City access project: update and support for Covid-19 recovery – next steps
The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) and Cambridgeshire County Council working together to introduce new measures:
The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) is working with Cambridgeshire County Council to introduce new measures which will make it easier and safer for people to walk and cycle around Cambridge during the Covid-19 pandemic.
To support social distancing and avoid rising levels of congestion and poor air quality as travel increases, people are being encouraged to walk or cycle for all or part of their journeys, including from Park & Ride sites. Yesterday (25 June) the Greater Cambridge Executive Board agreed to prioritise the following package of short-term measures:
- Measures to create space for walking and cycling;
- Transport support for people and businesses to recover; and
- Public transport recovery.
Measures to create space for walking and cycling
Cambridgeshire County Council has worked with partners to identify a package of temporary schemes, and has asked GCP to deliver 11 schemes (full details in table below) that offer the potential for longer-term benefits. Details of the full list of schemes can be found on this interactive map. The aim is to create a network of routes that offer people an alternative to their car for all or part of their journey, with more people starting to travel around the area as restrictions are eased.
These changes are being implemented as quickly as possible so they can make the greatest difference to people’s lives. We will be using ‘experimental orders’ to make the changes. It also means that instead of the usual extensive consultation that normally happens in advance of works being carried out, we will be seeking stakeholder and public feedback once the changes are in place, and will be flexible in our approach to these measures.
The list of schemes includes:
|
Area
|
Measure
|
|
Silver Street
|
Extend prohibition of general vehicular traffic to 24 /7 for period in which traffic remains low
|
|
Historic Centre and Burleigh/Fitzroy pedestrian zones
|
Extend core pedestrian zone hours from 6 hours to 7 or 8 hours per day (10:00 to 17:00 or 18:00)
|
|
St Andrews Street / Hobson Street area
|
Prohibit motor vehicles except hackney carriages and buses between 10:00 and 18:00
|
|
Maids Causeway / Victoria Avenue, Cambridge
|
Prohibit through traffic movements between Newmarket Road and Mitcham’s Corner Avenue except for buses
|
|
Grange Road
|
Prohibit through traffic movements between Barton Road and Madingley Road
|
|
Luard Road
|
Prohibit through traffic movements between Hills Road and Long Road
|
|
Storey’s Way
|
Prohibit through traffic movements between Huntingdon road and Madingley Road
|
|
Newtown Area
|
Prohibit through traffic movements between Hills Road and Trumpington Road/Lensfield Road
|
|
Nightingale Avenue (subject to reopening of Fendon Road roundabout)
|
Prohibit through traffic movements between Queen Edith’s Way and Hills Road
|
|
Carlyle Road, Cambridge
|
Prohibit through movements between Chesterton Road and Victoria Road
|
Transport support for people and businesses to recover; and public transport recovery
As well as creating space for walking and cycling, the package of measures agreed by the Board also includes support for people and businesses to travel sustainably as part of the recovery. This includes expanding access to ebikes, additional cycle parking, the development of a freight pilot, and additional investment in an expanded electric bus pilot. The GCP continues to work with partners to support the recovery of public transport services for people who need to travel this way.
Next steps
These measures will help support recovery by allowing people to travel to work and places of education in safer and more sustainable ways. To support social distancing and avoid rising levels of congestion and poor air quality as travel increases, people are being encouraged to walk or cycle for all or part of their journeys, including from Park & Ride sites. If you do need to drive, access will still be available, but you may need to take a different route.
Detailed design work is now underway for the measures to create space for walking and cycling, including consideration of access needs for residents and particular groups, such as people with disabilities. A series of briefings with County and City Councillors from areas affected by each of these schemes have been held, as well as discussions with other key affected groups, and we have noted all comments and concerns as part of our planning.
On completion of this initial work, the GCP will recommend how to proceed with these measures to the County Council, as the Highway Authority, who would then make the Experimental Traffic Orders.
Ahead of any construction work taking place, advance notice of the changes will be given with leaflets will be distributed to residences and businesses in each area.
Once implemented, residents, the public and other stakeholders will be able to comment on the schemes. This feedback will inform any proposed changes to the schemes and any decision on whether these measures should become permanent, be amended or be allowed to lapse will be for the County Council to take in due course, taking into account this feedback from the experimental period.
Alongside this, we will continue to develop proposals to increase cycle parking, expand access to ebikes, and other measures to provide alternatives for people looking to walk and cycle instead of using their car.
The Board will consider an extensive package of measures for medium-longer term action at a meeting later in the year in order to take account of the ways in which Covid-19 has affected how we travel and use transport.
If you have any queries please contact the project team on contactus@greatercambridge.org.uk
|
