“Beyond credulity” – Cycling UK slams council’s assertion that busy Lake District road is safe alternative to closed National Cycle Network route

Cycling UK says that Cumberland Council’s assertion that the A591 is “a suitable alternative route” for cyclists following the permanent closure of a section of the National Cycle Network (NCN) is “beyond credulity” and has invited councillors at the local authority for a bike ride to experience conditions there first-hand.

Last weekend, an estimated 1,000 cyclists and walkers staged a protest against plans to permanently close the road, which forms part of NCN 6 and runs along the western shore of Thirlmere Reservoir, which is owned by United Utilities.

> More than 1,000 cyclists and walkers protest proposed permanent closure of quiet route that is “key part” of National Cycling Network

The route has already been closed for the past two years due to storm damage, with the utility company failing to have carried out the necessary works to repair it, and Cumberland Council has said it is implementing a Traffic Regulation Order from tomorrow to make the closure, which affects all users including cyclists and pedestrians, permanent.

Sunday’s protest aimed to highlight to the utility company and the council that the road “needs to be reopened to allow a safe, enjoyable and important route for locals and visitors to use.”

Cycling UK says that the road closure means that anyone heading north towards Keswick will be forced instead to use the “dangerous” A951, putting lives at risk, and in a letter to Cumberland Council, a copy of which has been seen by road.cc, is urging the council to reconsider its decision.

The charity said that Cumberland Council’s assertion that the A951 provided “a suitable alternative route” was “beyond credulity.”

The council had said that “Cyclists are not being directed or forced to use the A591 and individuals will make their own decisions on which road to use.

“Whilst the closed road would have less vehicular traffic and would no doubt be more pleasant to cycle, the A591 is a suitable alternative.

“Criminal law and the Highway Code govern the standards of driving and consideration for others of vehicular traffic and all road users owe each other a duty of care,” the local authority insisted.

Cycling UK said that Cumberland Council’s assertion that the A951 provided “a suitable alternative route” was “beyond credulity.”

In response, Cycling UK pointed out that the A591 is “a main road with significant HGV use, and no margins or footway,” and one with a poor safety record in recent years, including five fatal road traffic collisions, and another 16 resulting in serious injury and 30 that led to slight injury being sustained; by contrast, no collisions resulting in death or injury were recorded on the route that is being closed.  

“To comment that cyclists and other users are ‘not being directed or forced to use the A591’ is quite remarkable given that no other practical alternative exists – particularly given that the closed route is an established part of the National Cycle Network,” the charity said.

“The removal of this link and dismissive attitude that ‘all road users owe each other a duty of care’ ignores entirely the role of the highway authority in ensuring road safety for vulnerable road users (including their specific legal duties regarding the provision of adequate, safe, footways and cycle routes, neither of which exist along the A591).

“We therefore wish to invite elected members to come and join us on a ride along the A591, which the authority feels is a ‘suitable alternative’, in order for us to assess together the validity of this claim, and the pressing need to reopen the closed route,” Cycling UK said.

> “One of the only safe road cycling routes”: Cyclists object to complete closure of “key part” of National Cycling Network

The charity also said that there was no need for the road to be closed permanently, maintaining that there was still time for United Utilities to make the necessary repairs and that it should be fined if it failed to do so, and that such works could be carried out under a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TRO).

“We continue to believe that such an approach would be more appropriate than the proposed permanent TRO, which fails to reflect the authority’s legal duty to assert and protect the rights of the public to use and enjoyment of the highway, and has no effective ‘sunset clause’ embedded that requires it to be revoked once works are complete,” Cycling UK wrote.

“The lack of such a sunset clause risks the road remaining closed for many years, without any real motivation to resolve the issues and complete the works,” the charity added.

A petition calling for the road along the reservoir to be repaired and reopened has to date gathered more than 10,000 signatures and can be found here.