A country road? Site entrance to Brigsteer Rise When I was a child I had a recurrent nightmare. I walked alone on a country road. A heavy wagon pursued me, slowly gaining on me, terrifying.
Today it happened, for real. I walked alone down Brigsteer Road, on the right, facing oncoming traffic. And I saw this wide load coming toward me, looming across a narrow country road. How do I escape danger?
Today it happened, for real. I walked alone down Brigsteer Road, on the right, facing oncoming traffic. And I saw this wide load coming toward me, looming across a narrow country road. How do I escape danger?
How do we protect ourselves from danger, how do we keep safe? This last week we locals have shared recent experiences of close-encounters with heavy wagons between the site entrance to Brigsteer Rise (foreground on these images) and the site entrance to The Ghyll, the latest area devastated by Story Homes as they begin to build at Brigsteer Rise. Smaller vehicles move between sites at scary speed and walkers have nowhere to take refuge. The pavement from Underwood to the Brigsteer Road access point to The Ghyll is narrow and wholly inadequate for our protection. Above the Underwood junction, there is no pavement, no cordoned-off and protected footway for walkers, no traffic lights, nothing to slow down traffic.
If you sense despair and anger, you're right. We residents have been asking for a pavement since 2014, through official channels. We've followed all the procedures that were made known to us. Unfortunately, the process has not been open and transparent.
If you sense despair and anger, you're right. We residents have been asking for a pavement since 2014, through official channels. We've followed all the procedures that were made known to us. Unfortunately, the process has not been open and transparent.
These images read graphically if you take a while to study them.
Look at that wide load approaching the site entrance to Brigsteer Rise. Where is the safe footway for walkers?
Something of the sort seems about to be constructed right of image but it's designed for those who will buy one of the new houses at Brigsteer Rise.
We lament the displaced wildlife and we're noting habitat loss and species loss. Bats roosted in mature trees beside the Brigsteer Road. This summer, they have not been seen about the houses in Maple Drive. Barn owl and kestrel hunted where now you see the site entrance to Brigsteer Rise. Look at the devastation!!! In my photographic archive I have images of the lovely flowers of meadow saxifrage abundant on those slopes. (try search on this website and you'll see them).
From The Ghyll, I have images of orange-tip butterflies, green-veined whites and tortoiseshell where now you see churned up earth and heavy machinery. Garlic mustard, food plant for butterflies, is gone. At the first tree-felling (done before Story Homes were given permission) the ground was so disturbed it disrupted the flora totally. Gone is the garlic mustard. In summer 2022 ground elder covered the ground, and thistles but no butterflies. I can still hear those trees splintering as they crashed to earth, trees are our air-conditioning- they give out oxygen, evapotranspiration keeps us cool and in the recent heat-wave we might reflect on how essential mature trees are. I can hear those trees falling because I made a video. It was the day Putin invaded Ukraine and it felt like an invasion. It still does because we do not feel safe as we walk the Brigsteer Road, bound for Kendal or west for Scout Scar.
Our Request
We ask for a continuous pavement from the junction of Underwood and Brigsteer Road, west to Kendal Race Course as we head for Scout Scar and the Lake District National Park. Back in 2014 we asked, in writing, for this to be in place BEFORE planning permission was given for housing development. A continuous pavement following the direct and established route along the Brigsteer Road, the way locals have walked for decades. It's simple, it makes good sense. So where's the plan?
Look at that wide load approaching the site entrance to Brigsteer Rise. Where is the safe footway for walkers?
Something of the sort seems about to be constructed right of image but it's designed for those who will buy one of the new houses at Brigsteer Rise.
We lament the displaced wildlife and we're noting habitat loss and species loss. Bats roosted in mature trees beside the Brigsteer Road. This summer, they have not been seen about the houses in Maple Drive. Barn owl and kestrel hunted where now you see the site entrance to Brigsteer Rise. Look at the devastation!!! In my photographic archive I have images of the lovely flowers of meadow saxifrage abundant on those slopes. (try search on this website and you'll see them).
From The Ghyll, I have images of orange-tip butterflies, green-veined whites and tortoiseshell where now you see churned up earth and heavy machinery. Garlic mustard, food plant for butterflies, is gone. At the first tree-felling (done before Story Homes were given permission) the ground was so disturbed it disrupted the flora totally. Gone is the garlic mustard. In summer 2022 ground elder covered the ground, and thistles but no butterflies. I can still hear those trees splintering as they crashed to earth, trees are our air-conditioning- they give out oxygen, evapotranspiration keeps us cool and in the recent heat-wave we might reflect on how essential mature trees are. I can hear those trees falling because I made a video. It was the day Putin invaded Ukraine and it felt like an invasion. It still does because we do not feel safe as we walk the Brigsteer Road, bound for Kendal or west for Scout Scar.
Our Request
We ask for a continuous pavement from the junction of Underwood and Brigsteer Road, west to Kendal Race Course as we head for Scout Scar and the Lake District National Park. Back in 2014 we asked, in writing, for this to be in place BEFORE planning permission was given for housing development. A continuous pavement following the direct and established route along the Brigsteer Road, the way locals have walked for decades. It's simple, it makes good sense. So where's the plan?
Click on images. The image above shows the Brigsteer Road in orange. Left, a row of blue dots shows existing pavement from Kendal Race Course ending opposite the road to Stainbank Green. The next photograph shows, on the left, the point where the stretch of pavement we request finishes at the line across the image. There walkers could cross safely on a level stretch of road to the existing pavement, then walk west to the Race Course and Scout Scar.
The row of red dots shows the short stretch where we request a pavement that would link up with the existing stretch. And with what we believe Story Homes intends for residents of their new houses, downslope of the access road to Brigsteer Rise and shown on the first images.
The last image shows one of the heavy trucks on the narrow Brigsteer Road. There are kerb stones but no pavement. There has to be a stretch of pavement from the junction of Underwood/Brigsteer Road uphill on the left, beside the old stone wall. This is a section for which we request to see the plan before it is implemented. Locals who walk this way know what is needed so we want to be consulted.
The row of red dots shows the short stretch where we request a pavement that would link up with the existing stretch. And with what we believe Story Homes intends for residents of their new houses, downslope of the access road to Brigsteer Rise and shown on the first images.
The last image shows one of the heavy trucks on the narrow Brigsteer Road. There are kerb stones but no pavement. There has to be a stretch of pavement from the junction of Underwood/Brigsteer Road uphill on the left, beside the old stone wall. This is a section for which we request to see the plan before it is implemented. Locals who walk this way know what is needed so we want to be consulted.
RSS Feed