A NEW cycle lane is to be trialled in Kendal, prompting complaints that it will interfere with businesses and wreak havoc among motorists.

Cumbria County Council has informed businesses on Wildman Street there will be a two-month trial in which one lane of traffic will be closed to make way for a cycle lane.

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Between Sunday, August 13, and Sunday, October 8, the length of the road will be separated with water-filled barriers to create a 2.5-metre cycle way on the left-hand side of the road. A 20-metre loading bay will be provided on the right-hand side.

Nigel Byrom, who runs a family furniture shop on the street, said the plans will get in the way of his deliveries and was angry at the lack of opportunity for people to express their views before it goes ahead.

"I'm disappointed. Someone just came through the door and said 'this is going to happen'. There was no consultation at all," he said.

"We've got furniture vans pulling up outside, the longest of which is a 44-ton articulated truck. That loading bay is not going to be big enough," he said.

Richard Martin, operations manager at Stagecoach Kendal, said he expected the lane would have a detrimental effect on already long queues in the town. Under the trial, traffic coming from Ann Street, Longpool and Station Road will all converge into a single lane.

"It's one of the main routes into Kendal so I can imagine turning two lanes of traffic into one is going to cause quite a few problems," he said.

"It also seems a bit strange that the cycle way will be on the left-hand side when on the bridge (Stramongate) it's on the other side. Cyclists will have to cross this one, busy lane of traffic.

"I am in favour of cycle lanes and I think they're a good idea but sometimes they just don't work. To take a full lane of traffic out is probably a bit of overkill.

"I think it will have a negative impact on traffic which already suffers at peak times in Kendal."

Glyn Jamieson, chair of the Kendal Driving Instructors Association, said he would 'hate' to see it become a permanent fixture.

"It's already a nightmare when that road is reduced to one lane with people parking illegally there. It will be even worse if it's always like that.

"It would cause even more of a bottleneck situation than we already see with the three roads leading down there. It would be a big mistake."

A CCC spokesperson said the trial was part of a plan to run a cycle lane from the Morrisons supermarket at Queen Katherine Avenue to Castle Street, and the whole point of the trial was to assess the impact on traffic.

The spokesperson said: "It's unknown how traffic will be impacted by narrowing Wildman Street to one lane, therefore an eight-week trial is proposed to monitor the impact. We will be running journey time studies during the period to understand it.

"The information provided to residents and businesses was a proposal for a lay-out. We will be listening to feedback from this and making changes. A consultation has been carried out previously – in 2016 - on putting a cycleway down Wildman Street. This trial is a follow on from that consultation."