Residents in Castletown say the local roads in the community are a safety risk due to heavy goods vehicles ignoring a 7.5-tonne weight restriction on the residential roads.
The 7.5-tonne weight restriction runs from the Railway Bridge at the junction with Cromwell road and Brunswick road through to the junction with Gillwilly Industrial Estate, preventing vehicles over 7.5 tonnes from using the route unless they need access to a property within the weight restriction zone. Despite this, residents have reported regular breaches, with lorries and other large vehicles using the residential streets as a shortcut and to avoid congestion in and around Penrith.
Locals have now begun gathering photographic and video evidence, which has been passed to Cumbria Police and Westmorland & Furness Council. But some feel the council has failed to act. Promises of improved signage have not been delivered, and requests for a highways officer site meeting to discuss the situation have gone unanswered.
Police monitoring has recently increased following approaches to the Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner David Allen by some residents. Vehicles have recently been stopped including a council bin wagon on Norfolk Road using the route as a shortcut. Residents have secured one success with Stagecoach agreeing to stop using Norfolk Road for non-service buses travelling to the depo on the industrial estate.
Friday afternoons that regularly cause issues with traffic in and around Penrith have been described as another “nightmare” for the residents of Castletown, with traffic problems across the town leading to repeated breaches of the weight limit along Norfolk Road as drivers try to avoid the gridlocked traffic around town.
Former Penrith Town Councillor for the Penrith West Ward that includes Castletown and local resident, Jeff Thomson, said:
“The council weight restriction signage is inadequate. And, while principally through Councillor Mike Eyles, the council has said this will be improved, we have yet to see any new or better signs. On enforcement, any progress is due to the time and efforts of Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner David Allen. We (Castletown residents) now need a site meeting with Westmorland and Furness Council Highways, and Eden police, to get solutions.”
Penalties for breaching a 7.5-tonne weight restriction can involve fixed fines based on the degree of overloading, with amounts ranging from £100 for 10% or less over the limit to £300 for 15% or more over the limit, and potentially more serious court summons for significant breaches. The driver or company could also face prosecution, resulting in potentially unlimited fines, and can lead to Traffic Commissioner disciplinary action against the operator's license that could include revoking of an operator's license.
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