fewer cars on the road.”

Councillor Alun Griffiths (Lib Dem, Idle and Thackley) is also a doctor. At the meeting he said: “I probably should declare a financial interest in this. The pollution caused by vehicles in the district has kept me in business for 30 years. It has had an appalling impact on the health of people in this district.

“People do want roads to be quieter, but that is because it makes it easier for them to get around. The fact is, most people want there to be fewer cars on the road ‘except me.’

“We have to create an atmosphere of encouraging people to get out of their cars.

“Remember, you’re not stuck in traffic, you are traffic.”

Councillor Alex Ross Shaw, Executive for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said there was “an element of playing catch up” but that work to cut emissions was going “further and faster than we’ve ever gone before.”

Claiming out that changes take time, he said: “It is not just saying we want to do it, it is about knowing we are able to do it.”