A MOTORIST who mounted a traffic island to drive through a red light is the “selfish and arrogant” type of driver police are trying to eradicate from Bradford’s roads, say police.

The driver of a Ford Mondeo was caught on another motorist’s dash-cam in Canterbury Avenue, Little Horton.

The driver can then be seen bullying their way into moving traffic on Little Horton Lane and disappearing into the distance.

Sergeant Cameron Buchan, who is leading the Operation Steerside police crackdown on dangerous drivers in the Bradford district, said: “This is exactly what we are tackling – this selfish, lack-of-thought type of driving.

“It is an ‘I am in a rush, I have things to do, I am more important than other motorists’ attitude. It is that attitude we are tackling.

“That is probably the root cause of the problem – that attitude. We are tackling Bradford’s issue with that particular attitude. It is selfish, it is arrogant.

“That is what Steerside was born out of.”

The motorist whose camera caught the offence said: “The clip shows a silver Mondeo pulling alongside us at the lights on our right.

“He then mounts the traffic island to pass the car at the head of the queue and goes through a red light into moving traffic coming up Little Horton Lane.”

A police spokesman said the Mondeo featured in the clip had no current keeper or insurance. He added that its number plate would be placed on the Automatic Number Plate Recognition database for officers to keep an eye out for it.

Sgt Buchan also quashed suggestions from some quarters that Steerside was just a PR exercise.

“It is certainly not propaganda,” he said. “We have been doing this for over six months now.

“If anyone out there thinks it is just empty propaganda, they are just saying that for something to say. “It is not propaganda – it is action.”

He added: “The problem is there. We are not just giving it lip service – we are doing something about it.

“We are backing up our rhetoric with action every day, day-in day-out.

“We are out there doing it. People are seeing us and people are commenting on it and the vast majority are positive.

“What we are doing is over and above our core policing duties. We have to prioritise. We only have a finite amount of staff.

“We cannot be everywhere at all times. And that is where the public come in. They are our eyes and ears because we cannot be everywhere.

“That is a lifeblood of the police – working with the public and for the public.”

A total of 4,225 drivers have been caught by Steerside officers since the operation started in February. Last week, 115 were snared.

Two more drivers caught by Operation Steerside officers have appeared in court.

Michael Standing and Mohammed Sarfraz each received a ban after being caught travelling at 63mph in a 30mph zone on Rooley Lane, Bradford. Both were caught at separate times on May 5 this year.

Standing, 28, of Wrose Road, Shipley, was banned from driving for six months. He was also fined £440 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £44 victim surcharge.

Sarfraz, 31, of Moorville Avenue, Bradford Moor, was banned from driving for 49 days. He was fined £350 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £35 victim surcharge.