Walkers who have to compete with traffic to cross a 'dangerous' road bridge are calling for safety measures.

Parents are having to take their children to school over a bridge with no pavement which means they could be at risk from cars crossing at the same time.

The pavement, which runs along Kirklands Road, Baildon, disappears for 20 yards as the narrow road bridge crosses the railway line.

Campaigners are calling for a new metal walkway to be attached to the outside of the existing stone bridge to allow pedestrians to cross in safety.

The route is well-used by parents walking their children to Hoyle Court Primary School, on Fyfe Grove. Resident Brian Griffiths, of Park Mount Avenue, said: "It's a narrow bridge with no footpath and at various times there are lots of mothers and kids going to school.

"Cars come whizzing down to the bridge, which is a real bottle neck. It's an accident waiting to happen.

"It's a stone-walled bridge, so it's a solid structure which couldn't be widened. The only solution is to build an additional metal framework alongside the bridge. It's only about 20 yards so it wouldn't be a massive undertaking."

Councillor John Cole (Lib Dem, Baildon) said: "People are concerned about safety and the problem has been raised twice in neighbourhood forums.

"I have written to ask if there's any chance of providing an additional footbridge."

Metro has written to Coun Cole saying pedestrian safety is more of an issue for Bradford Council. A Bradford Council spokesman said: "The Council is aware of the concerns of the local residents regarding Kirklands Road.

"However, it would be extremely difficult to construct a footpath within the bridge carriageway and too expensive to construct a footbridge over it.

"A priority traffic system has also been studied in the past to improve the situation for road users but this did not prove feasible."

Kirklands Road is on the Council's list of requested traffic improvement measures and the Shipley Area Committee will soon be considering the list to plan its future road safety programme.

l Meanwhile, a campaign to reopen a disused subway leading to Shipley railway station has been greeted with caution by two councillors.

The pedestrian tunnel between Shipley Railway Station and fields bordering Crag Road was sealed off a decade ago because of crime fears and vandalism, but some residents have called for it to be reopened. Councillor Phillip Thornton (Lab, Windhill & Wrose) said: "The issues that caused it to close in the first place need to be revisited. The problem is that subways are an area for crime and the last thing we want to do is introduce a new route that could be dangerous."

Councillor Tony Miller (Lab, Windhill & Wrose) said the subway was a frightening place shortly before its closure.