FRESH calls are being made for park-and-ride to be introduced to help ease pressure on Kendal's parking situation.

The introduction of residents' parking zones in Greenside and Fellside has meant that commuters are being squeezed to the outer edges of town in their search for all-day parking spaces.

Back in summer 2001, plans for park-and-ride at Kendal Fell quarry suffered a major setback when Kendal Traffic Steering Group learned the cost of buying the site would present "major financial difficulties" because there was still a large amount of limestone at the dormant quarry.

But park-and-ride at Kendal Fell is now back on the agenda, and on May 8 Cumbria County Council's South Lakeland local committee is to hear from engineers about the possibility of creating park-and-ride elsewhere at Kendal Fell. CCC's South Lakeland area support manager Stuart Pate told the Gazette there was £3.5 million to spend on park-and-ride in next year's budget.

The parking difficulties experienced by commuters were brought into focus by a Gazette reader from Windermere this week, who wished only to be identified as C. Wood.

She said she and several of her colleagues could no longer park at the roadside because of the new residents' parking zones, which left them with the option of a 15-plus minute walk into town, if they could find a space on the outskirts, or "a mad scramble" for one of the car parks where South Lakeland District Council permits are usable.

She said people had been parking at the top of Undercliff Road, but had received abuse from residents for doing so. She has rearranged her childcare in order to get into town for 8.20am and give herself a better chance of finding a parking space.

County councillor for Strickland and Fell, Dave Clarke, said residents' parking was being introduced to help people on Fellside and Greenside who struggled to park near their homes. But he had sympathy with commuters and told the Gazette: "I would argue the park-and-ride site is still a fundamental part of the solution for a number of problems in Kendal congestion, parking for commuters, and freeing up parking so we can expand the number of people coming into town to shop and contribute to the economy of the town," he said.

Town and district councillor Paul Little, former chairman of Kendal Retail Forum, told the Gazette: "We really need to argue the case for park-and-ride on the edge of Kendal where workers can park their cars and come into town."

At a recent meeting he suggested that edge-of-town car parks such as at county offices and Kendal Ski Club could be used for permit-holders, thus freeing up more town centre parking spaces.

He encouraged retailers to attend the Kendal Retail Forum meeting at Kendal Town Hall next Tuesday at 2pm when traffic issues would be discussed.

Westmorland Shopping Centre manager Lynn Ison said the general feeling among tenants was they were experiencing increased difficulties in town centre parking. "They are having to leave home much earlier than they did before so I think it's evident there's a problem there."

She added: "Some of them are trying to find alternative methods i.e. walking or cycling instead of having to use the car, and not knowing if they are going to be late or not for work."

Westmorland Shopping Centre is among major employers working on "green transport plans" for staff to coax them out of their cars, an initiative promoted by CCC.

South Lakeland area support manager Stuart Pate said CCC was aware "a number of commuters" would be affected by residents' parking. He told the Gazette: "The long-term aim would be that more people would use other modes of transport but I recognise that's not something that can be implemented overnight."

April 17, 2003 18:00