IMPROVEMENTS to Keighley's traffic-clogged Hard Ings Road have been on the agenda for more years than most people would care to remember.

News that public consultation is at last to begin will be welcomed by many.

The wheels are now firmly in motion, unlike those on the vehicles of countless motorists who use the route at peak times.

It's still beyond comprehension why that section of road wasn't upgraded when dual carriageway was built at either end of it – the consequences of not doing so should have been obvious – but that is now in the past.

This scheme on its own isn't going to solve Keighley's traffic turmoil. Action is still needed on routes around the town centre, but it's part of the bigger picture.