Cambridgeshire transport plans get the green light

A half a billion pound bid to revolutionise transport in Cambridgeshire was backed this week by Cambridgeshire’s Cabinet.

Cabinet members agreed to press ahead with a Transport Innovation Fund (TiF) bid on terms that were best for local people to help stop congestion from bringing Cambridge to a grinding halt.

Following a report from the independent Cambridgeshire Transport Commission in July, Cambridgeshire’s transport bosses revised their proposals for a TiF bid to include a ‘trigger point’ for a congestion charge when congestion reached a critical level and nothing else would help.

Cambridgeshire’s bid echoes the Commission’s recommendations, but it will be broken down into two parts so the public, businesses and partner authorities can be properly consulted on exactly when the trigger point is reached.

As a first stage, Cambridgeshire is asking for early confirmation of Government funding for Chesterton Station which would begin to be built in 2012 - three years earlier than planned.

A second stage will follow at the end of 2010 with a full bid for the remainder of the £500 million package. This will include a trigger point for a congestion charge to be introduced that will need to be agreed by the public, businesses, partner authorities and Government.

The earliest a congestion charge would be introduced is 2017 - eight years time, and only as a last resort if the record breaking TiF investment into transport does not help and the agreed trigger is reached.

Roy Pegram, Cambridgeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Growth, Infrastructure and Strategic Planning, said: “Getting Chesterton Railway Station delivered as quickly as possible is a top priority for us. Around 80% of people who use the station at the moment travel in from north of the city and the new station will immediately help reduce congestion.

“Although I do not welcome the prospect of a charge we need to recognise now that this is what might be needed in the future to keep Cambridge moving. This unique opportunity for funding would help us transform transport in Cambridgeshire. It is vital that the public in Cambridgeshire, councils and organisations set the point with Government when enough is enough and congestion charging must be brought in. Congestion will not go away, but neither should we bring in a congestion charge without first revolutionising transport choice. We must address the serious problem we have here, but not at a cost to local people, and a two part bid does exactly that.

“If people are not persuaded out of their cars in significant numbers by the transport improvements and we allow the city to come to a grinding halt nobody would thank us as this will damage the prosperity of the county, and in fact the entire country.”

The decision taken by Cambridgeshire County Council’s Cabinet will be taken forward to Full Council on 13 October.

* * *

To locate other Cambridgeshire business news stories of interest to you, please use the site search facility in the top left hand corner of this page. Type your search term in the white box, then click the “SEARCH BLOG” button.

* * *