Bus company Stagecoach has responded positively to soon-to-be-introduced changes to traffic flows around Kendal - despite not being in total agreement with what is proposed, reports Mike Addison.

With the first phase of the town's traffic management scheme due to go live on April 28, the bus company announced this week it would increase the number of buses on three of the local services where frequencies were controversially reduced earlier this year.

Stagecoach hopes the restoration of the services - back to every 15- 20 minutes rather than every half hour - will encourage more use of buses.

"In terms of our operation, the new route system is likely to have more problems for us," said Chris Bowles, commercial director for Stagecoach North West.

"We are not convinced it's the perfect solution but in the absence of anything better we will give it a go.

"The main problem is that the services coming into Kendal from the east will not be able to access the terminus in Stricklandgate at the town hall.

Services 42 and 43 (Heron Hill and Sandylands) have been terminating there for a long time.

This is likely to be confusing to some people and inconvenient.

"And if we want to get a bus from the bus station to the town hall, it is going to have to travel three times as far as it does now on a circuitous route along Aynam Road to the bridge (Nether).

But this is a commitment that we are prepared to make in response to what the local authorities are proposing."

In January the company cut the frequency of four routes in Kendal to give buses longer to complete their journeys as they negotiated the town's traffic-snarled streets.

The company argued that buses had been regularly running behind schedule after being delayed in traffic jams, with some vehicles stuck on Stricklandgate for 15 minutes during busy times.

The original traffic management proposals included a bus lane along Stricklandgate but Stagecoach said it was not necessary because there would be fewer buses able to use it with most services going down Lowther Street to the bus station.

Under the changes, routes 42 (Heron Hill) and 43 (Sandylands) will increase to a 20-minute service starting at the bus station instead of Stricklandgate (Town Hall).

Route 44 (Hallgarth) will increase to a 15-minute service, starting at the Town Hall and serving the bus station.

The 45/445 (Burneside) will start at the bus station while the 46 (Kirkbarrow) will commence at the bus station and operate via Queen's Road.

There will be no change to the route or timetable for the 41 (Oxenholme) service.

For out-of-town services, the Post Office bus stop, northbound in Stricklandgate, will be discontinued.

Services 550/552/555/564/567/X35 will run direct to the bus station via Lowther Street.

The service 555 southbound will use a new stop on Blackhall Road opposite the bus station while services 106, 107 and 561 will not serve Stricklandgate on outward journeys.

And service 541 will run via Windermere Road and Queen's Road on journeys direct to Brigsteer.

Stagecoach has also introduced a weekly ticket for regular bus users - the Kendal Megarider - which will enable customers to travel anywhere in town over a week for an introductory price of £ 6.

It will run at this promotional price until May 25 when it will be increased by £1.