Plans to consult on proposals to slash the speed limit on a “dangerous” stretch of the A595 outside Carlisle have been put on ice.

Members of Cumbria County Council's Carlisle local committee learned today that their counterparts in Allerdale had already voted against officer recommendations to proceed to a statutory consultation in a separate meeting earlier this month.

Both local committees would have had to agree for the plans to progress to the next stage.

Transport chiefs wanted to reduce the speed limit on a 1.4-mile stretch of road on the A595 between Peter Lane and the Thursby roundabout to 50mph amid safety fears.

But following the local committee for Allerdale’s decision, it was revealed that the speed limit proposals must now go back to the back to the highways working group before they can be considered again.

The clarification followed some confusion from officers and members over whether or not public views could now be sought.

Earlier in the meeting Councillor Trevor Allison, Lib Dem county councillor for Daltson and Burgh, backed calls for a speed reduction.

Coun Allison, who has previously asked if a solid white line could be added on the approach to the Newby West roundabout to discourage overtaking, said: “The main problem for people living alongside the A595 is trying to get out of their properties – it’s the speed of the traffic. It is a particular problem for the equine centre. It’s horrendous. You have to live along there [to appreciate the issue].”

An independent safety study carried out during 2016/17 found that 43 collisions had happened on this stretch of road over a five-year period, six of which were classed as “serious”, with one fatality.

But the county’s traffic management specialist Steph Davis-Johnston had said that the number of collisions had probably been underestimated.

In a report, she said: “The collision data provided was for personal injury collisions that are recorded by the police. However, when the comments of residents and members are taken into consideration appears to be higher than the data provided to us.

“This may simply be down to a number of collisions being ‘damage only’ and therefore will not show up in our data, or if this is not the case, there may be some under reporting of collisions to the police.”

Members representing the Thursby, Dalston and Burgh have campaigned for many years for a reduction in the speed limit which is now 60mph.

Thursby parish council had agreed with the proposed reduction but at least one road user has objected to the plans.

They said: “Too much we fixate on speed as a society, rather than focus more on driver standard and behaviour.”