A woman who launched a road safety campaign after her horse was struck by a taxi is celebrating success with the planned introduction of tougher speed limits.

A total of £30,000 is being spent to slow cars down on three roads in Horsforth where residents have been plagued by speeding drivers, some of whom are rushing to reach the airport.

One of the roads earmarked for traffic-calming measures and a drop in the speed limit is Scotland Lane, where Carrie Emmerson’s horse Ellie was hit by a taxi last year.

Carrie said the incident, which made her horse lame and took her out of action for several months, came after a number of incidents involving taxis and HGVs.

Since then she has campaigned tirelessly with the support of Horsforth councillor Dawn Collins, organising a Facebook page to campaign to slow down drivers who treat Scotland Lane like a ‘racetrack’.

Carrie and Coun Collins organised a public meeting last year to allow local residents to talk to highway officials about their fears.

They argued that the volume and speed of traffic was putting lives at risk – in some cases mothers with pushchairs had narrowly avoided being hit by speeding traffic on the 30mph section of road coming into the town.

They said the 60mph limit heading towards the airport was too high for the road, which has blind corners.

Residents were encouraged to keep a record of serious incidents or near-misses in a bid to have safety measures implemented.

Carrie said: “Following the public meeting which Dawn and I arranged in September 2013 we have both campaigned tirelessly to get this passed.

“I created the Facebook group facebook.com/groups/1417459928469 576/ to keep local residents and supporters up to date on progress. Dawn and I continually spoke with Highways, reporting all incidents and near-misses to the appropriate authorities, from the local farmers who have an issue with taxi drivers using their driveways as toilets, speeding motorists, incidents with horses and cyclists.

“My aim was to always secure better signage, a speed reduction and an HGV restriction. I have been a very active campaigner for many years. It was only when Dawn Collins came on board that things have finally got moving.”

She praised Coun Collins for her ‘unrivalled’ support, dedication and hard work, and said the next stage is public consultation which she is co-ordinating with Coun Collins.

The money was approved by Leeds City Council’s Outer North West area committee and will be used for improvement on Bayton Lane, Brownberrie Lane and Scotland Lane.