New road markings in Guiseley are putting lives in danger, a local driving instructor has warned.

Ted Lester says the marking are already causing traffic delays and confusion. And he is arguing that the changes have increased the risk of accidents on the roads around the Yorkshire Rose pub.

“The Council have decided to re-mark the roads in such a way that it is causing Guiseley traffic to come to a standstill pretty much all the time,” he said.

“It is only a matter of time, I believe, before somebody gets seriously injured.”

He said part of the new system involves the creation of a cycle lane on the pavement – which he claims is unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians.

He said drivers coming down Park Lane were now confronted with changes to road markings, which meant they could no longer go straight on from the left-hand lane.

Mr Lester is arguing that because the road markings were not clear, drivers were continuing to carry straight on anyway, and that this was creating a serious hazard.

The driving instructor says the new markings have made traffic flow through Guiseley much worse, with cars queuing up to Hollins Hill and back to the White Cross.

“The traffic was never this bad before the Council decided to introduce these changes for no good reason,” he said.

“It is only a matter of time before a pedestrian gets knocked down or killed.”

“The Council has not thought about the ramifications of this road marking system,” he said. “Where does it say in the highway code that you can have a cycle lane on the pavement?”

He said many cyclists were not using the lane on the pavement, but were staying on the road – and that itself was causing a further hazard.

He stressed: “I am all in favour of getting people on their bikes – but not at the expense of someone’s life.”

A Council spokesman said: “To ensure cyclists are able to cycle safely along the A65, we have had to divert the cycle route around a new bus stop which was installed as part of a recent development. The shared pedestrian and cycle route is wide enough to accommodate both and will provide cyclists with an unbroken journey along this section of the A65.”