SOUTH Cumbria MPs have been looking at ways to minimise accidents on the A590 after two fatalities and a number of crashes on the road this month.

It comes after growing calls to address the safety of the road itself and perhaps create an alternative route as shutting it can cause major traffic disruptions.

Crash deaths in August include:

- August 3: A cyclist in his 80s died following a collision with a van along the A590 near Levens.

- August 9: A man in his 40’s died after his Range Rover left the carriageway along the B5278 near Haverthwaite just off the A590

Tim Farron, MP for Lonsdale and Westmorland, said yesterday: “I’m really grateful to Jonathan Reade from National Highways for attending today’s Cumbria Better Connected meeting to update us on what steps are being taken to make the A590 safer, after the heartbreakingly tragic accidents we have seen over the past few weeks.

“There are a whole raft of measures that are under consideration from average speed cameras to a new roundabout at Gilpin Bridge.

“Funding remains the big issue to getting all this done so the upcoming Route Strategy Review is going to be so important in us all making the case for these desperately needed measures to help us prevent more accidents and save lives.”

The meeting yesterday was attended by Barrow’s MP Simon Fell who is equally concerned of the issue as closures on the road can have a huge impact on business and the local economy.

He said: “I attended Cumbria Better Connected, which meets with stakeholders regularly and is chaired by my constituency neighbour, Tim Farron.

“We discussed the A590 and the need for improvements along the road to minimise the number of accidents and shutdowns that we keep seeing.

"We need that road to be safe and predictable for people to travel along and we now have an opportunity to make the case for change to deliver just that. I’ll be working with Tim and others to make that happen.”

Drivers are being urged to use caution on the roads with increased traffic volume.

A Cumbria Police spokesman said: “Cumbria Police take the safety of road users incredibly seriously, with a dedicated roads policing unit who are strategically deployed across the country every day.

“We work closely with our partners, such as Highways England, to continually assess road safety.

“Additionally, patrols have continued to increase on the A590 this year, following the implementation of a new traffic base in Barrow.”