Plans to introduce a 20mph speed limit across Kendal has been backed by the town council.
If successful, the proposal would see the speed limit introduced in residential and built-up areas.
In December 2023, Westmorland and Furness Council launched a new application process to make it easier for communities to request 20mph speed limits.
It is part of a broader regional plan to improve road safety and tackle emissions. Kendal is included in the second phase of the rollout, scheduled for 2025–2026.
Councillors and officers from Kendal Town Council are already working with Westmorland and Furness Council to define the scope of the scheme and ensure the consultation process is inclusive and effective, it said.
It is expected that an informal public consultation will launch later this year. Based on that, a formal decision will be made by the South Lakeland Locality Board as to whether Kendal proceeds to full implementation in 2026.
The call for 20mph limits is backed by major global health organisations including the United Nations and World Health Organisation, which state that 20mph should be the standard in places where people live, work, play.
A spokesman for Kendal Town Council said: “This initiative is about making Kendal safer, cleaner, friendlier and more community focused.
“Who wouldn’t want our residential streets to be safer for our children travelling to school on foot or by bicycle? Who wouldn’t want cleaner air and fewer emissions? A 20mph speed limit tackles so many issues and can be a benefit to all of us.
“While enforcement remains a talking point, the change we seek is a cultural one—where safe driving is the norm, not the exception.
“We know cultures don’t change overnight and this could take time to bed in, but the evidence is clear when you travel to other areas with 20mph speed limits; people adapt very quickly.
“These limits are as enforceable as any other speed limit so if enforcement is an issue, that’s an issue of available resource rather than of the speed limit itself.
“Finally on that, if someone is going to go a few miles over the limit, the surely it’s preferable and safer for all if they’re doing so in a 20mph area than one with a limit of 30mph.
“When communities embrace 20mph zones, compliance rises, and accidents fall. We believe Kendal is ready to lead that change.”
Kendal Town Council said it continued to support a “signs only” model – an approach that balanced impact with cost-effectiveness and was already working in similar towns, it said.
It added that it was committed to open dialogue and urged residents, businesses, and community groups to take part in the upcoming public consultation.
