Viral Bradford zebra crossing to get traffic lights after campaign

Traffic lights are to be installed at a zebra crossing in West Yorkshire after it went viral on social media following a spate of crashes.

People living and working near the crossing on Horton Grange Road in Bradford previously told the BBC they witnessed near-misses "every day".

Local resident Tahir Zeb installed CCTV cameras to film accidents after fearing Bradford Council was not going to act.

The authority said the puffin crossing would be fitted in the coming months.

Mr Zeb had recorded CCTV footage of accidents over the last four years to provide proof of the dangers the crossing posed, with several instances of people being struck by cars.

In late 2022, his teenage nephew uploaded footage from the cameras to the TikTok social media app, where the video gained millions of views.

Mohammad Haleem (l) and Tahir Zeb say they have been lobbying the council for a signalled crossing for 10 years

Mr Zeb campaigned for traffic lights to be installed at the site, with Bradford Council previously stating the location was "awaiting funding" to be converted.

No-one pictured in the video above was seriously injured, according to residents who helped at the scene following the incidents.

Speaking about the news that traffic lights were finally going to be installed at the crossing, Mr Zeb described the move as like "winning the lottery".

"I'm very happy they've taken this really seriously and they're now going to do something about it," he said.

"We've been campaigning for 10 years for this. Now the council has taken all of this CCTV footage I've given them on board.

"It means safety for the kids. They'll now wait for a signal to let them know it's safe to cross," he said.

The crossing on the 30mph-limit Horton Grange Road in Bradford is located near two primary schools

Mohammad Haleem, who runs a nearby general store, previously took a petition to the council with hundreds of signatures during a "decade of campaigning".

He said: "It shouldn't have taken this much time. It has taken a lot of effort, with a lot of people being involved.

"The council know it was needed, but it should have been done well before."

Bradford Council said design work for the installation of traffic lights was under way after funding was secured for the scheme.

"We are pleased to say plans are now in place to convert the crossing to a signalled crossing," a council spokesperson said.

"We expect the new crossing to be working before the end of the financial year."