A long-awaited safety scheme to protect pedestrians has been hit by another setback.
The project, which would create a continuous footpath along Sutton Lane between Eastburn and Sutton-in-Craven, has been delayed due to land negotiations.
Councillor Raph Cohn (Cons, Airedale) said: "This is a scheme residents in Eastburn have been promised for years, and every time we seem close to spades in the ground, another obstacle appears.
"People are being asked to walk along a road with no proper footway, and that is simply not safe.
"Our fear is that this latest setback means another long delay, and that safety improvements our community was promised will slip further out of reach."
The scheme is a joint effort between Bradford Council and North Yorkshire Council and aims to address safety concerns on a stretch of road where pedestrians currently walk in the carriageway alongside fast-moving vehicles.
Although earlier this year there was hope that work would soon begin, a recent update to Councillor George Buckley (Cons, Airedale) confirmed that land negotiations on the Bradford side of Sutton Lane have hit a significant obstacle.
One landowner, having given an initial verbal agreement, is now unwilling to sell the land needed to deliver the scheme.
Cllr Buckley said: "Residents have heard 'soon' too many times.
"We will keep pressing the council to get this scheme delivered, to be honest with the community about the timescales, and above all to make this road safe before there is another tragedy."
Alternative options are being explored to avoid a lengthy compulsory purchase order process.
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