SPEEDING drivers are being targeted by a fed up Guiseley resident.

Thorpe Lane resident David Beckwith fears it is a matter of time before someone is seriously injured by a speeding driver.

And now, in a bid to force drivers to stick to the 30mph speed limit he has launched action group Guiseley Against Speed (GAS).

So far he has sent out more than leaflets calling for support and is planning a high profile sticker campaign.

Mr Beckwith, who has two young children and has lived on Thorpe Lane for seven years, said he feared a child would be knocked down before something was done.

He said: "30 mph is the maximum speed cars should be travelling at. Children cross the road to school and it feels like we are waiting for the inevitable to happen."

People are forced to walk in the road, because there is no footpath, and for legal reasons because there are lamp posts the only speed limit signs are at the junctions of Hawksworth Lane and Bradford Road.

The road is made even more dangerous because it is narrow and full of tight bends.

Mr Beckwith added: "You can tell people are travelling well in excess of 30mph and some of them as fast as 70mph, it's just a sport for them to see how fast they can go."

So far, Mr Beckwith has had a positive response to his leaflets and has won the backing of Aireborough MP Paul Truswell as well as Tranmere Park School.

He has also been given advice from organisers of a similar campaign in Ilkley, the Ilkley Community Against Speeding.

The next step is to get stickers produced which will be put in cars and on wheelie bins.

"With stickers on the side of every wheelie bin, then at least once or twice every week when the bins are put out it will be clear to motorists what the speed limit is," he said.

Aireborough MP Paul Truswell has already raised his concerns in the past with Leeds City Council about the likely impact on the road following plans to build a golf course at Thorpe Farm.

Now, he is giving GAS his wholehearted support.

He said: "Thorpe Lane is a nightmare. It is steep and narrow, with acute bends and no footway for most of its length.

"Recent and future developments will increase the amount of traffic. The proposed golf course would mean more cars going in and out of the Thorpe Farm site at what I regard as a highly dangerous access on a hairpin bend with poor sight lines."

In a letter to the city council, Mr Truswell has urged highways bosses to look carefully at the area.

Mr Beckwith added that all he wanted was for the council to look seriously at Thorpe Lane and accept there were problems.

"The council wants to encourage children to walk to school, but it's just not possible around here.

"The council and the police could do so much. I would like them just to show an interest in these issues. The council says it is not a site for concern, but the locals say it is," he said.

Mr Beckwith added he was also looking into a method adopted by other communities who worked with the police to get the use of hand held radar speed guns.

A spokesman for Leeds City Council said: "We apologise for the length of time it took to reply to Mr Beckwith. This was due to a staff shortage which consequently resulted in delayed correspondence with members of the public.

"We are continuously identifying areas of the city that are in greatest need of traffic calming measures.

"Such measures can only be recommended at locations where there is a problem of speed and volume of traffic and where a reduction of personal injury can be achieved.

"We have a database containing accident information detailing numbers, severity and location, and a ranking of areas requiring investigation.

"Although we fully appreciate Mr Beckwith's concerns, of the substantial number of sites identified in our 'Sites for Concern' framework, Thorpe Lane in Guiseley is not a priority case for traffic calming measures."