Windermere Speed Limit Change

[earlybird]

It seems that the Lake District Park Authority will raise the Windermere general speed limit to 10 knots as from mid-October.
It was 10 mph, (statute)
Is this a victory for campaigners?

 

[claymore]

A victory all round I should say. It will increase the limit up to 11.51 mph in real terms.
Clearly everyone will gain - the fuel retailers will be pumping gallons and gallons through, the Canada Geese will have proportionately bigger surf to play in, and the journey time from Waterhead to Fell Foot will be trimmed by days.....

And this is why we pay taxes, rates and fees.
lovely.

 

[Windy Tonique]

I read that they had clarified that the speed limit was Knots not MPH and also introduced an exemption allowance for special events. That means that the Waterbird Centenary flight should be able to take place (if granted such an exemption). Not a victory as such for those who have campaigned for a compromise such as dedicated water skiing areas without the speed restrictions. Boats with the capability should be able to navigate the length of the lake in less than an hour - what to do for the rest of the day after that?

 

[sarabande]

With increasing the speed limit by 15%, will they also increase the annual charges by a similar amount to achieve parity ?

 

[landlockedpirate]

Sorry, its always been 10kts due to a cock up when the bye laws were written.

I think they are just dotting 'i's and crossing 't's to make prosecutions easier.

 

[Lakesailor]

Correct. Someone at the LDNPA didn't appreciate that there was any difference between knots and mph and drafted the original speed limit as mph. They had meant to draft it as nautical miles per hour but it ended up as MPH and the metric conversion in the byelaw was incorrect.

This letter from DEFRA explains it ??

Pertinent section.