A request is to be made for a large part of Kirkby Stephen to be covered by a 20mph speed limit — but South Road would continue to be covered by the present limit of 30mph.
At a meeting of the town council on Tuesday, it was agreed that 20mph signs should be installed at the north side of Redmayne Road and just south of Brougham Lane on the A685, which will cover all of the middle portion of the town.
It is also envisaged that the 20mph zone would stretch up part of Nateby Road past the Crescent and also up Christian Head, providing extra protection for the town’s primary and secondary school pupils.
The meeting was told that Westmorland and Furness Council had made available £300,000 for 20mph speed limit restriction signs across the patch for any communities which would like to bid for them.
Every house in the town had a survey, seeking their views, delivered through their door and a total of 200 responses from residents had been received by the town council — of which 57 had been made online or by email — which represented a response rate of 29 per cent, the meeting was told.
Town councillor Phil Dew, who is also a Westmorland and Furness councillor, said the survey was very comprehensive and covered every residence and business in the town.
However, he said the 29 per cent response was not overwhelming and the result did not point clearly “for” or “against”.
“In my opinion there is no mandate to change the status quo. “
However, a compromise position was agreed for a 20mph limit on all the roads in the centre of town, where the mean speed was thought to be already in the region of 20mph.
“If the town council’s application is approved, the proposal will go through a statutory consultation process. People will be able to make representations and if the response is significantly negative it’s unlikely to gain approval,” said Mr Dew.
Town councillor Adrian Waite said: “I think the 29 per cent response is quite good — it is about the number of people who vote in local elections.
“I wouldn’t be too disappointed at that response, I am quite encouraged by it.”
