Transcript Traffic Management and Footpath Erosion in Lake District

Problems and Solutions
Problems
Using the Lake District
sheet from last day
Too many
summarise what you
cars…
have learned onto a
sheet of paper like the
table on this slide
Solutions
The Lake District:
Problems and Conflicts
Key conflicts in the Lake
District:
 Traffic and transport issues,
 Uses of Windermere,
Footpath Erosion.
“Reducing the numbers of people going
into the hills must never be seen as a
solution. Our need for them is too great.
The challenge,therefore, is to find ways of
enabling people to venture into the hills
without spoiling them”
Increasing pressures on the Lake
District
• Visits to the countryside have increased
• Traditional Lakeland industries struggling to
survive, locals looking for new ways of making
a living
• Danger that uncontrolled development could
threaten the natural beauty, wildlife and
cultural heritage of the area
• The Lake District needs to be carefully
managed
Traffic Issues
Pollution
Noise
Honeypot Sites
Visual Intrusion Congestion
Parking
Hazards to vulnerable road users
The Lake District Traffic
Management Initiative
The Lake District Traffic Management
Initiative (LDTMI) was set up in 1993 as a
partnership
between Cumbria County Council
(CCC), the LDNPA, Cumbria Tourist Board (CTB)
and the
Countryside Commission (now the
Countryside Agency).
The initiative was to run for 3 years, to
‘progress the development of solutions to
traffic and transport issues in the National
Park’.
MAIN AIMS
ENABLE LOCAL COMMUNITY TO GO ABOUT
ITS NORMAL BUSINESS
MAINTAIN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY AND
ASSIST IT TO BECOME SUSTAINABLE
REDUCE TRAFFIC IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
ENSURE THAT THE NATIONAL PARK REMAINS
ACCESSIBLE FOR QUIET ENJOYMENT
OFFER ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRANSPORT
TO THE CAR
TAILOR TRAFFIC TO THE ABILITY OF
THE EXISTING ROADS TO COPE
Area Action Plans
The Area Action Plans are a series of agreed
local plans, created by the LDTMI, set out the
tourism development and marketing priorities
for 2007-2008.
Each Action Plan seeks to outline the role that
it can play in assisting Cumbria's Destination
Management Plan 2007-2008.
Keswick Area Action Plan
Keswick, set in the glorious countryside of the
northern half of the Lake District National Park is
a favourite location for millions of visitors a year,
yet the apparent prosperity and well being of this
community masks serious concern on issues such as
the shortage of affordable housing for local
people, a narrow range of employment and low wage
levels, inadequate public transport and car parking,
few facilities for young families and youth and
many others.
• Town centre pedestrianised
• Work has also begun on reducing traffic impact in
rural areas of the Keswick District.Speed limits in
Borrowdale and St Johns in the Vale may be
introduced as long as this does not lead to too
much sign proliferation.
Elterwater
Elterwater – Restricted Parking
• Elterwater is a popular but very small
village which can not take a lot of traffic.
As part of the LDTMI they wanted:
Prevent Parking
In the most
Congested areas
Prevent parking on
Grass verges as
It causes erosion
Not to park a
around
The village green
To preserve
Traditional
aspect
Put up advisory
Speed limits (signs
To be sympathetic
With landscape)
Promote better
Use of peripheral
Car parks
Permit holder
Parking for local
residents
What was done…
• Creation of a restricted
parking zone – 11 on street
spaces, one disabled with
waiting limited to 2 hours
between 9am and 6pm. 2 on
street spaces with a limit of 20
mins and 8 permit only spaces
for locals.
• New 20mph advisory limit
signs
• Improved signing for car parks
outside village
Results
• Surveys were carried out to assess the scheme
in 1997 these generally showed success.
• However measures did not work well around the
village green. Timing restrictions were exceeded
and people parked out with marked bays (Due to
demand by patrons of the Britannia Inn).
• Parking signs were occasionally subject to
vandalism.
• However the busses had increased revenue and
found it easier to move around town
What next?
• 2-3 parking spaces outside the Britannia
Inn are not in place and restrictions are
relaxed in winter and overnight
Transport around the Lake District
• Buses are seen as a major
form of public transport and
during the summer months
the LDNPA subsidises 5
extra buses including the
Langdale Rambler bus
which proved to be a huge
success
Bus runs from Ambleside through
Elterwater to Langdale Fell
• Car – Numerous
Park and Ride
schemes like
Staveley to Lake
Windermere
• Roads which only
allow buses
• Cycling – this is
actively encouraged
by the LDNPA. New
cycle paths are
hoped to encourage
people to go to work
and school. The
Kendal-Keswick
cycle route is the
most popular for
tourists and forms
part of the National
Cycleway Network
• Train – the only
railway link into the
National Park is from
Oxenholme to
Windermere.
• The old railway route
between Penrith to
Keswick is due to be
opened and it should
attract a further
410,000 visitor to the
park
Train Links
Past paper question 2005
• For any National Park or Upland Area you have
studied describe the problems traffic congestion
can cause and explain how an increased volume
of traffic is managed. Comment on the
effectiveness of this management.
» 12 Marks
Mention things like:
» One way streets, bypasses, wardens, parking restrictions
» Extra buses
» Encourage use of public transport eg park and ride,
minibus.
» Use of cycle paths, bridle ways, long distance paths.
» Use of permits to separate locals and visitors.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LW38ht3hv4&feature=related
Footpath Erosion
Footpath erosion can be defined as “where the
vegetation and soil structure has been lost or
substantially altered due to concentrated people
pressures.”
The Lake District attracts approximately 12
million visitors per year. A survey in 1994 showed
that 87% of visitors use the footpaths.The large
number of tourists puts the environment under
great pressure, and footpath erosion can create
huge scars on the landscape.
• Over time, grass is compacted by feet,
and worn away. Because of the steepness
of the hills, rain washes the soil away into
the valleys. This extra soil falls into the
streams, and ends up in lakes where the
saltation causes havoc for fish and other
species.
Problems
• Gulleying of the path
line
• Braiding of the path
into a number of
routes
• Pigeon holing of the
path surface
• Loss of vegetation
• Short cutting at
corners especially on
zig-zag paths
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14r6bg78MRI&feature=related
These two pictures are of the same
path
Use the Footpath Erosion factsheet to answer
the following questions:
1. What are the physical and human effects which
lead to footpath erosion?
2. A seriously eroded footpath is evidence of conflict
between what two purposes?
3. Briefly describe the guiding principles of repair and
maintenance of footpaths in open country.
4. Which would you argue is best for fixing footpaths,
stone pitching or sub soiling?
5. Why did the path at whiteless pike need fixed? How
did they fix it?
6. Where did most of the funding come from to fix
the paths?