After more than two years of campaigning and repeated reports of heavy goods vehicles ignoring weight restrictions, new road signage has finally been installed on one of Penrith's busiest routes through a residential area.
The B5288, running from Cromwell Road and Brunswick Road over the railway bridge through Castletown to the Gilwilly roundabout, has a 7.5-tonne weight restriction, with access permitted for vehicles above that limit.
But residents have raised concerns for years about heavy vehicles regularly using the route despite the restrictions, warning of the dangers posed to pedestrians and other road users.
Castletown resident and former independent Penrith Town Councillor for the West Ward, Jeff Thomson, has been among those leading calls for action, alongside Cumbria's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen.
Thomson said: "The road is designated as 7.5ton access only, but that restriction is breached daily.
"We have been lobbying Westmorland and Furness Council Highways to make the weight limit signage clearer to give drivers better notice, and now after over two years the council has eventually done what we have been asking for."
The campaign has also seen David Allen working with sat nav companies and businesses on the Gilwilly Industrial Estate to encourage drivers to use alternative routes rather than travelling through Castletown.
Cumbria Police has also been involved, with officers from the Eden Neighbourhood Policing Team carrying out vehicle checks and, in some cases, issuing enforcement notices to drivers.
David Allen said: "I was first contacted about this issue not long after I took up office. I have listened to, and worked with, local residents to establish the scale of the problem and have worked with sat nav companies re-routing, local firms to ensure that they use alternative routes where possible and so do not fall foul of the restrictions. Also, the local authority regarding better signage and the local police.
"This has been a genuine collaborative effort that has, I think, resulted in a reduced impact on the area, greater understanding of local residents concerns and shows what can be done when we work together."
While the campaigners believe progress has been made, they say clearer advance warning signs have been a crucial missing piece in efforts to stop unsuitable vehicles using the road.
Thomson said: "This has been welcomed and fairly successful, but the missing link has been adequate warning signage. Now, the addition to the signs gives drivers enough notice advance of the road's weight limit conditions and we look forward to a safer road with less rat running."
However, the campaign is far from over.
Thomson now wants Westmorland and Furness Council to make similar improvements to the main road signage at the Gilwilly Industrial Estate end of Castletown, ensuring drivers approaching from either direction are given clear warning of the restrictions.
Looking further ahead, he is also calling for a direct link road from Junction 41 of the M6 to the Gilwilly Industrial Estate, which he believes would help reduce congestion not only through Castletown but in Penrith as a whole.
For residents who have spent years raising concerns about heavy vehicles using their streets, the new signage is a welcome step towards making the road safer, although campaigners say there is still more to be done.
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