Motorists in Cumbria are to benefit from enhanced road safety in the future as a result of important changes to a stretch of the busy A595 between Whitehaven and Bigrigg.

Work began on Monday (August 3rd) to reduce the speed limit of this popular stretch of carriageway from 60 mph to 50 mph, with new signage being erected to inform future travellers of this change.

The shift has come about as a result of a significant number of speed-related incidents along the route in recent years, with 32 cases of personal injury reported along just a one-mile stretch of the A595 between 2005 and 2010.

It has taken several years to convince the local authority of the need for this speed limit reduction, but with built-up 40 mph zones sandwiching this section of the carriageway, it makes sense to reduce the risk to both travellers and local communities by reducing the speed limit between these areas.

Highways England project manager Peter Gee said: "The safety of route users, including pedestrians and cyclists, is our top priority and while we work to ensure the strategic road network can operate at national speed limits we will reduce the speed limit where appropriate."

He added that accident rates along this section of the transport network have been unacceptable in recent years, but it is now hoped that this decision to reduce the speed of travellers will have a positive knock-on effect on road safety.

The project is aiming for completion by the bank holiday weekend later this month, with engineers working on the route between the hours of 09:30 and 15:30 BST each day.