A call has been made for 20mph speed limits to be introduced in all Penrith residential areas to stop the town’s streets from being used as race tracks.
Jonathan Davies told a meeting of Penrith Town Council’s planning committee there was a growing issue of people using the various streets in Castletown as “race tracks”.
“Residents are getting increasingly concerned about children playing in the area and the great risk of somebody being knocked down before long,” said Mr Davies.
He said residents of Castletown want visible road signs to alert motorists to the fact that children play in the area. And, in addition, there was a need for more street lighting, which was said to be quite an issue — especially on dark nights.
“Vehicles are flying around and not seeing pedestrians when they are crossing the road at times,” said Mr Davies.
He added that residents were also asking about the possibility of traffic calming measures, like speed bumps, although it was noted that they can have a negative impact with an increase in noise.
The meeting was told that speeding was not just an issue in Castletown, but was a problem right across the town, and Mr Davies asked about the possibility of putting a proposal to the county council for a 20mph limit in all residential streets in Penrith.
“I know they are looking at it in other parts of Cumbria,” said Mr Davies, who also asked about the possibility of encouraging more community Speedwatch projects, including unstaffed Speedwatch cameras, to develop in Penrith.
Deputy town clerk Ros Richardson said over the last year a number of issues about speeding and traffic issues across the town had been reported and they had all been passed on to police and the county council’s highways officers who discuss them at regular multi-agency casualty reduction and safer highways meetings.
Charlie Shepherd, deputy chairman of the town council’s planning committee, said he very much supports the suggestion to push for 20mph restricted speed limits in all of the town’s residential streets.
Hilary Snell said she thought a reduction in speed limits was a good idea, however, she said unless they were policed and people were followed up if they continue to speed, she did not think that would prevent speeding.
Committee chairman Scott Jackson proposed that the town council should lobby the county council to expand 20mph restrictions in Penrith where appropriate and urged residents to continue to report issues to help build up the evidence base needed for resources to be allocated.
