Highways - Report a Fault Online - CLICK HERE

Highways matters occupy a great deal of the Council's time. We have an appointed Highways Officer - Cllr Andrea Holmes - who  liaises with Cumbria Highways who are responsible for the maintenance and safety of our local roads. We campaign hard to make sure the highways issues we raise, are high on their agenda, but we need to be mindful that they operate under considerable pressure and have to follow a huge range of procedures. We attend meetings with reprentatives from Highways who account for their strategies and actions and have to accept that as in every area of the country, our highways are deteriorating faster than resources allow them to deal with. A strict system of prioritisation is in place. When a fault is reported, inspectors assess the severity and triage the problem. If the fault reaches certain criteria they are either carried out immediately or scheduled for the future. They also routinely inspect all roads, gulleys, paths etc to inform their routine maintenance programs.

Highways issues are discussed at every Council meeting.  Faults are reported using the below link. Residents are strongly urged to report any issues of concern themselves because the more people who report issues the better and the more likely they are to be actioned. 

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Westmorland and Furness Council Highways Department
HIGHWAYS HOTLINE Phone: 0300 373 3306.
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm.
Report a fault online

Safety issues are raised directly with Cumbria Highways

Recent and Current Campaigns 

Campaigning for improvements takes a considerable amount of our time and energy. We have been successful in getting the following improvements

• signage warning HGVs of the height limit at the aqueduct have been upgraded to minimise the number of vehicles having to U turn in the village and the number of bridge strikes has reduced. However, pedestrian strikes continued so we campaigned for a further sign which was installed 2/3/22
• the resurfacing of Well Heads lane and part of Crosscrake Lane has been carried out - we are still waiting for the completeion of Crosscrake Lane.
• Pavements at Hill Close were completed in 2018 but the repairs requested in 2016 along Castle View were postponed numerous times and are now scheduled for 2023-4.
• Our ongoing requests for pavement repairs in the centre of the village continue.
• A street light in the centre of the village was installed to improve the safety of pedestrians, especially those using the Village Hall on dark evenings
• In 2020 the Welcome to Sedgwick Village sign was knocked over. We requested it was re-installed but CCC removed the sign and expected the Parish Council to pay for a new replacement. This was queried and eventually it was located and was installed in 2022
• The Back Lane signs vanished during Covid. Roger Bingham has used his local grant to fund replacements which were installed in late 2022.
• In July 2023, Highways carried out extensive repairs of collapsed verges on Natland Rd and other locations and potholes at Raines Farm to Crosscrake
• In the Spring of 2024 theer were extensive repairs made to Riverside
• In Autumn 2024, the 20mph scheme consultation was successful
• In December 2024, patching occured througout the villaeg prior to suface dressing due on 2025.
  

Making progress on specific issues has proved very problematic; the lack of success is not due to a lack of effort on behalf of the Council.

This is a record of the actions we have taken in the last decade to try and get solutions to our most difficult safety problems:  

Pedestrian safety at ​Sedgwick Aqueduct

Between 2012 and 2017 we campaigned for improvements to pedestrian safety under the aqueduct. Eventually CCC offered us two options, to remove the pavement or retain the pavement, improve safety signage and add colour and narrowing markings. We conducted a resident ballot and the second option was preferred. Work was completed in 2018 and have been a partial success. However, there are still some cars that pass pedestrians too closely and there have been some pedestrian strikes and many more near misses. We have requested that the location of the warning signs to the north are relocated so that they are closer to the aqueduct and therefore more likely to be seen. This was agreed in 2020 and we were informed that the sign was being made in August 2021 and would be installed soon after. It was eventually installed in March 2022. Please report accidents and near misses to the Police - it is only data that will bring about further improvements.

Pedestrian safety along Back Lane

Since 2018 we have been campaigning for improvements along Back Lane to improve pedestrian safety at the junction, bend and where the footpath crosses the lane. Requests to extend the 30mph speed limit were refused and promises of signage to warn cycles and vehicles of pedestrians (made in 2020 by the CRASH team) have never materialised. We continue to pursue this matter. The accident in February 2022 just after The Walled Garden has been reported to the CRASH team. In Febraury, pedestrian warning signs were requested again. 

