A new film from the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) highlights the importance of the Greenways programme for young people working in the city’s shops, bars and restaurants.

The 12 Greater Cambridge Greenways are improving streets, pavements and paths between Cambridge and fifty surrounding villages to make cycling and walking safer, easier and more accessible for everyone.

The film features Tyoma, who went to Hills Road Sixth Form College. He talks about his commute and what improvements to the route would mean for his early starts and late finishes working in a restaurant at Cambridge Leisure Park.

Speaking to camera, Tyoma says:

“Widening the DNA path would be a wise choice because there’s sometimes a high flow of traffic down there. There’s a few bits where the trees have gone underneath, they’ve started to swell and ruptured the concrete. If that would be widened and re-levelled that would be a good option.

“I work at the leisure centre and finish at midnight sometimes. The last train’s at 11:26 and the last bus is at 11-on-the-dot. [On the DNA Path] you’re just going down a field and a train track. There’s not many other light sources down there. It's just pitch black down there. So, lighting would be a good choice.”

Commenting on the film, Cllr Elisa Meschini, Chair of the GCP, said:

“Our vibrant city centre relies on people being able to get to work and back easily and affordably, whatever the time of day.

"Improving lighting on some of our key cycle paths will make cycling or walking for early starts and late finishes that little bit easier, whether that's cleaning offices at the end of the day, serving meals and drinks late into the night or keeping our world-class hospitals running 24 hours a day.

"These improvements will give people better options for travel, particularly those without access to a car or looking to save on travel costs.”

The Sawston Greenway will run from Long Road to Sawston, via Great Shelford and Stapleford. It is one of twelve greenway projects being developed by the GCP and one of three that connect to Addenbrooke's and Royal Papworth Hospitals at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

On National Cycle to Work Day (2 August), the GCP published a film showing how one Long Road Sixth Form staff member had started cycling from the Babraham Park and Ride along the recently improved path for the last leg of their journey – a scheme delivered by the GCP as part of the Linton Greenway.

On A-Level results day, the GCP published a film of another Hills Road Sixth Former’s journey along the Barton Road and how it would be improved by new crossings that will be built on the Barton Greenway.

For more information about the scheme visit the project page on our website.