‘Arbury Road is a dangerous missing link in Cambridge cycle network’
Arbury Road is a “dangerous missing link” in the city’s cycling network, say campaigners calling for the Greater Cambridge Partnership to prioritise improving the route.
The GCP’s executive board has agreed to progress with two proposals to improve active travel journeys in the city.
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 will be developed by officers.
The two schemes were chosen following the Cycling Plus public consultation held in the summer, which asked people for views on spending £20m to enhance active travel routes around Greater Cambridge.
The board also agreed to continue to develop Greater Cambridge’s active travel network so there is a pipeline of schemes to deliver when further funding sources are identified.
The GCP and Cambridgeshire County Council are also undertaking a review of the city’s road network hierarchy, which will be consulted on in 2022. The review aims to better reflect current and future transport priorities and support the uptake of sustainable modes of transport.
Vincent Poole urged the GCP to prioritise Arbury Road and called for it not to be designated a “key corridor for motorised traffic”.
Mr Poole, who represents Arbury Road East Residents Association (ARERA), said: “Motorised traffic should use appropriate roads: roads which are wider, roads that don’t have multiple schools directly on or just off them, roads that have protective grass verges, wider pavements, cycle lanes, and where homes are set back further from the road.
“Arbury Road at its eastern end has none of this protective infrastructure and has two schools directly on it and several more on adjacent roads. Arbury Road east is very narrow, dangerous and does not even have a B road designation.”
Mr Poole asked for the road to be considered a strategic road for “active travel as it already carries high cycle volumes despite its perils” adding that Arbury Road is an “obvious gap” in the city’s cycling network.
George Vardulakis, a local resident who has been collecting data on behalf of ARERA and Hurst Park Estate Residents’ Association, added: “This section is a popular route to the river, the station and the cycle bridge and town but congestion and speeding means it is extremely dangerous, polluted and unpleasant. Cyclists are usually forced off the road onto a narrow pavement creating a further hazard to pedestrians.”
Isobel Wade, assistant director for sustainable and inclusive growth, responded: “The city’s current road network hierarchy dates from the 1980s and the GCP is working closely with the county council and other partner authorities so that this hierarchy better reflects current and future transport priorities.
“And this will facilitate a more strategic approach to road space reallocation and city to deliver a step change in active travel provision and improve the reliability of public transport.”
She said it would be not appropriate to preempt the outcome of the review but that the concerns around Arbury Road would be passed to the officers undertaking the work.”
In the summer, the county council consulted on proposals to close Arbury Road to motor vehicles, just north of the junction with Leys Road. It was one of a number of temporary measures being proposed to aid the city’s green recovery following the pandemic, with other plans for modal filters, cycle lanes, new signage and dropped kerbs.
But the move caused division with some in favour of the plans and others saying it would cut them off from the rest of the city.
The council voted to give responsibility on a decision to the GCP, who will consider the move as part of its City Access programme.
The executive board meeting was held on December 9.
Read more:
‘Arbury Road closure in Cambridge would be social injustice’ say residents