We are working closely with partners including Cumberland Council, National Highways, Sustrans and the Lake District National Park Authority to deliver improved cycling, walking and wheeling infrastructure.
We want to create a series of traffic free strategic corridors to better connect our towns and communities. The routes improved will be over longer distances and will also be suitable for leisure and tourism.
The Cumbria Transport Infrastructure Plan (CTIP), adopted in 2022, sets the policy framework for transport and connectivity across Cumbria and a vision for improving transport networks over the period 2022 to 2037.
The CTIP identifies a number of ‘strategic cycling and walking corridors’ for improvement. The corridors falling within the Westmorland and Furness area are:
- Corridor 2: Eden and Lune Valleys
- Corridor 3: North Lakes and Pennines
- Corridor 4: Heart of the Lakes
- Corridor 5: Morecambe Bay
For each corridor we are producing Active Travel Infrastructure Strategies (ATISs) that identify a pipeline of schemes that will support the growth of the county's visitor economy, to provide local recreational and commuting value for residents and contribute towards a low carbon economy. The schemes identified will target different sources of funding to the LCWIPs.
Eden and Lune Valleys
The ATIS for the Eden and Lune Valleys corridor is in development.
North Lakes and Pennines
The ATIS for the North Lakes and Pennines corridor is in development.
Heart of the Lakes
The Heart of the Lakes ATIS was developed in partnership with the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA), Sustrans and National Highways, and endorsed by the Council and LDNPA in 2023.
The ATIS sets the policy framework for walking, wheeling, cycling and where appropriate, horse riding, through the corridor. The corridor runs through the centre of the Lake District National Park and World Heritage Site, providing connectivity between the key service centres of Keswick and Kendal, and towns of Grasmere, Ambleside and Windermere.
A public consultation on proposals for the corridor was undertaken in April 2022. The results are provided in the Summary Report: Strategic Corridors Consultation Summary Report (PDF , 5.4MB).
The ATIS was informed by the See More Lake District Cycling project which sits within the Destination Borderlands Programme (Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal).
The project identified and prioritised a number of schemes to be delivered in and around the Lake District with a strong focus on routes along strategic transport corridors but also including shorter loops for active travel and recreation. The schemes identified will aim to fill gaps in the cycle network, as well as improve the visitor offer and support a transition to a low carbon transport system.
A business case has been developed to make the case for delivery funding for prioritised projects from the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal.
Westmorland and Furness Council and partners the Lake District National Park Authority are currently developing designs for two projects with the aim of securing delivery funding from the Borderlands Growth Deal by the end of 2024. The projects and delivery lead for each are:
- Grasmere to Dunmail Raise (Westmorland and Furness Council)
- Keswick to Threlkeld (K2T) Extension (Lake District National Park Authority)
Morecambe Bay
The ATIS for the Morecambe Bay corridor is in development.