Missing Link #25 - Cargenbridge

The path along Park Road gets half way and then just ... ends

Problems

  • Multiple, difficult road crossings at the start and end of the route.
  • Abrupt end of the cycle path on the Dumfries end of Park Road.

Proposals

  • Complete the off-road link from Park Road to Cargenbridge.
  • Extend the path along the south side of the Dalbeattie Road so that it goes directly into Cargenbridge without having to cross three junctions.
  • Create safe crossings of the Dalbeattie Road near Cargenbridge to improve the safety of people travelling from Cargenbridge to the Garroch industrial park, DGRI and Kilnford farm shop.
  • Run a new path along the west side of the Garroch to join the path at the Garroch roundabout.
  • Create a safe crossing of the Garroch Loaning.

Benefits

  • Simpler, quicker, safer routes to and from the industrial estate, DGRI and the centre of Dumfries.
  • Greatly reduced number of crossings on the path from Dumfries to Mabie Forest via Cargenbridge.
  • An almost continuous safe route between DGRI, Mountainhall, the Crichton, USWS campus and Dumfries College.
  • Viable routes for secondary school children who want to cycle to school in Dumfries (NW Community Campus, The Bridge, The Academy and St Joseph’s).

At a glance

Council Ward: 5 - Abbey
Total route length: 3.2 kms
Travel times: By bike ≈13 mins / e-bike ≈9 mins
Total gap length: 250m

Explore the gaps on Missing Link #25 - Cargenbridge

The Details

Cargenbridge sits only 2 miles from Dumfries High Street or 3 miles via the Maxwelltown Path. It could even be quicker to cycle to Cargenbridge than to drive there, depending on the time of day and the traffic. It’s also the point where three cycle routes meet: the NCN 7 out to Castle Douglas and points west, the off-road route to Mabie, and the Park Road path which heads towards (but crucially doesn’t quite reach) New Abbey Road, Maxwelltown and Troqueer.

However, what should be a place that’s accessible by bike by all and sundry, rather than just experienced and confident adults, is hampered by a couple of key gaps.

Multiple uncontrolled crossings

As the map above shows, even though Cargenbridge and the Park Road cycle path are on the same side of the Dalbeattie Road, the official route has you crossing the Dalbeattie Road once, crossing the Garroch Loaning, and then crossing back across the Dalbeattie Road. All of these crossings have terrible sight lines and there are no zebras or signal controlled crossings. At busy times, it can take ages to find a safe moment to cross which can lead to dangerous behaviour. This is very off-putting for novice cyclists, someone cycling with children or for an unaccompanied older child.

Opting for the Maxwelltown Path in to town is a longer but flatter route and still requires crossing busy roads twice to join the shared-use path on the east side of the Garroch Loaning. To get to DGRI, you then have to cross the Garroch again after the roundabout because the path switches to the other side of the road.

Park Road path

The most direct route into town is the shared-use path along the Dalbeattie Road and Park Road. This gets halfway and then just … ends. And on a nasty bend too. Pedestrians can cross the road and continue along the footway on the other side but cyclists have to join the road and tough it out with the traffic.

The new path and crossings at New Abbey Road and Rotchell Road open up safe routes into town, Troqueer and beyond. Unfortunately, as long as the gap in the Park Road path exists, this new investment won’t reap the benefit in terms of increased cycling that you might otherwise expect. Cycle routes are only as strong as their weakest link and the Park Road path is a very weak link indeed. Making the suggested improvements will make it easier for people to cycle to work in DuPont, the council offices, Garroch industrial estate and DGRI, as well as allowing residents of Cargenbridge to use a bike instead of a car to get to Dumfries or the hospital for work, shopping and education. With plans for more development of the old ICI site at Cargenbridge, including a nursery, traffic will increase on already busy roads if people aren’t given alternatives to driving. If the nursery does go ahead, then any infrastructure will need to be of the highest standard, if parents are going to feel safe transporting young children by bike or on foot.

Missing Links is an initiative of Cycling Dumfries.

Website by Gilbert West as a pro bono project.

All text content, photographs and videos on the Missing Links website is available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

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