Cumberland Council is advising passengers of temporary changes to some bus services in Cumberland on Wednesday 19 August as the Tour of Britain Women cycle race passes through the area.
A rolling programme of road closures will be in place along the race route to ensure the safety of riders and spectators. While most bus services will continue to operate, some routes will be diverted or have amended stopping arrangements during the day.
The opening stage of Britain's biggest professional women's cycle race will start and finish in Cockermouth, taking riders on a challenging 158.9km route through communities across west and north Cumberland before returning to Cockermouth for the finish. The race route will pass through areas including Whitehaven, Workington, Maryport, Allonby, Silloth, Abbeytown, Wigton, Caldbeck, Aspatria and Cockermouth.
Temporary bus stop arrangements in Cockermouth:
Passengers travelling to and from Cockermouth are advised that bus stop arrangements will be in place for services X4, X5 and 600.
Buses will not be operating from the east side of Cockermouth from Main Street and the school, therefore these bus stops on the west of Cockermouth must be used:
- Between 9am and 11.30am, passengers should use the bus stops on Crown Street near Aldi.
- Between 4am and 9am and again between 11.30am and 6.30pm, services X4, X5 and 600 will operate from the Crown Street stops near Aldi and the Fairfield Junior School bus stops on Sullart Street.
Temporary signage will be displayed throughout Cockermouth to direct passengers to the correct boarding points.
Service changes:
The following temporary amendments will be in place on Wednesday 19 August:
Service 60
- 10.43am departure from Workington will terminate at Silloth at 1.35pm and will not continue to Skinburness.
- 11.47am departure from Skinburness will instead start from Silloth at 11.55am.
Service 400
- 12.40pm departure from Carlisle will terminate at Wigton at 1.15pm.
- 1.42pm departure from Silloth will start from Wigton at 2.09pm.
Service 554
- The 2pm departure from Carlisle will operate as service 553.
- The 1.15pm departure from Keswick will operate as service 553.
Service 600
- The 1.40pm and 2.40pm departures from Carlisle will operate via Aspatria to Wigton.
- The 1.23pm and 2.23pm departures from Whitehaven will operate via Aspatria to Cockermouth.
C123 Cockermouth Town Service
- This service will not operate on Wednesday 19 August.
Service 68
- This service will use the temporary bus stops outlined above.
Allow extra time for your journey
Passengers are reminded that all other bus services may be affected by rolling road closures as the race progresses through the county. Delays of approximately 15 to 20 minutes are possible on some routes.
Most roads on the route will be subject to rolling road closures, meaning traffic will be temporarily held for short periods as the riders and race convoy pass through before reopening as soon as it is safe to do so. Rolling road closures are expected to operate between approximately 10.40am and 4.30pm.
Special arrangements will also be in place in Cockermouth to accommodate the start and finish areas. Main Street and Station Street will be closed from 4am until 6.30pm, while South Street will be closed from 7am until 5pm. Crown Street, Sullart Street and Gallowbarrow will also be closed between 9am and 11.30am to allow event infrastructure to be installed safely.
In addition, the A595 between Bothel and Cockermouth will be closed from 2pm until 3.45pm while riders complete the final sections of the stage. These timings are precautionary and the actual duration may be shorter.
The race is expected to pass through local communities at the following approximate times:
- Whitehaven: 11.43am to 11.55am
- High Harrington: 11.57am to 12.07pm
- Workington: 12.01pm to 12.17pm
- Flimby: 12.12pm to 12.25pm
- Maryport: 12.16pm to 12.30pm
- Allonby: 12.28pm to 12.45pm
- Silloth: 12.44pm to 1.04pm
- Wigton: 1.12pm to 1.38pm
- Caldbeck: 1.30pm to 2pm
- Aspatria: 2pm to 2.37pm
- Cockermouth, first passage of the finish line: 2.21pm to 3.02pm
- Cockermouth, race finish: 3pm to 3.50pm
Lead vehicles may arrive around 15 minutes before the riders.
Residents and visitors planning to travel by bus on Wednesday 19 August are encouraged to check the latest information before setting out and allow additional time for their journey where possible.
Several public car parks are available around the town centre. Cumberland Council operates both long and short-stay parking, including Riverside long-stay car park and Fairfield short-stay car park.
Visitors travelling to Cockermouth to watch the race will be able to use parking at Cockermouth Rugby Club as an overflow car park.
Residents can find further information about the race, route, road closures and timings at https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/tourofbritain/women and www.cumberland.gov.uk/TourofBritain
Any queries regarding the traffic restrictions can be directed to Cumberland Council's Highways Hotline on 0300 373 3736.