It's awfully quiet in Rawdon. Too quiet, you might say.
The hum of traffic is audible in the rush-hour madness that descends on the A65 into Leeds, but that aside, little is happening.
That might be surprising, given today is the Guiseley and Rawdon by-election.
The ballot boxes have been dusted off from the May General Election to vote in a third councillor vacated by the resignation of Stuart Andrew, who was sworn in as the Conservative MP for Pudsey.
The winner will join Tory husband-and-wife pair Graham and Pat Latty on Leeds City Council, however few seem to be roused by the battle between Paul Wadsworth (Con), Mike King (Lab) and Cindy Cleasby (Lib Dem).
Low footfall in Rawdon
Footfall in and around the village's polling stations has been incredibly low. Few of the mums and dads in the school-run congestion are stopping off to cast their vote.
The first person I bump into is Jean Mitchell of Harrogate Road, who is walking her Norfolk Terrier, Holly, on the green space near Benton Park School.
She would be voting, she said, but had doubts over the level of interest in the election. She said:
"They (the candidates) all say they're going to work wonders, don't they?"
It seems a fair point as slowly but surely more Rawdon folk venture to start their day.
Wonders would be the bare minimum needed from the elected candidate given the range of issues voters tell me about: anti-social behaviour, library closures, congestion, housing. Rawdon isn't as quiet as one might think.
"If the library went I'd be sick about it, a lot elderly people use it," says Mrs Cashmore as she waits with her husband for the bus.
"But it's not a bad place to live" adds Mr Cashmore. Would he be voting? "I might vote when I get home...we'll see."
'People won't make the effort'
Carol Healeas emerges from her Larkfield Mount home to head for the polls. She was helped by Stuart Andrew with a parking problem for her disabled husband when he was a councillor and is grateful for the support.
But her knowledge of a councillor's work may not be recognised by others:
"To be honest, I don't think many people will bother. It's only for the council so people won't make the effort."
Others are more certain in the use of their vote. Andrew Thompson, 31, cast his at Rawdon Boat club:
"I voted for the best person who I think is going to do best for the area, looking after local issues like the library and roads. It's important people use their vote."
Some punters are using their chance to vote on national issues. With the Coalition lining up their announcement on spending cuts next Wednesday, Mrs Alford has changed her voting preference from May's General Election.
Waiting for the number 97 bus into Yeadon, gossip is circulating around the stop.
"The hearsay is they're going to cut winter fuel allowance and that's important to us all," Mrs Alford says. "It'd hit us in terms of heat and money."
Tonight's winner could do to sort out the late-running buses, too, she said: "There are three an hour but some don't come. It's vital. We'd like them to stand up for things like that."
Rawdon Library closure fears
Her friend Mrs Lakey chips in with yet more concerns about the potential closure of Rawdon library:
"I hope they don't let the library go, a lot of people use it. It's handy and on people's doorstep. But people like us don't have a say – what can you do?"
Others are also using their vote to send a message to the Coalition.
One single mum – who wished not be named – was grateful to be asked. "You've just reminded me I need to vote," she quips, before adding:
"It'll send a message. I do think the child benefit proposal is unfair and I disagree. I could lose up to a £1,000 a year. I'd have earn two grand more to cover it as a single parent.
"It hasn't changed my vote, but doesn't mean I'm happy about it! You've got to look at the grander scheme of things."
How loud that message will be remains to be seen. "I was the only one in there," said 74-year-old James Hudson, of Guiseley's Nursery Road as he left the Guiseley Infant School polling station. "Maybe it's because it's a horrible day."
Searching for positives?
Presiding Officer Adele Blacklock said she'd had around 30 voters by 10:20pm. Perhaps being in situ while 10pm tonight – when the polls close – means she is searching for positives.
"It's a little bit below what we'd expect," she confides. "It should pick up around teatime. A lot of people have used postal vote."
The streets may be quiet at the moment, but for tonight's winner, the silence may soon turn out to be deafening.
Guest blogger Danny Wright is a student at Trinity College in Horsforth.
What do you think? Have your say in the comments section below.
