A KEIGHLEY councillor has described cycle lanes in the town as the worst he has ever come across.

And the lanes in North Street were particularly singled out for criticism when members of Bradford Council’s Keighley Area Committee discussed road safety at its latest meeting.

The committee was being presented with an annual report on casualty figures and the work being done to make the district's roads safer.

Members were told that, overall, there had been a steady decrease in the number of people injured in crashes in Bradford district.

Last year there were 1,291 casualties on Bradford’s roads, down from 1,366 the previous year and from 1,966 in 2012.

They included 242 pedestrians and 812 car occupants.

The figures were discussed at the meeting in Keighley Town Hall, and the issue of cycling safety was raised by members.

Keighley West councillor Paul Godwin pointed out that the number of cyclists injured in collisions was still relatively high – 102 cyclists were injured last year.

Although there was a general fall in recent years, it is only down from 122 in 2012.

He said: “We have a problem and there is no real evidence it is getting better.

“There was recently some criticism in a national survey saying the UK doesn’t have adequate cycle facilities on our roads.

“The cycle infrastructure in Keighley is some of the worst I’ve come across. The cycling routes on North Street in particular are something we need to address.”

He said some cycle lanes in the town came to an abrupt end at pedestrian crossings, while others are regularly blocked by parked cars.

Cycle lanes in North Street, one of Keighley’s busiest roads, are just painted on, and in some areas require cyclists to ride between two lanes of traffic.

Worth Valley councillor Russell Brown said that when cycle lanes were merely painted on, rather than segregated, motorists felt they could drive “right up” to cyclists.

He added: “That is something we may need to think about over the next couple of years.”

Members were told that work would start in the coming weeks to educate motorists about the need to give cyclists enough space, with West Yorkshire Police bringing its “safe pass” campaign to Bradford.

Sue Snoddy, team leader for road safety at Bradford Council, told members that council officers and police work with schools to provide road safety advice to children.

This included theatre productions and workshops on the issue of road safety. There is particular focus on delivering programmes to 11-year-old children, who become more independent and are more likely to travel to school on their own as they leave primary and enter secondary education.

The report into road safety is being presented to each of the district’s five area committees.