Travel Initiatives

Public Transport

Policy PT9

Development proposals that help maintain or improve public transport facilities will be permitted. Proposals that would result in a loss of existing public transport facilities will not be permitted.

4.19 Since the deregulation of bus services the area has seen a steady decline in the number of bus routes and the frequency of services. This is a result of the uneconomic nature of many of the services, due to low passenger numbers, and to declining levels of public financial support. There are members of the population, most notably the young and the elderly, who have no access to private transport and are thus dependent on public services. There are positive environmental benefits, from the local to the global scale, in using public transport as an alternative to the private car. For these reasons the Council will campaign for services to be maintained, or wherever possible enhanced, to achieve improved levels of public transport services and will support the introduction of schemes which seek to address local requirements in conventional or innovative ways. In addition, development proposals that will maintain or enhance services will be supported providing there is no adverse impact on other interests of importance. This positive approach to the issue reflects and supports that set out in Structure Plan Policy 69.

4.20 In addition to bus and other road based services, the Settle-Carlisle railway provides an important public transport link for many residents within the District. It also serves as a valuable tourism resource and has the potential to carry goods and raw materials to industries located long its length. The West Coast Main Line provides a link into the Intercity network and rapid links to services which are essential to the economic prosperity of the area and the convenience of residents of a large part of east Cumbria. The railways are an important transport resource within the Plan area and the Council will continue to support their retention. As outlined in Policy 69 and Policy 70 of the Structure Plan, long distance and commuter passenger flows should be handled wherever possible by rail and public road transport, in order to minimise the growth of road traffic.

Provision for Cyclists

Policy PT10

The design and layout of development proposals should, where appropriate, take into account the needs of cyclists, especially through the provision of cycle paths and secure parking facilities.

4.21 At present there is little provision for cyclists either in towns or on rural roads. Within town centres, opportunities for the improvement of facilities for cyclists are likely to be allied to environmental enhancement schemes and measures to restrict vehicular access. Such measures, as suggested in Structure Plan Policy 47, may include traffic calming schemes or reducing the growth in other road traffic by promoting public transport services.

4.22 Provision for cyclists can also be important in development schemes, and in considering proposals for new development the Council will seek appropriate provision for access and parking facilities for cycles. Much of the road network of the District is inherently attractive and suited to use by cyclists, carrying low volumes of vehicular traffic. In addition, the Council intend to explore the potential for application within the District of initiatives such as those being promoted by the Countryside Commission and by Sustrans Ltd, leading to the identification and/or adaptation of route networks to encourage cycle use.

Road User Facilities

Policy PT11

Proposals for road user facilities on the Primary Road Network will only be approved as an exception to Policy NE1 if all of the following criteria are satisfied:

1. a need is established for the service in the specific location concerned which is sufficient to outweigh any environmental cost;
2. the siting of the development and any landscaping proposed will minimise impact;
3. the design and materials proposed are appropriate to the location;
4. an unacceptable level of harm will not be caused to any interests of acknowledged importance; and
5. the full requirements of highway safety can be met. In the case of all-purpose trunk roads these requirements will be defined by the Department of Transport.

4.23 The Council have resisted the development of road user facilities in a number of locations in order to preserve the generally unspoilt character of the landscape. It is accepted, however, that a case can be made in certain locations on the Primary Road Network (defined in the Structure Plan as the M6, A66(T), A685 Tebay - Brough and A6 south of Junction 39) for the provision of services to modern standards to meet the needs of road users for fuel, services, food and information. In view of the long established policy to protect the countryside from unwarranted development, it is appropriate that, where road user services are proposed in locations away from established settlements, the applicant be expected to clearly establish the need for the development. For the same reason, the standard of design and landscaping will also be a prime consideration. Clearly it will also be necessary to ensure that highway safety considerations are not compromised, such as would happen if facilities were proposed on only one side of a single carriageway road.