Safety at Carex Farm Junction

Since 2015, we have raised safety concerns. We were successful in getting the white lines repainted and the resurfacing of Crosscrake Lane, but promises of improvements in road markings to warn motorists travelling south into the village have never materialised. We continue to campaign for these improvements.

20mph speed limit 

As early as 2012, the Council were campaigning for a reduction in speed through the village. Such a reduction is seen as an effective way of addressing so many of our safety concerns. Our request was refused but in 2014, we were successful in getting a speed monitoring exercise carried out. However results indicated a 20mph speed limit was not required. We challenged this and following a pedestrian strike, they repeated the speed monitoring exercise in 2018, but once again we were told that a change was not deemed necessary because the aqueduct was acting as a natural traffic calming measure. We challenged the validity of the data and had an on-site meeting with CCC and the Police. We were then told that 20mph was no longer county policy and so any requests would be turned down.
           In 2020, when Kendal began to introduce 20mph limits we queried the information we had been given about the policy change and again requested that the speed limit in Sedgwick be reduced. It was considered at the December 2020 CRASH Committee Meeting but once again refused.
           In August 2021, we met with a representative of Cumbria Highways who agreed to monitoring speeds in the village again including on the periphery of the village. She also explained that current County Policy makes it unlikely that any change would be sanctioned. If the results of the monitoring shows the average speed is over 24mph that is deemed too fast for a 20mph limit and the only option would be for the Parish Council to fund speed reduction measures such as speed bumps and/or gates. They would require resident and planning approval (they are notoriously unpopular because of increased noise and pollution). If results show speeds of 20-24mph a 20mph limit might be feasible but will require a long planning process and needs to be funded by the Parish (costs run into many thousands).  Average speed is the key indicator not the outliers of speeding vehicles which seems counter intuitive. If speeds are over 24mph, the authorities will not even consider a 20mph limit.
              We have explored introducing a “20 is plenty" scheme but have been informed that it has been abolished and signs are being removed. We have also investigated installing Speed Indicator Devices but they would have to be funded by the Parish - prices start at £2500 each (and we would need between 2 and 6) -  and they would only be approved by CCC and the Police if the traffic speed data indicates it would work and if safe locations could be found - which itself is problematic in Sedgwick. They are not considered effective unless they are moved and maintained regularly, so ultimately this option seems an unlikely solution.
If the promised speed monitoring exercise does not trigger some help, it seems that we are only left with two other options that may reduce speeding traffic; getting any faded speed/warning signs replaced so they are more noticeable and requesting road markings are added to existing warnings to improve safety.
       We also explored setting up a community speed monitoring group but due to the lack of pavements and other safe havens for volunteers to stand, it is not considered viable - this in itself speaks volumes about pedestrian safety!
Basically, the system seems stacked up against anyone being granted a 20mph limit.
                               In November 2020 a further speed monitoring exercise was carried out- this time in 3 locations including on approach routes. Due to an unannounced closure of the road near the aqueduct the data was problematic and so the exercise was repeated in early 2022. Unfortunately, the data has been judged as showing that a 20mph speed limit would not be effective as speed data is too high. This seems incredulous and has been queried but County Policy is such that any calls for a limit would be turned down. The Kendal 20mph areas show that local policy is changing and we believe that the reorganisation of local government of April 1st 2023 may provide opportunities for villages such as Sedgwick to be reconsidered.
                  We are also using the expected increase in traffic volume on local lanes due to the many proposed housing developments south of Kendal as a lever to get change. Our objections to the proposed plans include concerns about the impact of increased traffic and we are demanding that conditions of approving development include the funding of 20mph zones in effected villages, fully funded and maintained by the developers. 

In April 2023, the reorgansiation of local government saw Westmorland and Furness Council take over from SLDC and Cumbria County Council. The Council were elected with a mandate to introduce more 20mph limits and by Juky 2023 a process was voted in. In the same month, we were advised by our district councillor Doug Rathbone that Sedgwick and Natland are being considered as part of the first cohort of new areas. 

​        The Council are committed to continuing to campaign for this key safety initiative. Please report any accidents or near misses.