We take our first look at the new Carlisle bypass and check it out for sniffs and dog friendliness.
Our walk starts at the Kingmoor Hub, which is about a mile from the M6 junction and is one of the first areas to be almost finished.
Known by many names including The Northern Development Route, The Carlisle bypass, Carlisle Relief Road and the CNDR this road has taken many years to build.
The 8.25km (5.13 mile) single carriageway bypass from the A595 at Newby West to junction 44 on the M6 should remove many vehicles from the centre of Carlisle.
Kingmoor Hub
To the west a new bridge has been installed to cross the River Eden and work is still being done to link that work to this completed section.
Cutting through the former 14MU military depot this new road is currently mainly used by trucks delivering and collecting from the many industrial units on site.
However, when it opens fully, thousands of vehicles should avoid the bottlenecks of the centre of Carlisle.
Wildlife
Rabbits and many birds do not seem to have been disturbed too much with the building of this new road, as they move from one side of the tarmac to the other. Charlie even saw one scoot off into the hedge and wanted to follow.
Hundreds of new trees, growing through protective stem tubes, appear to have been planted alongside the new verges. This will give the birds somewhere to shelter in a few years time.
Grass seeds are starting to take root in the path edges, no doubt helped by the recent rain.
Protective fencing, about 0.5m high has been installed in some areas. We are not sure why but think it may have something to do with newts and other crawling animals found onsite.
Narrow cyclepath
One of the first things that struck us was the lack of traffic light controlled crossing points. Given the amount of traffic that will use this new road we can only hope that these are yet to be added to allow anyone to cross the busy road.
We also noticed that the wide pedestrian path was to be shared, like it is in the city, with cyclists.
Amazingly, for a new build this road, does not seem to have a separate bike path between the main road and the path.
This sharing of path does raise an interesting question when you look at the position of the white line down the path. Is the 24cm wide area for pedestrians and us, or is it for bikes with very narrow handlebars and no overtaking?
Bat screens or poster hoardings ?
Without traffic whizzing past, at up to 40mph, allowed us to hear the wildlife and to take in the quirks every new build has to offer.
As we came away from the road, via a very wide underpass allowing us back onto the old nature path, we spotted three big plastic and wood screens high on the banking above us.
Initially mum and dad thought that they were for plants to grow up or for attaching something to. It turns out, thanks to a passing fellow dog walker, that they are to stop bats being drawn to the lights of the underpass.
This seems a strange solution as the screens are on only three sides of the underpass and are some distance away.
More research is needed as we are not convinced this is what they are for.
Our first impressions
After a few hundred metres the new tarmac path fades back into a dirt track and some familiar natural sniffs.
As a result of our first visit to this part of the new Carlisle bypass we have to say it is not that dog friendly.
Working dogs, such as our colleagues who look after blind humans, may struggle to cross the busy road or get confused by bikes not sticking to the ‘cycle path’.
We also noted that the path is not protected by any safety barriers. This gives us the feeling of being ‘in the road’. We would prefer something to protect us from noisy trucks and speeding cars.
On a plus side for assistance K9’s street lighting columns were mounted off the walking areas, as were many of the roadsigns, thus avoiding pavement clutter.
Walkers and path users, which are possibly on the increase due to fuel costs, may miss the provision of seating or rest areas, dustbins or bus stop shelters. However, these may still be installed before the road opens.
It is hoped that the new road should open in part later this year with the full opening in 2012.
Until next time
Buster and Charlie