Councillors have agreed not to support proposals to introduce congestion charging in Cambridge during an extraordinary meeting on Thursday (15 December).
The meeting was held to decide the Council’s response to the Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership’s (GCP) Making Connections 2022 Consultation.
While the Council supports the GCP’s aim of making public transport, cycling and walking the obvious choice for most people it does not believe the proposals sufficiently benefit the people of East Cambridgeshire.
The GCP is proposing to operate two buses an hour between Ely, Little Thetford and Stretham to Cambridge including an hourly service from Littleport and hourly services between Ely, Stuntney, Soham and Fordham. One new rural bus service between Soham and Mildenhall will also run hourly and there are also plans for a demand responsive service for some villages. Residents can see what the proposals are by looking at the interactive map.
The bus service improvements are proposed to be funded via a daily charge for vehicles entering Cambridge of £5 for cars and motorbikes, £10 for vans and £50 for HGVs payable between the hours of 7am and 7pm on weekdays.
But Councillors say the public transport offer is not sufficient. They believe the proposals for scheduled bus services to access locations within the charging zone, which includes Addenbrooke's and Papworth Hospitals, will not be frequent enough to be of practical use to residents. They also say thousands of residents using the service will face multiple changes of bus to get to their destinations.
In their submission they highlight that not everyone can use public or active travel transport and many rely on their car to be able to access employment, education and services in and around Cambridge.
They say demand responsive services are an “unrealistic option for reliable connections for scheduled bus services.”
Councillors are also concerned that no business impact work appears to have been undertaken by the GCP to look into the effect that introducing a congestion charge will have on the local economy.
Councillor Anna Bailey, Leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “Cambridgeshire is a rare net contributor to the Treasury; Greater Cambridge is a world leading centre for high-tech and innovation. What’s on offer from the GCP is an out of date 20th century solution for our 21st century county town and it’s just not good enough.
“The frequency of rural services and key corridor services is inadequate. Under these proposals users would spend considerably more time travelling leading to lost productivity and a reduced quality of life. We are especially concerned that the proposals will hit the least well off the hardest, those that work in manual, retail, frontline or face to face roles who often work unsociable hours. This is an unfair tax on the people of East Cambridgeshire who need vehicle access to Cambridge.
“We need a solution that provides cheap, attractive turn up and go travel. We can and we must do better.”
Councillors would like to see the GCP work with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) to fully investigate a more transformational alternative including reconsideration of autonomous vehicles and tunnelling under Cambridge and light rail. Councillors also called for immediate further investment into cycling infrastructure in Cambridge city and beyond including rural cycle routes to onward transport locations.
Councillors also want to see the CPCA expedite the business case for an enhanced bus partnership or bus franchising to help get the current bus network working properly, with a focus on the rural areas for public subsidy.
The Council is also asking the relevant authorities to rapidly pursue important railway projects in the area to improve rail services from the newly built Soham Station and services on the Cambridge – Newmarket – Ipswich line.
Residents can read more information on the consultation on GCP Making Connections 2022.