New buses, improved transport links and smart tech - looking back at 2023

New buses and better infrastructure to improve journeys have been delivered by the Greater Cambridge Partnership in 2023 – with further upgrades to the transport network planned for 2024.

30 new electric buses

People are now travelling around the city on 30 new electric buses as part of the largest investment in Cambridge’s bus network by the GCP, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Stagecoach East, and the Department for Transport.

The zero-emission double decker buses entered service in May to fully electrify Park and Ride services. The GCP part-funded two electric buses in 2020 to take the total number in the fleet to 32.

Milton Road

Construction on the Milton Road project is expected to conclude in 2024 after considerable progress was made on the delivery of the scheme this year.

Work continues on Cambridge’s second CYCLOPS junction at King’s Hedges, with construction on the Elizabeth Way roundabout close to completion and floating bus stops being added along the road.

Once complete, the scheme will include new bus lanes and improved walking and cycling links to help encourage more people to walk, cycle and take the bus to work, school and meet friends.

Cambridge South East Transport scheme – phase one

A new roundabout at the junction of Bartlow Road North and South and reconfiguration of the Dean Road, Bartlow is expected to be finished early in the new year. It is one of a raft of upgrades that have been made along the A1307 to improve road safety and journeys.

The GCP has also delivered 152 additional parking spaces at the Babraham Road Park & Ride to enable more people to park their cars and continue their onward journeys to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and into the city.

Greenways

Construction began this year on two of the greenway routes – Comberton and Horningsea – with design work and public engagement continuing throughout the year on the remaining routes. Two new sections of the Linton Greenway were also added from Granham’s Road to the Babraham Road Park and Ride and at the new crossing on the A1307 at Hildersham east.

People have helped to shape the look and feel of 11 routes as part of a rolling public engagement programme and they also selected the rural green option, which is inspired by the natural environment, as the colour for the wayfinding signs for the greenways network.

Once complete, the greenways will create a 150km network of 12 routes to provide better walking, cycling and, where appropriate, horse-riding links between surrounding villages and Cambridge.

Waterbeach to Cambridge

The Board approved the outline business case for the Waterbeach to Cambridge project and the revised central route for a new dedicated busway alongside a travel hub to the west of the A10 to connect Waterbeach New Town with the city.

The revised central route was the most popular among the 388 responses to a public consultation held earlier this year, with the proposed travel hub (option C) potentially including new cycle parking, electric charging points and click and collect services.

The GCP will now carry out preliminary design work and an Environmental Impact Assessment to prepare for the submission of a Transport and Works Act Order to government.

Smart

The GCP announced a collaboration with journey planning app Citymapper – to integrate real-time local bus data into the app to help commuters and visitors plan journeys more effectively.

A total of 1.4km of fibre ducting was incorporated into the Linton Greenway during construction to enable a telecoms provider to rollout gigabit broadband without having to retrofit ducting in the road.

Our Innovation Prospectus, launched in June, started a search for innovators and tech firms to help change the way we travel – by using the city as a testbed improve daily journeys across the region.

Smart sensors are being trialled in Cambridge, in collaboration with Starling Technology, to make it safer for people to cross the road by using AI to reduce waiting times for pedestrians and road users.

Parking enforcement

The GCP has funded the initial set up costs for new civil parking enforcement to be carried out in South Cambridgeshire by Cambridgeshire County Council following government approval.

The civil parking enforcement (CPE) scheme began on 19 December, with warnings being handed out by county civil enforcement officers. Penalty charges will be issued from 1 February.

The powers were granted by the Department for Transport to help improve traffic flow and safety.

Energy grid

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) and UK Power Networks announced it will fund new substations at Cambridge East and Trumpington following extensive work by the GCP.

The GCP initially put forward the proposals in 2021 after carrying out a detailed analysis of the demands on the grid now and the expected need in 2031. OFGEM decided the project is now ‘fully justified’ following studies and collaboration between the GCP and UK Power Networks.

Demand for electricity in the region is set to triple with thousands of new homes and jobs expected over the next decade. The project will also help to bring the region closer to its net-zero targets.

Cycling Plus

Proposals to improve road safety and active travel journeys along Hill Road and at the Addenbrooke’s roundabout were published this winter, with further work to follow in 2024.

Citti Awards

GCP won in the Active Travel and Future Projects categories of the City Transport & Traffic Innovation Magazine awards for our Chisholm Trail, Histon Road, Milton Road and Greenways projects.

The Active Travel Award recognises the best active travel schemes developed by local authorities and partners, while the Future Projects award recognises forward thinking and sustainable urban transport solutions and the positive contributions they can make to communities.

Schemes paused or not taken forward

The GCP’s Executive Board decided to stop the development of the Making Connections proposals which included proposals for a Sustainable Travel Zone (STZ).

Members collectively decided that while the aims of Making Connections to make it faster and simpler to travel in and around Cambridge would have eased congestion, and offered better, fairer, and greener travel choices, the STZ was not able to progress due to a lack of political consensus.

The Board also agreed to pause phase two of the Cambridge South East Transport scheme and the Foxton Travel Hub because of inflation, with costs across the programme going up 20-30%. The GCP continues to seek alternative funding streams to deliver these vital transport projects.