If you travel into Cambridge using Newmarket Road, you are encouraged to contribute to this latest consultation from the Greater Cambridge Partnership. The decisions which will follow from the consultation WILL affect you!
The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) have sought our views in two previous consultations on changes to the layout and use of Newmarket Road and the Park & Ride site which serves the East of the City. This area is the location of significant new development (Marleigh and the Marshall Airport Site) which will massively increase traffic and usage over the coming years impacting anyone who travels along Newmarket Road accessing the City from the East and North East.
Their conclusions (based on the feedback and the GCP’s stated aims of reducing congestion, improving transport infrastructure especially for active travelers [walking & cycling] and responding to the “climate emergency” as declared by certain local authorities) is that significant changes need to take place to alter the road layout to improve infrastructure for walking, cycling and public transport. These changes will as a consequence reduce the current space used by other forms of transport (cars, vans, lorries etc).
Park & Ride Site Location
A key element of the consultation is the future location of the Park & Ride site on Newmarket Road. The A to B1102 Group along with Parish Councils along the B1102 have significant concerns with the preferred location identified by the GCP which is on land to the (see below) East of Airport Way south of Newmarket Road.
Given the significant potential impacts these proposals will have on those us using Newmarket Road and the Park & Ride, our concerns are as follows:
- The Park & Ride site forms the best location for an East of City travel hub where bus services coming in from the B1102, A1304 and the ark from Newmarket to Balsham could all interchange. Many of those passengers will want to access North Cambridge, Milton, Science Park, Cambridge North Station. It would be a totally inefficient (and time wasting) move to drive / queue into Cambridge Airport Way to come back on yourself to get back to the A14 for onward travel to the A14 Milton junction.
- A Park & Ride site at Quy offers a valuable resource for Quy and Bottisham residents as a travel hub
- The Park and Ride will be the point at which the proposed congestion charge (should it be implemented) is likely to start.
- We genuinely do not believe that the proposed capacity is enough to accommodate the level of traffic, in particular cars that pass through our villages. This will see significant overflow of informal parking, especially in villages such as Teversham and Quy.
- We believe there will be a significant increase in those wishing to park and cycle, over and above that volume of parking already experienced in Quy along the High Street. Add in the increased construction traffic for the proposed new water-works, Quy in particular is set to be hit by backed up traffic or increased parking.
- We also believe that it can in tandem support the traffic management plan and construction workforce should the new water works be approved – possibly even with funding to assist in the construction.
Our local Councillors representing both South and East Cambs believe that this is the correct solution for our area but it needs the support of our communities to encourage the GCP to consider a-beyond-the-A14 solution.
Please complete the consultation survey and / or write to the GCP making clear your views!
See our information sheet for more information to inform your response. This is a numbers game – the more responses, the more the GCP has to listen to our views.
A TO B1102 