Penrith pensioner Barbara Langley had no idea her protest against delivery vehicles mounting the kerb on the narrow road outside her home was going to deliver results quite as quickly as it did.
Barbara, 77, of Harrison Street, said: “I wrote a banner out, my husband got the plant pots out and we blocked the road.”
The banner said ‘please use an alternative route’.
She said: “If a DPD or an Amazon delivery van comes down our street, they come right on the pavement, right outside my door.
“Twice I have been quite seriously just missed, but five times I have had other smaller issues.”
Three years ago, she raised her concerns with Eden councillor Virginia Taylor who, along with Penrith county councillor Helen Fearon, took her case up.
In November, 2019, there was good news for Barbara as Cumbria County Council’s local committee for Eden agreed to create a one-way system along Harrison Street from Foster Street out on to Scotland Road — with the existing parking bays set to be removed.
However, the ensuing COVID-19 pandemic meant the work was delayed.
Barbara, who is married to 72-year-old Frank, a retired roofer, said: “I was so fed up of it I did a protest. I was just so mad, I decided to do it.”
She informed the police that she was going to sit protesting from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.
“While I’m doing it the phone rings and it’s Helen Fearon.
“She says she has got some really good news for me — I’m going to have a letter in the post and they are going to start to do the work on July 17,” said Barbara.
A police van pulled up, while Barbara was on the phone to Ms Fearon.
“She said don’t ring off, let me hear what they have to say and then spoke to the officer via my phone,” said Barbara.
Mrs Langley said she would like to thank both Ms Fearon and Ms Taylor, and all the neighbours who supported her, very much.
“It’s pensioner power — I am so relived,” she added.
On Monday, Barbara received a letter from Cumbria County Council’s Eden network manager, John Banks, in relation to concerns which had been raised through Ms Fearon regarding the delay in implementing the Foster Street -Harrison Street parking scheme.
“I can only apologise for the delay in undertaking of the actual implementation works on the ground,” he said.
The letter added that the signs were being manufactured and work on site was in the programme to start in the week beginning 19th July.
There have been issues with on-street parking and vehicular access in the Foster Street area for more than 40 years.
