Ban on unauthorised car meets in Bradford extended
The order was first introduced in 2019 - and allows authorities to fine people for revving engines or attending car meetings
Last updated 6th Jun 2025
“HIGH performance cars with young drivers behind the wheel” is the main problem on Bradford’s roads, according to one Councillor.
Little Horton Councillor Taj Salam (Bradford Independent Group) raised the issue during a discussion on a public space protection order set up to tackle anti-social driving in the District.
On Thursday morning, members of Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee voted to extend the order for another three years.
It means drivers who are found revving engines, cat calling from their cars or attending unauthorised car meets can be hit with a fine – even if their acts aren’t actually illegal.
The order was first introduced in 2019, but only lasts for three years – meaning Councillors have to approve extending it every three years.
Police bosses had written to the Council to support the order, and at Thursday’s meeting members were told that the vast majority of the public who had responded to a public consultation on the order also wanted it to continue.
Michael Churley, Safer Communities Co-ordinator at Bradford Council, told members that 942 people had responded to the public consultation. He said: “The support for the order was overwhelming – 97 per cent agreed that this is a big problem in our District.
“62 per cent of the responses were from women, which indicates women feel less safe on our roads then men do.”
Coun Salam said he was surprised that 100 per cent of respondents didn’t want the order to continue.
He said details of the order, and the consequences of breaking it, needed to be better communicated, saying: “The issue is, people feel that they do what they’ve been doing for the past few years.
“The main problem we have on our roads is high performance cars with young drivers behind the wheel.
“If you have a lapse in concentration for a few seconds in these cars, that’s when people get injured, lose their life or injure others.
“This order is for mechanically propelled vehicles – but some are much more high performance than others.
“I cycle and the way people behave when they drive past me – I don’t want to be on the road.”
He said it was important that there were enough resources put into tackling anti-social and dangerous driving.
Mr Churley said: “Bradford is lucky to have the Steerside team – other areas of the country don’t have that. They are out every day seizing vehicles.”
Members voted to extend the PSPO until 2028.