Cllr Elisa Meschini on Making Connections as the consultation draws to a close

As we come to the end of 2022 and to the last week of consultation for Making Connections, I would like to begin by thanking the almost 20,000 people that have answered our survey at the time of writing. The last 10 weeks have been challenging, even bruising, at times, but I am profoundly grateful to everyone who has taken part in the debate.

The importance of this topic at this time cannot be overstated. As our region grows and our infrastructure creaks, and as government ponders the switch to road charging in order to compensate for the ever-decreasing income they make from cars, it has never been more important for us in Cambridgeshire to find ways to create a public transport network fit for our modern, growing region.

I have had hundreds, maybe thousands of interesting and insightful conversations with people over the last 10 weeks. The support for better buses is overwhelming – from families worried about their children’s access to jobs and education, to workers unable to afford the Chancellor’s recent hikes in fuel duty, to elderly people whose independence is threatened by Stagecoach’s waves of cancellations and last week’s announcement of an increase in fare prices.

The RAC Foundation said motoring costs are 37% higher than in 2013, with the average cost of owning and running a car now standing at up to £4,000 per year. The cost of public transport is also on the rise, with bus and coach fares up 65% and rail fares up 36%.

The Car Expert has warned thousands of motorists could be forced to default on their car payments to prioritise paying for their home due to the ‘perfect storm’ of high interest rates on mortgages and soaring bills impacting the Personal Contract Payments (PCP) market. Around 90% of car buyers in Britain finance their vehicles using PCP.

Our proposals – which also include significant investment and upgrades in active travel routes – would reduce reliance on private cars and provide cheap, frequent, and reliable bus services to enable everyone to access work, education and leisure opportunities. And, above all, the cry of support for more democratic control over the public transport infrastructure has been very clear.

I am grateful to experts such as Norman Baker, Sir John Armitt, the Chief Executive of Centre for Cities Andrew Carter and the Chief Executive of Sustrans, Xavier Brice, for their contributions to this debate and the support they have lent to the scheme.

Organisations such as Asthma & Lung UK and Mums for Lungs have played an important role in highlighting the public health benefits of a less congested and less polluted city. A shift to sustainable, cheap and reliable transport would also radically improve the lives of residents both at home and at work, and this has been reflected in the support we have received from the Campaign for Better Transport, Living Streets UK, the Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance, Cambridge Ahead and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Business Board.

We should not forget the climate emergency, ever impactful and getting worse. Its effects have been obvious in the freak weather events of this summer’s extreme heatwave and this winter’s week-long sub-zero spell. As we cope with the financial impact on the county council of the damage inflicted on our road network by climate change, we thank Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth for their support for the scheme.

The consultation is open until midday on 23 December. For those who still haven’t contributed, especially all the young people out there, please do take this opportunity to get involved.

I wish everyone a happy and peaceful Christmas period.