Bradford Council is moving ahead with plans to cut speed limits on a series of rural roads around Steeton and Silsden, in a bid to make conditions safer for people walking, cycling and living along the routes.
Changes at Redcar Lane, Whitley Head and surrounding roads form part of Bradford’s commitment to Vision Zero and the West Yorkshire Rural Speed Limit Review, developed in partnership with West Yorkshire Police’s Neighbourhood Policing Team.
Under the Redcar Lane/Whitley Head traffic calming scheme, the proposed speed limit changes are:
- Redcar Lane: reduction from 60mph (national speed limit) to 40mph
- Barrows Lane: reduction from 30mph to 20mph
- Blackhill Lane: reduction from 60mph (national speed limit) to 40mph
- Tarn Lane/Back Lane: reduction from 60mph (national speed limit) to 40mph
The scheme also includes traffic‑calming features through the 20mph section, including physical speed humps and speed cushions, aimed at supporting compliance with the new lower limits. The proposals have been through formal public consultation and are now progressing through the council’s decision‑making process.
Cllr Alex Ross‑Shaw, Regeneration, Planning and Transport Portfolio Holder, said: “These speed limit changes demonstrate Bradford’s proactive approach to addressing road safety on our rural routes. Too often, national speed limits on rural roads are not understood and do not reflect the actual conditions, the presence of residential properties, or the vulnerability of people walking and cycling. By working closely with West Yorkshire Police’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, we have identified locations where lower speed limits, combined with physical traffic calming, will make a real and measurable difference to community safety.”
The rural speed limit review sits within the Vision Zero Bradford (VZB) programme, which applies a Safe System approach across five pillars: Safe Roads and Roadsides, Safe Speeds, Safe Vehicles, Safe Road Use and Post‑Crash Care. The programme is guided by 17 Safety Performance Indicators tracking progress towards eliminating preventable road deaths and serious injuries by 2040.
The West Yorkshire Rural Speed Limit Review provides the strategic framework for assessing and revising speed limits on rural roads across the region. The Redcar Lane/Whitley Head scheme is one of the first practical outcomes of this collaborative approach.
Bradford Council says it continues to receive requests for further rural speed limit reductions. Each is assessed against the criteria in the Department for Transport’s guidance on Setting Local Speed Limits, with schemes that meet the thresholds added to the programme as funding allows.
