Decision due over turning ban at Catholic church junction in Cambridge

A decision is set to be made over whether to press ahead with £7.7m plans that could mean vehicles banned from turning at a major Cambridge junction.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) executive board will decide on Thursday (January 4) if its proposals should be put to the public later this year.

The plans for the junction at the Our Lady and the English Martyrs Church – where Lensfield Road, Hills Road, Gonville Place and Regent Street meet – include banning right turns for vehicles into Hills Road, and left turns both out of Hills Road and Regent Street.

The restrictions were only revealed after the end of a consultation about changes to the road, which means residents have yet to have a say on them, as the Cambridge Independent reported.

“There is a need to address pinch points, prioritise pedestrian movements across side road junctions, and improve green infrastructure and dwell areas to create a healthier and more pedestrian-friendly environment.

“The preferred scheme has sought to balance the competing space demands generated by the high pedestrian, cycle, bus and vehicle flows along Hills Road and the requirement to retain on-street servicing within the finite public highway space available,” a report to the meeting states.

It adds: “The preferred scheme therefore seeks to prioritise improving the pedestrian facilities along the street, improve the quality of the cycle infrastructure, whilst also retaining inbound bus priority where feasible.”

Members of the executive board will decide whether or not to approve the initial design which will then be developed and put out for public consultation in “mid-2024”.

But the plans met with concern from Frank Gawthrop, secretary of the South Petersfield Residents’ Association, which fear the proposed changes could cause “massive problems for motorists”.

However, charity Camcycle says changes are desperately needed because “far too many cyclists are seriously hurt in collisions” at the junction. A movement report by the GCP shows that Hills Road accommodates approximately 22,000 pedestrians, 6,250 cycles, and 27,250 vehicle daily movements (including 760 buses).

The GCP put forward two conceptual options for consultation in 2023 to enhance junctions and active travel paths on Hills Road. These have been merged to create a “preferred option” with changes based on the public’s feedback.

But, after the six-week consultation closed, the GCP added a further option for the Lensfield Road/Gonville Place junction which includes banned right turns into Hills Road and left turns out of Hills Road and Regent Street.

The wider scheme will retain key sections of bus lane, create better active travel links and a CYCLOPS junction at the Station Road and Cherry Hinton Road junction to encourage more people to walk and wheel around the city.

The GCP says that many people had said they did not think the initial proposals went far enough – and that was the reason for the additional restrictions.

Peter Blake, transport director at the GCP, said at a meeting of the body’s joint assembly last month that they had to consider how to make the best use of the space available in the city. He highlighted it was “more efficient” in the city to “move more people using less space”.

Mr Blake said they were trying to find the right balance to achieve this efficiency of movement, and also meet the GCP’s other objectives to tackle congestion, help the climate, and address growth in the region.

“The joint assembly noted the general public support for the more ambitious Option B that was presented at public consultation. There was support for the concept design, along with support for further evaluation of the design options for the Hills Road/Lensfield Road junction, including further modelling of the wider impacts of these options before they are presented for further public consultation,” a report to Thursday’s meeting says.

The proposals are part of the GCP’s wider Cycling Plus programme, which looks to enhance and promote active travel options in the Greater Cambridge area.

The GCP executive board will meet on Thursday at the Guildhall in Cambridge at 4pm.