Long-awaited safety improvements are on the cards for a dangerous stretch of road near a village school.

Plans to create a new refuge island in Wilsden Road, Harden, have been given a warm welcome.

The £6,000 scheme, which would also include new hatching on the road, is part of a package of safety measures which are being recommended by Bradford Council's Shipley Area Panel.

Bradford Councillor Jim Flood (Lab, Bingley) today welcomed the proposal, which should make it easier for pupils from nearby Harden First School and elderly people to cross the busy road.

"The road rises as it leaves the village and then drops again and that is where it is most dangerous," he said. "The refuge island and hatching will be on that stretch between the school and the congregational church.

"I am delighted. This is a good example of how local people are being listened to and having their problems addressed."

The scheme is recommended for approval at the next meeting of Shipley Area Panel on March 31. However, even if the plan is given the go-ahead, the work will not begin for at least another year. The money, part of an allocation of £34,000 to be spent on minor works and road safety schemes, is not in the budget until the 1999/2000 financial year.

Harden Village Society Douglas Archer said residents had been fighting for improvements to that part of Wilsden Road for many years.

"It's a main crossing point to the school and the sighting is difficult because of parked cars and so on," he said.

Other safety schemes recommended for approval include West Lane, Baildon and Saltaire Road, Shipley.

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