Rydal fought a long and hard battle for a speed limit through our village and a 40 mph limit was eventually granted in 2009. Our original application for a 30 mph limit was refused.
A watching brief has been maintained, and it is evident that the 40 mph limit is not sufficient to slow traffic adequately to make crossing the A591 safe for the thousands of visitors who come to the village to visit Rydal Mount and to walk the Rydal Round, a low-level walk, popular with thousands of people each year.
Children are daily at risk when crossing this road to make the journey to and from school.
Many visitors are foreigners, not always familiar with traffic driving on a side of the road unfamiliar to them.
Villagers have frequently observed families attempting to cross this hazardous stretch of road where motorists, disregarding the 40 mph signs, have been observed overtaking on double white lines.
The Village Society feels that prevention is a more desirable solution. The cost of reducing the speed on the A591 is hardly comparable with the value put on a life.
The Department of Transport’s latest guidance states that:
“Speed management strategies should seek to protect local community life”
and, more pertinently that:
“ It is government policy that a 30 mph speed limit should be the norm in villages”.
Rydal Village Society wishes to make Rydal a safe village for our children, residents and the many thousands of people who visit throughout the year.A591 Speed Limit!
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