Transport plan for busy national park criticised
BBC/Federica BedendoA national park authority's plans to deal with transport issues have been criticised as "weak" by a charity.
The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) is due to discuss its five-year plan, which will guide how key decisions are made within the Cumbrian area.
Landscape charity Friends of the Lake District (Fold) urged the LDNPA not to approve the transport section of the plan as it was, which it called "unambitious".
The LDNPA said travel objectives and targets were agreed by the majority of the 23 organisations part of the Lake District National Park Partnership, which includes councils, tourism boards and charities.
There are long-standing issues with traffic, congestion and parking within the Lake District.
The draft plan, which is recommended for approval by the LDNPA at a meeting on Wednesday, said how people travel around the area "could change significantly", with people becoming "less reliant on private cars".
However, it said challenges included funding and seasonality of visitors.
'Relationship at stake'
Earlier this year, members of the Keswick Tourist Association said they would be in favour of a vehicle levy, but the LDNPA said it did not have the power to introduce one.
In its draft transport plan it explained the creation of a new combined mayoral authority in Cumbria could have the power to alter current policies and implement a "holistic and integrated" approach.
Fold, which is part of the partnership, said the "weak" plan put forward by the LDNPA offered "little hope for change to the current situation in which 90% of visitors use private transport".
It added the relationship between the LDNPA and its partners was "at stake".
The charity's acting CEO Lorayne Wall said: "For the authority to reject the transport section of the plan or to commit to going beyond it would reaffirm its recognition of the need for systemic change to transport in the park, while also sending a clear signal as to what the proper relationship between the partnership and the authority should be."
The LDNPA's chief executive Gavin Capstick said its proposed sustainable travel plans aligned with current policies developed by other partners, including councils and Cumbria Tourism.
He said the authority recognised there were high numbers of private vehicles in the national park, especially around certain locations and at peak times.
He said: "We're committed to working in partnership to reduce these numbers and to encourage alternatives, while supporting and working with partners who are able to provide services and infrastructure to alleviate the pressures."
He added the partnership would work on "delivery plans to ensure we can deliver the objectives we set".