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Plans to tackle congestion, improve journeys and boost electricity grid to be discussed

Published 16 November 2021

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Plans to tackle congestion, improve journeys and boost electricity grid to be discussed

Cambridge aerial view

Multi-million-pound projects to tackle traffic congestion, improve journeys and boost the electricity grid will be considered by the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Joint Assembly this week.

Members will consider the findings of the Cycling Plus consultation – which asked people for their views on how the GCP could spend up to £20m to enhance active travel routes.

Emerging recommendations could see significant walking and cycling upgrades along the A1134, including improvements to the Addenbrooke’s roundabout, and on Hills Road from Hills Road Sixth Form College to the Regent Street/Gonville Place/Lensfield Road junction.

The Joint Assembly will discuss a paper about restarting the Residents Parking Schemes after Cambridgeshire County Council’s Highways and Transport Committee asked the GCP to take them on as part of the City Access programme and plans for an integrated parking strategy.

The Integrated Parking Strategy, being developed by the GCP and the city and county councils, considers how on and off street parking could be more effectively managed to reduce congestion on the roads and promote the use of public transport and active travel.

Managing car parking across Greater Cambridge could support proposals to cut congestion and air pollution and transform public transport.

The Making Connections consultation, available here, launched last week and asks for views on how to significantly improve the bus network, as well as think about how best to reallocate road space and consider the options for raising revenue to fund vastly improved services.

The Joint Assembly will consider an update on the Foxton Travel Hub project which aims to intercept motorists that drive into Cambridge from the south and encourage them to leave their cars outside of the city and travel by more sustainable modes of transport.

Following engagement with the community, the travel hub proposals have been adapted with 200 parking spaces – instead of 500 spaces – and 100 cycle parking spaces now put forward, alongside better bus services and connections to the wider active travel network.

Members will also consider innovative proposals to reinforce the electricity grid with options to deliver new grid substations at Cambridge East and Trumpington Primary to help unlock thousands of new homes and encourage the take up of electric vehicles and renewable technology.

Demand for electricity is set to triple across Greater Cambridge by around 2031 from expected growth in jobs and homes – and also through steps to meet net zero carbon pledges, including the move to electric cars and buses, and the reduction in dependence on gas as a home energy source.

The ground-breaking proposals, which follow engagement with the electricity distribution market and the development of an Outline Business Case, supports the GCP’s objectives to support growth and encourage more people to travel around Greater Cambridge by more sustainable means.

The Joint Assembly meeting is being held on Thursday 18 November from 2pm. The meeting will be live streamed on the GCP’s YouTube channel – the papers for the meeting can be found on Cambridgeshire County Council's website.