'Bring back the traffic' say protesters

9:05am Wednesday 8th March 2006

TWO hundred riled residents called for Kendal's "preposterous" pedestrian-isation scheme to be withdrawn when they packed into the Town Hall on Friday night to tackle highways bosses.

The extraordinary meeting was called by Kendal Town Council, following a desperate plea by town centre traders, and saw members of the public address some of the key figures behind the town's "chaotic" new traffic system which is being implemented by contractors following a six-month trial.

For the full story, don�t miss The Westmorland Gazette on Friday.

As well as Mayor Geoff Cook and the majority of Kendal's town councillors, the lively meeting was attended by representatives of South Lakeland District Council and Cumbria County Council.

But the two main men in the firing line were CCC's head of highways Chris Wallace and area engineer for South Lakeland Nick Raymond, who members of the public angrily accused of letting the town down and implementing a different scheme to the one on which the residents had been consulted.

Pedestrians, motorists, disabled residents and town traders braved Friday's snow to hear how only two elements of CCC's original four-stage proposal (reversing the traffic flow on Lowther Street and introducing pedestrian priority on Stricklandgate) had been realised while plans to widen Miller Bridge to allow two-way traffic along Aynam Road as well as a proposed park-and-ride scheme had been shelved.

Arguing that they wanted the original scheme or nothing, those at the meeting raised a number of concerns from safety fears and a drop-off in town centre trade, to trouble with traffic lights and daily delays.

Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses in South Lakeland George Inchmore was one of many speakers applauded by the crowd.

He told the meeting: "We have been saying for the last five years that this scheme won't work. It's a shambles, it's a nightmare and it has got to stop."

Mr Raymond said that only two stages of the scheme had been implemented because of problems with planning permission for the bridge and finding a viable site for the park-and-ride. Mr Wallace also told the meeting the contract for the pedestrian zone could not be rescinded.

The situation will be discussed by members of CCC's Local Committee for South Lakeland when they meet on March 14. Coun Geoff Cook said he would inform members of the points raised.

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