Councillor to talk about road bypasses and traffic congestion in Cumberland

A senior councillor will be quizzed next week about the connection between road bypasses and traffic congestion in Cumberland.

Councillor Helen Davison (Belah, Green Party) will direct her question to councillor Denise Rollo (Harrington, Labour), the sustainable, resilient and connected places portfolio holder, at Tuesday’s (November 5) meeting of Cumberland Council at the Civic Centre in Carlisle.

Cllr Davison will ask: “Rather than reducing traffic, road bypasses have been proven to increase traffic significantly more than would otherwise be the case. This recognised phenomenon is described as induced traffic.

“Locally, the Carlisle Northern Development Route (CNDR) followed a well-recognised pattern with bypasses.

“Initially, it reduced the traffic through Carlisle but over time traffic has returned towards previous levels and Carlisle continues to suffer considerable issues with congestion.

“The opportunity with the CNDR to make meaningful changes to improve transport infrastructure by reallocating some road space for walking, cycling and public transport was not taken.

“This was despite considerable encouragement to the county council to do so from community groups and despite a local Friends of the Earth group being assured investment in public and active travel would follow.

“What plans does Cumberland Council have in place to ensure that, at the point the Carlisle Southern Link Road opens, changes are ready to be made to routes through the city, to meaningfully support a modal shift in transport methods, so that central Carlisle does not again lose the brief opportunity, whilst city roads are quieter, to properly improve walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure?”

Tuesday’s public meeting is due to begin at 1pm.