Home   News   Article

Subscribe Now

Business owner says a road charge would be the ‘last nail in the coffin’ for his shop




Business owners and trades people in Cambridge fear they could be forced to close if road charging is introduced.

Paul Weaver, of Romsey Barbers, says a charge would be “the last nail in the coffin” for his shop. Picture: Keith Heppell
Paul Weaver, of Romsey Barbers, says a charge would be “the last nail in the coffin” for his shop. Picture: Keith Heppell

The Greater Cambridge Partnership is consulting on proposals to introduce a Sustainable Travel Zone with a road user charge to fund an improved bus service.

Paul Weaver, of Romsey Barbers, says a charge would be “the last nail in the coffin” for his shop.

He said trade had already suffered as a result of the pandemic and the Mill Road bridge closure, and customers have said they will not travel to his shop if a charge is introduced.

Mr Weaver said the proposals are “putting every local trader in jeopardy once again” and he would be fighting the plans.

The GCP is proposing that the zone operates city-wide with a £5 charge per day for private cars, motorcycles and mopeds.

But the charge increases for other vehicle types, which the GCP says reflects the impacts of those vehicles on congestion, air quality and carbon emissions.

For LGVs and vehicles with nine or more seats, the charge would be £10 daily, and for coaches and HGVs it would be £50 daily. It says it is exploring a 50 per cent discount for zero emission vehicles.

Rebecca Orde, who lives in Castle ward, runs a company that provides project management for residential property renovations and refurbishments in and around Cambridgeshire.

She was not aware that large vehicles would cost more to operate within the zone and said it was “essential” to use her

van daily.

“This will definitely affect my business – and I wasn’t aware that it would be £10 for a small van,” she said.

Self-defence instructor Maria, who lives in Petersfield, runs classes in Cambridge, Peterborough and Ely.

She says many of her students travel into Cambridge from the surrounding area, with her children’s classes running before the proposed 7pm road charge cut-off.

Maria said: “Unfortunately half of our students, or maybe even more than half, are coming from outside Cambridge which means they all will have to pay an extra £5 for entry, which is almost an extra month membership price on top of their membership.

“For us it means that our students will have to quit our classes because after all it will be very expensive. I will lose my business straight away.

“This is the only job I have at the moment.”

The GCP says it is consulting on proposals that larger vehicles – such as HGVs and LGVs – could pay more than private vehicles, to reflect the greater impact they have on congestion, air quality and carbon emissions. The transport body says it welcomes feedback on the proposals.

It added that a pollution charge was considered, with zero-emission vehicles exempt from the charge, but says this would have limited benefits, as more people are expected to buy electric cars over the coming years, so traffic levels would still increase and therefore not free up the road space for public transport, cycling and walking.

The GCP says that feedback from its previous consultations also suggested that not charging zero emission cars could be unfair to those who could not afford to buy one.



Comments | 0
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More