WIREDGOV

Music lovers heading to Cumbria’s popular Kendal Calling event near Penrith at the weekend are being urged to plan their journeys and heed official directions to the music festival site at Lowther Deer Park, Hackthorpe. 

The Highways Agency is issuing the advice after weekend congestion around junction 40 of the M6 at Penrith last year.

The popular annual music festival is taking place between Friday (1 August) and Sunday (3 August) with people starting to arrive to camp at the site from Thursday afternoon (31 July).

Phil Stockford, the Highways Agency’s Events Planning Manager, said:

Kendal Calling has always been on our radar and we have worked hard in previous years to give information to festival goers and other road users alike.

We encourage anyone attending the event over the four days from Thursday to follow the official transport information. The key thing for everybody across the weekend is to plan their journeys – even if that is just making a simple check on traffic conditions before setting out.

Festival goers travelling from the south are being urged to leave the northbound M6 at junction 39 and use the A6. Travellers on the southbound M6 are being urged to leave at junction 40 and join the A6 from the eastbound A66.

As with previous years, hard signage will be used to give advice to drivers while electronic variable message signs will also be used.

Extra patrols of Highways Agency Traffic Officers from the outstations at Lowhurst near Carlisle and Millness south of Kendal will also be deployed to respond to incidents quickly and help keep drivers on the move.

The Highways Agency provides live traffic information via its website, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile platforms, such as the iPhone. Local Twitter services are also available at @HAtraffic_nwest and @HAtraffic_pen9 for Transpennine routes.

Providing they can do so safely, road users can also call the Highways Agency Information Line (0300 123 5000) to keep up to date with road conditions.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways Agency Information Line on 0300 123 5000

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways Agency press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer