Improvements to the walking and cycling routes joining Histon and Impington with Cambridge and Milton have not been identified as top priorities, but the public now has the chance to influence investment decisions.
A £20m budget for boosting ‘active travel’ around Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire now looks unlikely to benefit Histon and Impington, despite two routes out of the village having been shortlisted for investment.
The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) has earmarked the money for key travel ‘corridors’ around and into the city, where improving cycling and walking infrastructure could encourage people to stop using their cars or other motorised forms of transport.
Among the 13 busy ‘corridors’ identified were Histon to Histon Road, Cambridge, and from Impington to Milton. These are among 5 rural corridors where daily cycle trips number over 1,000 a day. A further 8 ‘City Corridors’ were identified within Cambridge itself.
However, the limited budget means the GCP will only be able to fund schemes on two or three of the 13 identified corridors and a review of the evidence has found that routes in the City of Cambridge itself generally offer better value for money due to the number of people who use them.
The review recommends implementing two schemes connecting to the controversial £2.3m Dutch-style roundabout on the A1134 near Addenbrookes in Cambridge, which together will take all of the allocated £20m budget. It suggests that improvements to the 11 other busy travel corridors, including the £1.5m Impington to Milton proposals, and the £2.9m Histon scheme, are “used as an ongoing reference and be reflected on should additional funding opportunities present themselves”.
Histon & Impington proposals
Despite having been improved in recent years, the cycle route from the New Road/Bridge Road junction in Impington to the Butt Lane/ Park & Ride junction presents challenges to cyclists including the speed of traffic, the layout of junctions, narrow vehicle lanes in some places and poor road surfaces.
The route from Histon along Water Lane to join the Histon Road cycle path –currently being upgraded – is equally problematic in places, especially at the Bridge Road/Cambridge road junction and the roundabout over the A14.
As well as being on the GCP shortlist for improvement, both routes have been identified in Cambridgeshire County Council’s draft Cambridgeshire Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan.
Their proposals also include:
- creating a shared walking/cycling path on Bridge Road, from the A14 roundabout to New Road, to enable 2‐way cycling to Impington Village College
- formalising a cut through used by IVC students from the busway to New Rd via Histon FC car park to provide direct route for those coming from Orchard Park
- reviewing street car parking on Station Road
- replacing the pedestrian bridge across the A10 into Milton with a wider bridge
A chance to have your say
Both the CGP Active Travel Investment Strategy and the Cambridgeshire Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) and now open for public consultation, to give residents a chance to have their say about priorities for walking and cycling infrastructure.
The LCWIP consultation closes first. It was due to close on 16th July but will now run through to 23.59pm on 27 July following requests for additional time to review the proposals from several stakeholders and members of the public. Take part in the online survey here or email transport.delivery@cambridgeshire.gov.uk with any questions.
The GCP Active Travel consultation is online here. It closes at midday on Monday 16 August. Full details of the consultation are at www.greatercambridge.org.uk/cycling-plus. Views can also be submitted by email to consultations@greatercambridge.org.uk. Alternatively, call 01223 699906 and an operator will go through the consultation survey with you and record your responses.