Residents of Kirkby Stephen would be asked for their thoughts about the best way to mitigate congestion issues on the town’s South Road, as part of a proposed survey, a meeting heard.
Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron, speaking at a meeting of the town council via Zoom, addressed concerns which had been raised about the A685 becoming an official diversion route when work takes place on the A66
He proposed organising a survey, talking to residents and trying to establish a consensus about what should happen, with a view to making life more tolerable for residents — without jumping to conclusions about the best way to mitigate impact.
The meeting was told that current thinking included considering whether something could be done behind houses on the west to create residents’ parking; perhaps introducing a double yellow line on South Road; creating a priority give way zone in the middle section of South Road to widen and narrow walkways with marked residents’ parking; and moving the white line on to the pavement to create a passable carriageway.
It was felt that affordable and realistic solutions presented the best chance of success.
There was a possibility that the curb could be lowered, the meeting heard.
In addition, residents could perhaps be provided with residents-only parking off-site (nearby), with a specific look at how the residents of house numbers 92 to 100 could deal with small front yards.
John Murray, who represents Kirkby Stephen on Westmorland and Furness Council and is also a town councillor, noted that there was an opportunity through National Highways to unlock funding to address problems and make a lasting improvement.
However, the key question was whether residents would like any of the proposed solutions.
Mr Farron acknowledged that not being able to see their cars and parking a distance from home could cause inconvenience and anxiety for residents, but said this had to be balanced against the risk of damage to their vehicles parked on South Road. Additionally, planning issues would need to be resolved.
Safety was also said to be a potential issue if speed on this section of road increases owing to a reduction in the physical obstruction of parked cars.
Mr Farron said he wanted to consider asking highways to scope out practical solutions with a view to reporting back to the town council in summer.
It was proposed to explore these issues in a short survey distributed to residents and to make further inquiries regarding the availability of land for parking.
Mr Farron added that he felt there was an opportunity to use the temporary closure of the M6 and the work on the A66 as a negotiating tool with the highways authority and hopefully deliver lasting benefits to residents.
