Consultation under way for 28 new 20mph zones

More than a quarter of a million pounds of public money is being spent on proposals to create 28 new 20mph areas.

Popular Cumbrian tourist towns Ambleside and Bowness-on-Windermere, as well as a host of Lake District villages including Coniston, Glenridding and Patterdale could all see their speed limits reduced.

A series of public consultation meetings are set to take place as Westmorland and Furness Council offer residents the chance to share feedback on the plans.

The council said the schemes were put forward by parish and town councils and would only be introduced if wider support from residents could be demonstrated.

Cabinet member for highways, Peter Thornton, urged residents both for and against the 20mph plans "to participate in the consultation and share their views".

"This has been driven by community calls for lower speed limits in appropriate areas," he said.

"By reducing speed limits, we will not only improve safety, but encourage walking and cycling, contributing to a healthier, more sustainable environment."

The scheme will be funded by £300,000 from the Liberal Democrat-led council’s priority investment fund, which is ring-fenced to deliver local safety initiatives.

It comes after the council launched a new streamlined route last December to make it simpler for communities to submit requests for 20mph speed limits.

The proposed 20mph zones are broken up between the three former district council areas of Eden, Furness and South Lakeland.

• Eden: Askham, Crosby Ravensworth, Dufton, Kings Meaburn, Melmerby, Nenthead, Orton, Ousby, Glenridding and Patterdale, Ravenstonedale and Temple Sowerby.

• Furness: Hawcoat, Newbarns, Ormsgill, Roosecote, Walney North.

• South Lakeland: Gleaston, Allithwaite, Coniston, Oxenholme, Ambleside, Natland, Swarthmoor, Sedgwick, Great Urswick and Little Urswick and Bowness.

The consultation is open and will close on 18 October.

People can review the proposals and take part in the consultation online, while paper copies are available at libraries in Alston, Ambleside, Appleby, Barrow, Coniston, Grange, Kendal, Kirkby Stephen, Ormsgill, Penrith, Shap, Ulverston, Walney and Windermere.

Eleven drop-in events will take place around the Westmorland and Furness area from 17 September to 10 October, to allow people the chance to talk to the council’s traffic management team.

Details about the public events are available online.

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