I agree that this subway is actually surplus to requirements but i can't see how it could be just closed off without some major structural work to remove the high walled end to the steps on ther one side, and close off the other, otherwise missuse of it could lead to serious damage making it dangerous as a busy road goes over the top. perhaps the cheapest and best solution would be a coat of paint, better lighting and have a street cleaner go through it on a regular basis.

If the users of this subway are so disgusted why dont they use the traffic light controlled crossings on street level, to cross the roads, it much brighter and easier to reach either side of the viaduct.

Why not engage the people who cause the disgraceful filthy mess to clean up, bet it would be more of a deterant than only a fine.

But Martin, if it is closed off and only the "vandals, druggies or louts" use the space does it matter. In fact, wouldn't it be preferable for their mess to be made where only they can see it?

Adam. The small block of terraced houses and shop was I would say is part of the baths car park almost beside the underpass subway. The James Street housing community that included St Stephen's Church that now partial site of filling station and industrial units. I recall the busy newsagent shop here. The Metal Box occupied the site of Staples and Matalan. Sadly a fine row Victorian terrace town house's was demolished for the Georgian Way. This was George Street. Many of Carlisle citizens would have been born at the George Street Maternity Hospital. Strand Road that once linked to George Street and Spring Garden Lane was the site of the cleanest fire station engine I have ever yet seen. I'm sure it had a highly polished brass bell. Carlisle in becoming a larger city lacks polish. It's shabbier with so many reporting's of locations and buildings etc. The subway of Chapel Street to Strand Road had broken loose slabs last time used and some of the most disgusting graffiti in the city. The neglected former city strand road sports centre has stood empty for over possible two decades. Somethings have not been put right in the good times with now putting blame on the ongoing recession.

The Carlisle Baths Underpass on Nelson Bridges at top of James Street. Wood Street is the adjacent site that consisted of a small row of terraced houses and shop where many a kid bought snacks after visiting the old city baths. Obviously no vending machines on hand then. The shambled property of Charlotte street (besides now state of many a city underpass) nearby was another such similar street that was totally demolished many decades ago.

Nelson Bridge Inn was another nearby property with still existing sallyport steps from Nelson Bridges near start of Denton Street. Last time I walked down the underused Victorian slate steps a young sapling tree had decided to take root on them.

can roy tell me were the wood street underpass is in carlisle,it was mensioned in roys letter 27 june 2012

The Edenbridges Victorian ex-white tiled underpass is much more in use in the community and open to visual aspects of our city and how it does not look after it's inherited fabric. Apart from Carlisle Market Cross and James Steel's recent restorations and pavement scrub of some city streets. I had to tell city centre police standing near about skateboards users present for ages on James Steel's granite plinth and possibly chipping sandstone/granite marble plinth steps. The two chatting police upped and moved from their now own typical city perched statue standings into action after being told the council are faced with expenses repairing such on underpass steps etc. The Eden tiled underpass (unlisted) is much obliterated now with graffiti and now a little tile damaged by fire.The terrific noise as youths believed to have tested their explosive fireworks sometime ago. The frequency of cleaning the tiles has given into vandalism of our cities fabric that hopefully will be with us for another hundred years. Some of our architectural heritage destined to be condemned as per usual in Carlisle. The city needs to invest in more portable CCTV systems with many brackets around the city to facilitate moving recordable cameras around, as do the misguided yobs that move around, who often do the damage.

It has been in a mess for as said a number of years. So, why now? It has not suddenly got worse than a decade ago. Some surplus paint might help more quickly but for the old sandstone of the viaduct structure's walls. I do however think some of these narrow city centre lanes and the many underpasses are rather gross. Only recently city centre Boustead's Lane got a pavement scrub down but somehow they stopped half way and leaving some other filthy stinking lanes untouched. Many of the structures are used as public toilets. More so since many of the public facilities were closed. The council needs a jet wash gun hosing down some central city lanes frequently. Tourist visitors perhaps such be handed a nose peg, or two in their travel pack for Carlisle in Cumbria! I would rather have public funds spent on such as these much used daily in town centre. I've been down Wood Street Underpass and seen the grass/weeds overgrowth and broken discarded glass. It is not the only location I've lifted my dogs (for paw damage) over a path from broken glass. Nelson Bridge underpass Cycleway is another. Keen to cycle over broken glass...No! Similar Hadrians cycleway under the Etterby Mainline railway bridge is another much needed more of path surfing funding. Full Stop the elements of underpass misuse it should be now sealed off but why close everything in answer to yobs. The Waverley Viaduct is another where yobs have closed a river crossing facility to the city's leisure pursuits. The Wood street underpass has'nt wheeled access for prams and cycles the same as other city underpasses so perhaps here lies why it has been much underused.

I believe some elements of council do ignore some city infrastructure that may be viewed as gross to it's citizens and visitors as gross ignorance of our cities heritage fabric. I fully cite the underpass of the Bitts Park Sands Centre Victorian Tiled Eden Bridge tunnel as more worthy of cleaning the (unlisted?) glazed Victorian tiled tunnel almost obliterated with filthy grafitti. As said a CCTV camera (I'm told by a council member they can run off rechargable batteries now) would help catch culprits misusing many a location... Bracket mount many (for a portable cctv) a locality and move em around to catch especially those that use locations for drugs.

When you close something off, all you do is bar law-abiding citizens from using it, it doesn't stop vandals, druggies or louts, after all trespassing is fairly low down on their scale of offences, so it'll end up deteriorating even further.