AN ONLINE petition is calling for a range of road safety measures to be introduced on Otley's Weston estate.

Resident Gareth Dibble has launched the initiative, via the 38 Degrees website, in response to concerns about cars and bikes speeding in the area.

As reported recently, most of Otley's residential roads now have a 20mph limit following a long-running campaign by ward Councillor Colin Campbell (Lib Dem, Otley & Yeadon).

But the Ashfield area still does not have the new lower limit - so Mr Dibble has named his petition 20mph Speed Limits and Traffic Control on Weston Estate.

It says: "Traffic calming measures such as chicanes and so on are needed to control the amount of speeding drivers.

"We need to bring the 20mph zones to a part of Otley that has so many young families, along with traffic calming measures and (to receive) assurances from local police that they will also work alongside the council.

"The rest of Otley has the 20mph zones so it's time to bring the whole of Ashfield in line...let's not let it take a serious accident."

Mr Dibble, who is a member of Otley Lions, said: "The online petition is going well and with the help of a local Green Party Town Councillor we also intend to get parents from Ashfield Primary School to sign.

"I know the local and city council have backed the idea to get this into Weston estate, but I have been told that highways say it has been an issue of cost."

Coun Campbell (Lib Dem, Otley & Yeadon), meanwhile, said progress was being made in securing the necessary funding to press ahead with the move.

He said: "My colleagues and I have been campaigning for some time to have all the residential streets in Otley and Yeadon covered by a 20mph limit.

"It has not been something that the Highways department in Leeds have been willing to fund and the works that have taken place are as a result of the ward councillors finding funds from other sources.

"It has always been our intention to push for all of Otley to be covered, but works have had to be phased to match the availability of funding.

"I am pleased to say we have now got this important safety measure introduced on three quarters of Otley’s streets.

"However, this still leaves the Ashfield area.

"We have already had discussions with Highways about introducing a scheme there and we are in the process of pulling together funding from a number of sources to pay for what will be an expensive project.

"When we have a bit more clarity on where we can find the money we will be consulting local residents."