M6 motorway's rural diversion 'feels unsafe'
Network RailA minibus passenger diverted through rural villages because of a motorway closure says the route felt unsafe and "it wouldn't need much for something to go wrong".
The M6 between junctions 39, near Shap, and 40, at Penrith, Cumbria, is closed this weekend and next as part of West Coast Main Line works to demolish and replace the 60-year-old Clifton Bridge.
Bernard Walker said his vehicle kept having to stop for lorries on the wrong side of the road to pass and it "only needs one idiot to try and make up time and you've got the potential for an accident".
National Highways said it had worked for several years "to carefully plan this event" and to minimise disruption as much as possible.
Each weekend, the closures are taking place from 20:00 GMT on the Friday night to 05:00 on the Monday morning.
During the day, vehicles travelling southbound are being diverted on the A66 through the Eden Valley. Northbound traffic and all overnight traffic is using the A6 through villages like Shap.
Mr Walker, who frequently travels from Staffordshire to Glasgow to see his grandchildren, was taken on the diversion on Friday night having caught a lift with friends when his train back was cancelled.
"They're trying to put modern traffic through what's basically a 1950s route, creating quite a potentially dangerous situation," he said.
National HighwaysMr Walker said the signposting of the diversion was good but that "no-one seems to have told the residents of Shap".
Large cars were parked half on and half off the pavement "effectively blocking" the route, he said.
National Highways said it had chosen a time of the year, and a week, when traffic volumes were at their lowest.
"We appreciate the patience and understanding of drivers and local communities while we work to keep traffic safely moving," a spokesperson said.
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A number of minor roads have been closed during the work, with residents given access permits.
But people posting on social media have reported more traffic than usual through Eden Valley villages, such as King's Meaburn.
Some suggested diverted drivers were ignoring the official alternatives and going wherever they liked.
There was a crash involving a car and a bus on Saturday afternoon which temporarily blocked the A6 diversion route between Hackthorpe and Thrimby.
The driver of the car was taken to hospital, police said.
Mr Walker said he would have liked to see a police presence on the diverted route.
"I thought you would have had a few reassuring patrol cars somewhere around the place, but there wasn't," he said.
A Cumbria Police spokesperson said the force had been working with partners including National Highways and Westmoreland and Furness council highways to minimise the impact of the closure.
They said additional resources had been deployed throughout the weekend, including roads policing officers and safety camera vans.
"We are working with are partners to closely monitoring traffic movements, with enforcement activity is being undertaken were appropriate," they added.
