Skip to main content

Traffic flow information substantiates benefits of new route

The number of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) travelling through Carlisle’s city centre in the north east of England is estimated to have been reduced by more than a third since the US$276.5 million Carlisle Northern Development Route opened in February 2012. Information gathered from a network of 20 permanent and temporary traffic counters dotted around the city showing ‘before and after’ CNDR road usage is starting to build a more meaningful picture of the benefits the new road has brought to Carlisle.
August 20, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The number of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) travelling through Carlisle’s city centre in the north east of England is estimated to have been reduced by more than a third since the US$276.5 million Carlisle Northern Development Route opened in February 2012.

Information gathered from a network of 20 permanent and temporary traffic counters dotted around the city showing ‘before and after’ CNDR road usage is starting to build a more meaningful picture of the benefits the new road has brought to Carlisle.

There has been a marked reduction in both cars and HGVs along the main north to south arterial route through the city – the A7 and A595 – as an average of more than 10,000 vehicles a day use the new 8.25km/5.13-mile road.

Carlisle’s busiest stretch of road, the A595 at Castle Way, has shown a 16 per cent reduction in all vehicles from 38,083 a day before the opening of CNDR to 32,050 afterwards (with a 41 per cent reduction in HGVs from 6,860 to 4,060). Other city centre hotspots have shown similar reductions, with the A7 at Stanwix Bank showing a 16 per cent reduction in all vehicles and a 32 per cent reduction in HGVs.

CNDR has quickly become a key route to travel between the south west of the city and the industrial areas to the north - a big factor for employers looking to develop good communications channels in areas ripe for commercial development.

As expected, there are higher levels of traffic on certain radial routes that have direct links to the CNDR. The county council has already set aside additional capital funding to mitigate against this effect and also improve links to CNDR for pedestrians and cyclists along these radial routes.

Related Content

  • TomTom data shows benefits of upgraded Gauteng freeways
    July 25, 2013
    The Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) in South Africa, which included the addition of new lanes to most of the freeways in the province, has succeeded in reducing commuter travel times, historical data by navigation specialist TomTom showed on Tuesday. In a presentation at an Intelligent Transport Society South Africa conference, TomTom Africa sub-Saharan Africa account manager Tom Westendorp noted that the cumulative travel time between 4 pm and 7 pm on an 18 km of the N1 North had reduced from 23
  • British Columbia's highway corridors show it’s good to share
    June 6, 2025
    The Canadian province is advocating harmony along its major roads, setting aside major funding for projects to allow vehicles and other modes to operate safely side by side, reports David Arminas
  • Norway gets ready for more EVs
    September 14, 2021
    Norway’s road transport network is changing radically. The country is gearing up for greater electric vehicle use as well as gradually phasing out its traditional ferry links
  • BlueToad travel-time deployment on major arterials in Georgia
    July 11, 2012
    TrafficCast International has successfully implemented two traffic signal optimisation projects in the State of Georgia. To improve key arterial roadway efficiencies, Cobb County and Fulton County have deployed TrafficCast’s BlueToad online suite of travel time data management tools to mitigate congestion and reduce travel delays.