M6 relief road calls renewed after 'traffic chaos'

Traffic in Kendal was gridlocked on Thursday after drivers were diverted into the town

An MP has renewed calls for a relief road after a town descended "once again into traffic chaos" due to a motorway closure.

Roads in Kendal were heavily congested for most of Thursday when drivers were diverted due to parts of the M6 being shut, after a lorry overturned and caught fire.

A bypass relieving traffic around the town has been mooted for years, with plans for a route connecting the A591 Windermere Road and A6 Shap Road to the north of Kendal due to be discussed by the government.

Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron said it caused "an absolute disaster" for businesses and residents. The Department for Transport said a relief road scheme was "under review".

Bus driver Andrew Allan said the congestion "threw a lot of services out" in the town.

"Thankfully I was not working yesterday," he said. "It doesn't take much for traffic to be snarled up but when things like that happen it's time to give up.

"There are a few traffic lights that cause most of the problems, but the layout of the system doesn't make much sense either."

Mr Allan said he believed a relief road was "necessary, as long as it's well thought out".

'Kendal cannot cope'

Farron said the issue was "nothing new" and had been "a problem for decades".

In a letter to the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, he continued: "Given the narrow streets and bridges, our town centre isn't designed for modern traffic and therefore it doesn't take a lot for things to go wrong."

He added Thursday's "traffic chaos has once again shown the desperate need for a northern bypass".

Resident Shaun Walker, who lives by the A6, said a relief road "would help no end".

He said the infrastructure in the town centre could not "cope anymore with the vast volume of traffic" when various motorway closures or incidents occurred.

"When this does happen, local folk can't go about their daily business as they would," he said.

Mr Walker said he believed local businesses would benefit from the bypass, adding there could be "less disruption all round".

It is hoped a bypass would provide another route around Kendal and alleviate traffic

Meanwhile, Dave Hughes said a relief road "sounds great in principle, but is a lot more complicated than it first appears".

He said it could require "significant engineering and could result in a significant change" to the Kent valley, adjacent to the protected landscape of the national park.

He added that he was "very concerned" about "induced demand - the phenomenon where building new roads actually creates more traffic".

"A relief road would be incredibly costly and only reduce Kendal's traffic problems for two or three days per year," he said.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said the government was "committed" to delivering transport infrastructure "that will boost growth and opportunity".

"The Kendal Northern Access Route scheme is one of the schemes under review, and a decision will be made in due course."