Daniel Sencier, a resident of Penrith’s Queen Street, says one day he expects to see a car crash through the wall into his living room.
Although this may sound extreme, Daniel and other residents say drivers regularly speed along the narrow street, using it as a “rat run” on a daily basis.
The 69-year-old said he recently received paperwork from the DVLA requesting he reapplies for his licence when he is aged 70 — despite him not having had a road accident in 40 years.
“I totally get that, but why do I have to do that when 19 and 20-year-olds are using the street outside my house almost as a rally course. I go out sometimes and have to duck back in the door as they hurtle down from the town hall.
“They are driving around like lunatics and no-one is doing anything about it,” he said.
For years impatient drivers have used Queen Street to nip in front of cars queuing along Middlegate. Daniel says delivery drivers are often the worst culprits for this and regularly mount the kerbs in the street.
“It’s always been a problem but as people realise now they can get away with it people just do it because they never see a policeman. It’s just a general lawlessness, with people ignoring traffic rules.
“Once someone has been killed they will put a 20mph sign up because that’s how it works in this country.”
Fearing for pedestrians on the road, Daniel has approached Cumbria County Council, which is responsible for the highway, but described his approach as “a waste of time”.
He argues that the 30mph speed limit on Queen Street should be lowered to 20mph, with speed cameras installed to make drivers stick to the limit.
His calls for increased safety measures are supported by restaurant owner Roberto Duo, who has run the La Casita tapas restaurant in Queen Street since 2019.
He said he has had a number of near-misses as he stepped out of his door, including by vehicles being driven on the kerb to avoid parked cars on the opposite side.
He also confirmed problems with delivery vehicles which have repeatedly knocked off hanging baskets and the sign outside his restaurant. Only once has a driver stopped to apologise, with the majority time and time again leaving the restaurant owner to pick up the tab for the damage.
Roberto said along with changing the speed limit he thinks a weight limit should be imposed on Queen Street, to deter lorry drivers attempting to use it unnecessarily.
A spokesman for Cumbria County Council said: “We have received a request from Penrith Town Council to install a 20mph limit in Penrith, as well as a request for speed indicator devices to be considered at a number of locations within the town.
“Both of these requests are being progressed, and any concerns about road safety or highways defects should be reported to the council’s Highways Hotline on 0300 303 2992 or via the reporting system on the council website.”
Cumbria Road Safety Partnership’s working group — Casualty Reduction and Safer Highways (CRASH) — is attended by police, the county council, and others. The CRASH group arranges for traffic surveys to be undertaken to determine the current speeds and volume of vehicles at the locations of a complaint, and this data is studied alongside recent collision history to decide if changes are needed.
