A ROAD that some drivers use as an "F1" track will get new traffic calming measures - despite concerns raised by some residents.

Plans to install speed plateaus, speed cushions a new traffic island and hatching along the length of Hollingwood Lane were approved by the Bradford South Area Committee last week.

Members had heard that there had been 10 crashes on the road in recent years, two of which involved pedestrians, and a recent speed survey found over a third of drivers were breaking the speed limit.

But during the meeting members heard from residents of the street, who urged them to drop the plans.

Highways engineer Andrew Smith told members that there had been “historic concerns about speed and traffic” on the road, which links Great Horton Road and Clayton Road, and residents had regularly asked for some intervention to tackle the issue.

In the past five years there had been 10 car crashes recorded on the road, leading to 12 injuries.

A decision to install the traffic calming measures was made, and residents were consulted on the plans last year.

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A number of people had objected to the plans, claiming the measures could damage the cars of people who live on the street and have no choice but to use the road.

Farooq Ahmed spoke at the meeting to urge Councillors to re-think the plans.

He questioned what evidence there was that people had raised concerns about speeding on the road. Referring to claims that 32 per cent of cars on the road were found to be speeding, he said: “You can do a survey on any given road on any given day, and I’m sure the percentage will be higher than that.

“We live on this road - this will cause problems and damage our cars.”

Mr Smith said: “I don’t think we should just accept that people drive over the speed limit. It is unfortunate that we don’t always have any options to tackle speeding other than traffic calming.”

Another residents of the street, Zamir Hussain, said: “From what I’ve seen on the road once drivers turn off Hollybank Road they seem to become F1 drivers.

“A lot of residents think the same thing - I think this is much needed.

“Like a lot of towns and cities reckless driving is a cause for concerns. I don’t know what the solution is, but this will help on this road.”

Councillor Joanne Dodds (Lab, Great Horton) said: “It is a long road with a park and school on it. It must have been 10 years since we first discussed the problems on this road, and times have changed - there is now far more vehicles on the road.

“It is not just Hollingwood Lane - the top issue raised in Great Horton is speeding cars and poor driving standards. All the surveys confirm what people tell us, it can be like a race track day and night. I’ve seen it myself, it can be frightening.”

Councillor David Warburton (Lab, Wyke) said he used the road regularly, adding I think this will work really well, in 12 months we will see a dramatic difference on the road.”

Councillor Tariq Hussain (Lab, Great Horton) said: “I understand where the objectors are coming from, but I get lots and lots of calls about speeding on this road.”

Members voted to dismiss the objections and approve the traffic calming.