Melbourn Greenway: Shepreth FAQs
Melbourn Greenway is one of twelve Greater Cambridge greenways being constructed within Greater Cambridge to provide better and safer walking and cycling routes into Cambridge.
The greenway starts at Royston and connects to the villages of Melbourn, Meldreth, Shepreth, Foxton, Harston and Hauxton before routing on to Cambridge via Trumpington Meadows and the guided busway.
The length of the greenway is approximately 12 miles (20 kilometres) and consists of a range of improvements to streets, paths and pavements to create an end-to-end walking and cycling route.
The Shepreth Spur will create a link from the Melbourn Greenway on the A10 (Royston Road) to Shepreth railway station.
It will create a safer and fairer space for all road users to share. This includes connecting footways, reducing the speed of vehicles and giving pedestrians and cyclists safe crossing points. We will provide phasing and timelines closer to the commencement of works in late winter / early spring 2026.
Some sections of the greenway are being delivered sooner than others. The first stage of works in Shepreth will commence in spring 2025.
The second stage of works on the Shepreth spur will be constructed at the same time as the rest of the Melbourn Greenway.
Construction of the full greenway will begin in in 2026.
A timeline for the works will be provided closer to the commencement of works.
To improve safety, four traffic calming measures will be implemented between the A10 (Royston Road), along Fowlmere Road and Station Road up to the Shepreth railway station crossing.
- Speed limit reduction and speed humps
We will introduce a 30mph speed limit between Barron’s Green T-junction and the A10 (reduced from 60mph) which will enhance safety and reduce traffic noise on the route into the village. A 20mph speed limit will be introduced from the junction of Barron's Green to Station Road, Meldreth Road and High Street. A 20mph zone will enhance safety in the village, making the road easier to cross, safer to walk alongside, or drive or cycle along.
Smoother, speed humps will be constructed along Fowlmere Road to ensure everyone follows the safer speed limit. A final speed hump will also be constructed approximately 85m north of Barron’s Green T-junction along Fowlmere Road. Street lighting will be introduced to improve visibility.
- Double yellow lines
Double yellow lines will be introduced to prevent problem parking where it affects visibility at points on Station Road, Angle Lane, Fowlmere Road and on side road junctions.
- Junction tightening and raised tables
Three side road junctions (Barron’s Green, Angle Lane and Meldreth Road) will be reduced in width. The measure slows vehicles making turnings and enhances safety. The road surface at these junctions will be slightly raised to support the speed reduction; make the crossings more accessible; and support the new Highway Code, which requires drivers to give way to pedestrians crossing side roads.
- Footway
Footways will be widened and/or improved at the side road junctions of Meldreth Road, Angle Lane and Barron's Green.
Engagement has taken place with residents between 2017 and 2022.
Public responses to each consultation/engagement have helped to shape the proposals for Shepreth. The designs have also been developed in line with the government’s guidance for walking and cycling schemes and they have undergone two independent road safety audits, which assess the safety of the proposed scheme.
Previous consultation and engagement is listed below:
- 2017-18
During the development of the Melbourn Greenway route, we conducted a consultation to gauge public opinion. - 2019
During the development of the proposals for the Melbourn Greenway, a consultation on key elements of the Shepreth Spur. This consultation received support from residents for the scheme. - 2022
During the early design stage of the scheme, we shared proposals for the scheme, which showed traffic calming measures through the village.
2025
A traffic regulation order (TRO) for Shepreth was published on 3 March 2025 and was open for public responses for 21 days. This allowed people to give their views to the county council.
In addition to the consultation and engagement that has taken place on the Melbourn Greenway, we also held a public event with Shepreth residents in March 2024, at Shepreth Village Hall. The discussions that took place helped to inform final adaptations to designs.
Cambridgeshire County Council’s Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for the scheme provided a final opportunity for people to provide formal feedback.
Traffic regulation orders are legal documents that regulate how parking and movement is managed on the public highways, including changes to yellow lines, speed limits and traffic calming.
Before they are advertised to the public we consult in detail with the emergency services. Once advertised, anyone can make a representation to the county council about the proposals. They will then be considered and responded to when a decision is reached.
A sinusoidal speed hump is a round topped hump that extends the width of the carriageway.
Sinusoidal speed humps are designed to be quieter than flat topped speed humps and provide more comfort for people cycling.
A continuous footway or ‘Copenhagen’ crossing is when the footway continues over a quiet side-road junction, rather than the pavement giving way to the carriageway.
It allows for pedestrians to have right over way over a crossing (as set out in the Highway Code) and slows a car’s speed when turning into the junction. Copenhagen crossings can be block paved or tarmacked. The proposal for Shepreth would use tarmac.
As part of the engagement with residents, we want to discuss a 20mph zone.
A 20mph zone with traffic calming provides the safest possible streets, while still allowing people to drive through and around the village at safer speeds. This will help more people to feel more comfortable walking or cycling in the village and to access the existing walking and cycling path on the A10 for longer journeys. It will significantly reduce the chances of collisions in Shepreth.