Bradford Council to look at Ilkley parking problems
Bradford Council has undertaken a comprehensive study of the existing parking arrangements in Ilkley to try and solve long-standing issues with parking in the town.
The report states that the biggest issues caused by parking tend to be within 400 metres of Ilkley railway station, although not all the problems are caused by commuters, with many shoppers struggle to find a space and local residents are sometimes obstructed in their own street.
The study will be used to inform the Council’s short, medium and long term decision making around the management of both on-street and off-street, as well as residential parking.
Coun Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council's Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: "We recognise Ilkley has different issues compared with other parts of the Bradford district.
“Ilkley is a great tourist destination as well as a place where people live and work and because so many people make short journeys into town by car, parking is at a premium.
“We need to look at all the options and take into consideration the needs of commuters, shoppers, visitors and residents to arrive at a solution that suits the needs of Ilkley.
“We’re currently reviewing the recommendations in the report and will announce a way forward as soon as we can.”
In response Cllr Mark Stidworthy, Ilkley Parish Council Project Manager for Car Parking and Traffic, commented: "Ilkley Parish Council is delighted that the results of Bradford Council's car parking survey are now being actively discussed by the Council Executive, and we look forward to them becoming public.
Once concrete proposals are on the table, we look forward to working with Bradford to ensure that the current chronic problems of car parking in central Ilkley are addressed in a way that really does meet the needs of local residents, as promised."
A number of recommendations in the report are currently being considered by Bradford Council before the Executive decides on the way forward.