Wigton residents demand new footpath before mart moves
Last updated 11:50, Monday, 08 December 2008
Residents, concerned by heavy traffic passing their homes, have revived a campaign calling for a footpath which was promised 22 years ago.
People living near the proposed Hopes Auction site on Syke Road, Wigton, are calling for Allerdale Council to honour a pledge to include a footpath which first appeared in an improvement plan in 1986.
They claim Syke Road has seen a rise in the number of lorries using the road to get to a growing industrial estate.
Homeowners fear more HGVs will follow once Hopes builds the mart when it relocates to make way for a proposed Tesco development in the town centre. The area is already home to a recycling plant, veterinary surgery, Reay’s coach depot, a garage and several industrial units.
Campaigner Heather Park said: “The traffic on the road is horrendous. The vets is thriving and you regularly see young mothers walking along with a cat in a basket and a toddler in tow.
“I’ve been out there walking my dog and lorries have come within inches of us. It’s an accident waiting to happen.”
It is thought the auction mart will attract more than 250 farmers each week. Ms Park said residents are “deeply concerned” about the prospect of yet more traffic and no protection for pedestrians.
“The ironic thing is, we have this smashing new bypass, but it is at the wrong end of town.
“It’s mainly pensioners who live along this stretch, but most of them walk because they don’t want to run a car. We also have families and runners from the Rugby Club.
“Nobody heeds the 30mph limit because it’s a wide open, sweeping road. I think it’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt.”
Residents on the street have written to Allerdale Council calling for the long-promised footpath and traffic-calming measures along the road.
Ms Park added: “If the auction mart is going to come, fine. But guarantee our safety.”
A spokesman for the highways authority, Cumbria County Council, said: “No planning application has yet been submitted for relocation of the new auction mart. However if it was to be given planning permission the developer would be required to provide a footpath with lighting on Syke Road as a condition of permission being given.”
