Since last winter, we have been busy analysing more than 24,000 responses to the Making Connections consultation.

This was the ten-week public consultation which closed on 23 December 2022, putting forward proposals to transform the bus network alongside better walking and cycling infrastructure, all funded in the long term by the phased introduction of a Sustainable Travel Zone which included a road user charge.

We are now concluding our analytical work and we are set to publish the final report this Friday 26 May.

We'll be poring over the findings, along with many people who took part in the survey. From our perspective, we want to understand the elements which people say are important to them and explore how we can deliver them.

Please be assured we will consider the data before we decide what to do next. This will begin at our GCP Joint Assembly on Thursday 8 June.

We know through the debate during the autumn that people had concerns over a number of features of the proposals - from the inclusion of hospitals in the charging zone, the length of the charging period, the impact on small businesses, but these were set against the overwhelming support we heard to deliver better bus and cycle networks.

On the basis of the feedback elements of the scheme as consulted on will need to change. We have been listening and our hope is with the benefit of your support and insight, we can work together to find the solutions to the challenges we face.

There will be no easy decisions over the next few months, but it is our responsibility to balance the realities of the way travel and transport determines how we are able to live our lives, with the need to find solutions that mean we can live in a fairer, healthier place.

Cambridge is a vibrant, beautiful and growing city. It is renowned for its education institutions both old and new, its world leading research and cutting edge technology which is changing lives way beyond our borders.

Our future opportunities and potential prosperity are huge, but we have our challenges.

In just 10 years, Greater Cambridge has grown by over 35,000 residents. By 2031 we expect to see a further rise in population growth, as well as 44,000 more jobs and 33,500 more homes.

This growth is happening now whether people are conscious of it or not. Towns like Waterbeach, Cambourne and others are expanding at a rate which will transform the area we once knew.

This growth, driven by people’s desire to build on our area’s success, creates new realities for us all.

If you don’t own a car, it is likely you are finding it increasingly difficult and expensive to live your life. Our public service infrastructure no longer serves the needs of those looking to access education, jobs and opportunities in the city of Cambridge or in rural villages. This is causing high levels of isolation and transport poverty.

We need a transport system to meet our area’s aspirations. The way we travel in, around and through the city has to change. We need to prioritise people over congestion and reclaim city spaces for those who want more affordable, accessible and sustainable options for public transport.

Above all, we need to support the Mayor’s ambition of a fully franchised bus network, built around need rather than profit, so that your services may begin to properly serve you once again.

We look forward to publishing the consultation findings later this week and working constructively together to identify what needs to change as a result, whilst doing our best to preserve the parts of the proposals the majority of people want to see put in place.