Transport Group
The aim of the Transport & Travel group is to work to decrease the level of fuel emissions in the South Lakes region. We meet on the third
Tuesday of every month at Ye Olde Fleece Inn in Kendal. For more information contact Liz Ashburn on 01539 735628 or liz.ashburn@phonecoop.coop.
The main focus of the Transport group has been in promoting cycling and liftsharing. For a look at what we are planning this year please see list of projects below.
A major focus of our attention has been to work to implement the Riverside Route and Canal Head cycle and pedestrian routes. This is a £400,000 route through Kendal and promises to be a key turning point for the development of cycling and walking in Kendal. We are currenlty hoping to see this implemented before the year is out, and will keep you updated about it here.
We meet on the third Tuesday of the month at Ye Olde Fleece Inn in Kendal, 7:30pm. Anyone is welcome to attend these meetings.
The Vision for Kendal
The Present
Kendal currently has good rail links with Staveley, Windermere and, via Oxenholme, the rest of the UK. There is an inter-city link bus service that operates once a day only, and at haphazard times. A fleet of buses operate from the centre of Kendal to outlying areas, and there are also good bus links to Grange, Ulverston, Barrow, Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere, Keswick and Lancaster. Buses to other towns, in particular those in the Yorkshire Dales, but also Arnside and Kirby Lonsdale, are infrequent and expensive, where they operate at all. Bus operators do not cooperate with each other and so tickets bought for one bus cannot be used on another, even where they share the same route. There are no bike hire facilities in the town, and cycle paths or lanes are pretty much non-existent, though this is currently being addressed by the County Council, with the Riverside pedestrian and cycle path currently in consultation. Part of the centre of the town is closed to traffic except for buses, taxis and cyclists.
In the morning and afternoon rush hour the main roads in Kendal are very congested, a recent survey showing that around 90% of the cars being single occupancy. There is no lift-sharing scheme operating in Kendal, or any car sharing scheme.
The Vision
By 2021 the peaking of oil will have become common knowledge, and as a result oil will be much scarcer and more expensive. As a result there will be fewer cars on the road, and a much greater reliance on public transport, which now receives significant government support and is considerably more extensive. People now live much closer to where they work, and communities have much better transport links to local services. Local school-children walk, cycle or travel by bus to school.
The town centre is completely pedestrianised, allowing only buses and cyclists on the roads. There is a travel office in the centre of town with information on all cycle and public transport routes in the area, along with booking facilities and a website. There are excellent cycle lanes along the canal, along the riverside and extending to all other areas of the town. These are linked to a national cycle network, allowing traffic free cycling to places such as Lancaster, Windermere, Barrow, etc.
There are increased train services between Oxenholme and Kendal, and from there to Lancaster, Carlisle and Penrith, enabling easier access to Cumbria and the rest of the UK by train. The line to Grange via Hincaster (Sedgwick) has now re-opened and runs regular services.
The fleet of buses operating in Kendal run on waste oil, such as chip oil, from local businesses, or run on electricity generated by nearby wind farms. There are also specific tourist buses, which allow people to take cycles, and also ferry people from Kendal to nearby beauty spots for walks etc. An intercity coach hub is located just outside of Kendal which allows easy and regular access to the new national inter-city coach network, which travels along designated lanes on motorways and connects to towns and cities via 'coach hubs', located along the motorway and allowing transfer to town and city centres.
The canal between Kendal and Lancaster has been developed as a cycle path and is now a regularly used route between the two conurbations.
Owing to the expense of running your own car, there are many car sharing schemes in the town, with designated parking areas, and a lift-share website for Kendal which is linked in to the county wide lift-share website (which in turn is linked to the national lift-share site). People now rarely travel single occupancy in cars, and rush hour is a thing of the past.
Current Projects
Below is a list of the projects we are currently working on. If you would like to get involved in a project in any way then please contact the relevant person listed for that project directly.
| Project | Contact |
| CycleFest The South Lakes wide CycleFest has been the Transport groups main focus this year. See the website www.cyclefest.org.uk for more information. Now that CycleFest is over, we are considering launching a cycling promotion project. More details will be posted soon. |
Sonny Khan 01539 740694 sonnykhan@hotmail.co.uk |
| Car Share Scheme Do you own a car but don't use it that often? Do you need a car but don't want to own one? We are currently working with South Lakes District COuncil to set up a car share scheme. The aim would be to enable those people who join the scheme to book the use of a car at negligible price. Pick up is arranged at a predetermined point. If you are interested get in touch! |
Kate Sykes 01539 727928 ksykes50@hotmail.com |
