Key takeaways:
- The restriction starts on 5 October 2026
- It covers 224 entries in Bradford Council’s road schedule
- Local deliveries and collections will remain permitted
- Through-HGVs face a 22km alternative route via Skipton
- Silsden Town Council has committed £33,900 towards the legal process and signage
Bradford Council formally made the traffic order on 11 August. According to the statutory notice, it introduces a “prohibition of driving” for vehicles over 7.5 tonnes across a large zone incorporating Silsden and surrounding roads.
The schedule contains 224 road entries, although several cover only specified sections rather than the road’s entire length. Among the principal routes affected are Keighley Road, Skipton Road, Bolton Road, Bridge Street, Kirkgate and parts of Silsden Road.
The zone extends beyond the immediate town centre. Bradford Council describes its boundaries as the A629, the A65 Addingham–Wharfedale Road, the North Yorkshire boundary and Ilkley Moor.
Local deliveries will still be allowed
The measure is an access restriction rather than an absolute HGV ban. Vehicles exceeding 7.5 tonnes will still be able to enter if their destination is within the restricted area, allowing businesses, construction sites and residents to continue receiving deliveries and collections.
However, HGVs will no longer be permitted to use Silsden as a through-route between Keighley and Ilkley or other destinations in Wharfedale.
Bradford Council says the principal alternative will be a 22km route using the A629, A59 and A65 via Skipton. Its formal statement of reasons also identifies an alternative via Bradford, using the A629, A650 and A658.
Operators travelling through this part of West Yorkshire will therefore need to review routing instructions and update any commercial navigation systems before the restriction takes effect.
Narrow roads and parked vehicles blamed for congestion
The decision follows several years of local pressure over HGVs passing through Silsden.
In its original decision approving the scheme, Bradford Council said the high number of HGVs using the town was contributing to congestion. It identified the narrow geometry of the A6034 and parked vehicles as particular problems, making it difficult for large vehicles to pass at several pinch points.
The council also cited noise, vibration and air pollution, arguing that congestion and stop-start traffic were reducing free-flow conditions in the town centre.
Its formal justification states that the restriction is intended to protect the character of the roads and adjoining properties, prevent damage, improve local amenities and reduce danger to people and other traffic.
Town council committed almost £34,000
Silsden Town Council has made a substantial financial contribution to the measure.
Bradford Council’s 2024 decision records that the town council supplied £7,500 to fund the traffic-order process. Minutes from a Silsden Town Council meeting in September 2025 show that councillors subsequently approved up to £26,400 for the signs required to implement the restriction.
The council’s February 2026 accounts record the £26,400 payment to Bradford Council. This brings the documented town council contribution to £33,900.
The campaign can be traced back to at least 2023. Minutes from that period show that councillors had repeatedly requested restrictions on HGVs travelling through the town. They were warned at the time that the initial £7,500 payment would not guarantee approval and that any eventual measure could prevent through-traffic only, while preserving access for local deliveries.
The published order does not explain how Bradford Council intends to enforce the new restriction. Drivers and operators will nevertheless need to be able to demonstrate that they are making a legitimate delivery or collection within the zone if their route takes them beyond the new 7.5-tonne signs.
