Highways officers have been told to go back to the drawing board after councillors refused to back plans to improve safety at one of Bradford’s most confusing road junctions.
Bradford Council had proposed installing a pedestrian crossing on Thornton Road, close to its junction with Listerhills Road, alongside a series of traffic restrictions designed to prevent congestion once the new crossing is in place.
The changes proposed are as follows:
- The changes would see Double yellow lines introduced on both sides of a small stretch of Listerhills Road.
- No left turn from the main section of Listerhills Road on to Thornton Road.
- No left turn from Lower Grattan Road on to Thornton Road.
- Traffic heading into the city centre on Thornton Road will only be able to go ahead only, with no left or right turns on to the main section of Listerhills Road or Lower Grattan Road.
- To get onto Listerhills Road, drivers would have to use a smaller stretch of road on the other side of the “Listerhills Triangle.”
Following objections from a local business, the council had already removed one proposal that would have banned left turns from Lower Grattan Road onto Thornton Road before the plans were presented to Bradford West Area Committee.
However, after hearing concerns from councillors, the committee voted to send the proposals back to highways officers for further work instead of approving the scheme.
Cllr Carol Thirkill (Lab, Clayton and Fairweather Green) said the junction had long posed difficulties for pedestrians. She said: “Pedestrians just stand there forever, not knowing what to do.”
Highways engineer Andrew Smith told members the location had been “on our radar for a long, long time”.
While councillors agreed improvements were needed, several questioned whether the proposed restrictions struck the right balance between road safety and the impact on nearby businesses.
Cllr Nazam Azam (Lab, City) said: “Something needs to happen at this junction, what that something looks like I’m not sure.”
Cllr Melanie Milnes (Reform, Thornton and Allerton) added: “As councillors we are not here to say what we do and don’t want, we’re here to listen to the experts.”
The committee ultimately agreed to ask highways officers to reconsider the scheme and return with revised proposals, including any new traffic orders.
Members were warned that revisiting the plans could cost the council several thousand pounds because fresh public and business consultations would likely be required.
