Calls to make safety improvements on A590 to stop ‘heartbreaking …
The MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale said he was ‘determined’ to secure a roundabout at Gilpin Bridge.
In recent years there have been numerous accidents at that junction. In 2021, four people were seriously injured in a crash involving a car and a cement lorry, and in a separate incident, an 80-year-old cyclist was tragically killed.
Mr Farron said: “The A590 is such an important road for South Cumbria but too often we see tragic and heartbreaking accidents.
“Working with local councillors and parish councils we’ve recently managed to secure safety improvements around the Haverthwaite and Newby Bridge area of the road.
“I am determined to work with local councillors and residents to secure a roundabout at Gilpin Bridge so we can make this vital road safer for everyone.”
Councillor Janet Battye (Levens and Crooklands, Lib Dems) previously urged National Highways to carry out ‘significant work’ to the road at Gilpin Bridge.
Cllr Battye brought the issue up at a meeting of the Highways and Transport Strategic Board for Westmorland and Furness Council and the authority pledged to hold a meeting with National Highways to discuss the issue.
She said after the meeting: “What we want to see is some significant work done to it, probably a roundabout where the Lyth Valley Road, the A5074, joins the A590 to make it safer for people to come on and off of the A590 and if they do that at the same time they will be looking at crossover points hopefully for Levens to make it safer for people to get on and off the A590.
“The A590 is the only way to Barrow[1], but with the combination of business traffic, holidaymakers and local traffic, if anything happens on that road, everything stops.”
There is a working group that discusses the issue consisting of representatives from the parish council, Westmorland and Furness Council as well as the council’s highways officers and National Highways.
Cllr Battye said: “In the most recent meeting, what they seemed to be telling us is this is not a priority for National Highways and that is what I was raising at the highways and transport strategic board meeting because obviously we are very disappointed with that.
“Every year there are accidents in that area. I said to National Highways when we were in that last meeting you’re lucky there’s not a crashed car by the roundabout when you came in as there often is.”
National Highways said it was currently carrying out a £900,000 project to improve safety on the A590 between Greenodd and Newby Bridge.
A spokesperson for National Highways said: “The safety of road users and people living alongside our roads is our priority. We routinely review the operation of our major A roads and motorways to ensure they are operating as safely as possible.
“We are committed to involving local people in that process and have a track record of improving safety along the route with recent examples including the £10 million Cross-a-Moor project – during which we replaced the staggered junction with a roundabout – and our ongoing £900,000 package of safety improvements between Greenodd and Newby Bridge.
“We will continue to listen and review the safety of the A590 and look for opportunities to make improvements in the next 2025 to 2030 Road Investment Strategy (RIS) period.”