Proposed alterations to improve the flow of two-way traffic along Penrith’s Portland Place have been supported by town councillors.
As well as proposing to widen the carriageway between the junction with Stricklandgate and the entrance to the Eden District Council car park, the county council is planning is to reduce the length of the existing parking bay at the south end of Portland Place, by the Masonic Hall, by six metres — the equivalent of one parking space.
But Penrith Town Council’s planning committee chairman Scott Jackson said: “I would be interested if the county council would look at removing all parking on Portland Place in consultation with the residents and businesses and Eden District Council to see if parking could be offered for vehicles in the Drovers Lane car park behind the town hall.
“Because solving part of the problem, while nice, doesn’t stop that road being quite difficult to drive along,” said Mr Jackson, who added that in the future there could be a need for buses to go up there and having more space was always useful.
Ros Richardson, deputy town clerk, said in the longer term that was something that may well come forward as one of proposed implementations through the Penrith parking and movement study.
The town council’s planning committee also welcomed the proposal to make the junction at end of Inglewood Road to the south of Salkeld Road safer.
“The town council wrote to the county council last year to inform them of their concerns about the danger of this junction,” said Mr Jackson.
The proposal is to create a cul-de-sac, with vehicle access from Salkeld Road being maintained, but the junction with the A6 Scotland Road at the south end of Inglewood Road being closed to vehicles.
However, Mr Jackson added that councillors had expressed concerns that extra congestion may be an “unintended consequence” and they would like the county council’s highways team to provide some evidence of their calculations on how it would impact the junction.
“We have concerns that this is not future proof,” said Mr Jackson.
Hilary Snell said she thought that the flow of traffic needs to be considered a bit more, while Dave Knaggs said it would cause problems — both in the future and in the present.
