'I'd love to cycle to school but it's not safe'

Children at Eaglesfield Paddle CE Primary Academy near Cockermouth said they did not feel safe cycling on the busy roads near the school

Devolution for Cumbria, along with a mayor, could help children walk and cycle more safely, a former transport minister has said.

Trudy Harrison, who now chairs the Bikeability Trust, said a new mayoral authority could employ an "active travel commissioner" to invest in walking and cycling routes.

Dawn Watson, headteacher of a primary school near Cockermouth which lies on a busy crossroads with a 60mph speed limit, said speeding motorists had "demolished" the perimeter wall three times in the thirteen years she had worked there.

Charlotte, a pupil, said: "I would love to cycle into school, but the road doesn't feel safe."

Mrs Harrison was speaking on a visit to the school, Eaglesfield Paddle CE Primary Academy.

Another child there, Oskar, said some of the local roads were "really fast" with "a lot of blind corners".

Cumbria has joined the government's priority devolution programme and is expected to have a mayor next year.

Eaglesfield Paddle school is on the corner of a busy crossroads with a 60mph speed limit

Mrs Watson said staff did not encourage children to walk or cycle to school because the main road was "just not safe".

An active travel commissioner could help provide more walkways and cycleways, she added.

Mrs Harrison, who was the Conservative MP for Copeland until last year, said: "I think having that person whose sole job it is to enable more people to walk and cycle, especially children, will be so important."

A final decision over whether Cumbria goes ahead with devolution will be made by local councils later this year, with a mayoral election expected next year.

Trudy Harrison used to be a Conservative MP and transport minister, but now chairs the Bikeability Trust