ABSTRACT
Local traffic was seldom sufficient to compensate fully for the loss of long distance transport along the Trust roads, and by the late 1830s, considerable concern was being felt in Government circles about the position of the turnpike authorities in the light of railway competition. It was generally recognised by now that Turnpike Trusts should be dissolved. They were widely disliked by all road users and the frequent stoppages to traffic which toll gates necessitated, were an impediment to the more expeditious carriage of people and goods along the main roads. The Government was also reluctant to countenance the abolition of Turnpike Trusts until such time as the country’s railway network had become well established as an alternative means of communication. The townships adjoining the Ambleside Trust road had justifiable cause for complaint, but in one respect they were more fortunate than most of their counterparts elsewhere in Cumbria.
