Shop owners fear drop in trade over bus lane plans

Fuad Akalach, 59, has run Bradford Antiques for the last four years

Businesses on a road in Bradford have said they fear plans to reduce traffic will affect trade and footfall.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has begun discussions around a proposal that would prevent cars from travelling north along Manningham Lane towards Shipley.

Drivers would instead be encouraged to use other surrounding roads to make room for a new bus lane.

Shop owners along the route told the BBC they "already" struggled to attract customers because of a lack of parking.

'Businesses will struggle'

Omair Ahmed, 40, is the director of Mr Ink, which sells business and education supplies and offers printing services.

He said: "If there's going to be a lot less traffic here, a lot of businesses will struggle."

He added: "The main issue we all have here is a lack of parking.

"If they are going to close access towards Queens Road from Manningham Lane, I think that lot of businesses around here would be affected.

"Already a lot of businesses don't last more than a few years on this road because of the footfall."

He said that although his shop had been on Manningham Lane for nearly 15 years, he had seen many others around him come and go.

Mr Ahmed added: "It's more of a concern for us to address the parking issue rather than the traffic coming here. "

Fuad Akalach, 59, who runs Bradford Antiques, said: "It will probably affect our businesses, because we already have problems with parking."

He added: "It's a big issue because there isn't much parking especially outside our shops, so that causes a bit of concern for us."

The new bus lane will be between Manningham Lane and the junction with Queens Road

Manningham councillor Muhammed Ali Islam criticised the proposals, and said they gave "very little consideration for all the businesses on Manningham Lane".

Mr Islam added: "The proposed measures divert a lot more traffic and congestion to other routes which are already gridlocked and heavily congested.

"It just shows they have not thought this through."

Another of the ward's councillors, Safina Kauser, was more positive about the plans.

She said: "I welcome any proposed investment and improvements in Manningham that help make our roads safer and improve public transport."

She said the consultation "is here to outline the scheme and hear people's feedback".

WYCA said the scheme aimed to make Manningham Lane "less car-dominated" while improving the reliability of buses, air quality and safety.

A public consultation on the Bradford to Shipley Road Improvement Scheme closes on Sunday 18 August.

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