Greater Cambridge Partnership reveals peak-time congestion charge under revised plans
“A weekday peak-time only road user charge is being proposed by the Greater Cambridge Partnership as part of a package of revised measures to overhaul the city’s transport network.
The proposals also include 50 free days for car users and a 50 per cent discount for locally-owned SMEs.
Further hospital exemptions have also been added, and the charge for motorcyclists has been scrapped.
The announcement follows a public consultation on the proposed Sustainable Travel Zone (STZ), which found 58 per cent of respondents did not want any form of congestion charging.
Two protests were held against the proposals – and a march was held in favour of the zone, with a number of petitions rejecting the proposals also launched. Those against the plans said any congestion charge scheme would have an “extremely adverse effect” on residents and businesses.
One petition, which is currently still active, and calls for all proposals that include congestion charging to be “rejected outright” has been signed by more than 4,000 people.
GCP chief executive Rachel Stopard said of the revised proposals: “We have listened to people’s concerns and feedback during the consultation and taken action by revising our proposals. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to future proof our public transport network and reduce our dependency on the car by creating a low cost, secure, reliable and viable option for residents, workers, students and visitors who want to quickly and easily get around our beautiful city.
“We simply cannot afford to do nothing – the growth of our city’s economy means that we need to urgently solve the problem of congestion that blights our roads.”
She continued: “Greater Cambridge needs to tackle the congested roads, fund more electric buses and new, reliable and cheaper services. Although the updated measures are not the preferred option that we presented originally, we believe that the revised proposal is fair to everybody – those on a low income, small businesses, families, people accessing healthcare and workers and residents who simply want to travel around Cambridge without being stuck in congestion. We aim to provide a cleaner, greener and healthier future for all.”
The STZ fee remains the same under the revised proposals, with car drivers – even those living in the city – charged £5, vans will face a £10 fee and HGVs and coaches will pay £50.
But the charging period will change from 7am to 7pm under the original proposals to between 7am and 10am and then 3pm and 6pm.
The GCP says this change restricts charging to the times of day when traffic is heaviest and allows greater freedom for people to move around, and, for example, deliveries to be received in the middle of the day.
The proposals now include 50 free days for private care users which the GCP says will give “everyone a chance to use their car without charge on the occasions they really need it”.
There will also be a discount of 50 per cent on heavy goods vehicles (HGV) and vans (LGV) for locally-owned SMEs to support local businesses. A 50 per cent discount will also be given to those on low incomes, who rely on their cars.
The GCP has also committed to exemptions for most people who need to go to hospital by car - matching the parking allowances that the hospitals make for patients, visitors and staff - and for anyone in receipt of carers benefit and mobility PIP.
There will also be no charge for motorbikes, which under the original proposals was £5 a day.
Park and Ride sites will remain outside the zone as under the original proposals, with capacity doubled and the sites expanded into ‘travel hubs’ to offer better walking and cycling provision as well as more electric vehicle charging points, better bus connectivity, access to car clubs, e-scooter hire and secure bike parking.
Last year’s consultation revealed that 70 per cent of respondents were in favour of the future transport network of more buses to more locations, cheaper fares and longer operating times supported by better walking and cycling infrastructure.
Reacting to the proposals, Chris Carter-Chapman, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for South Cambridgeshire, said: “In this latest update, the GCP claim that they have listened to people’s concerns. However the substance of their announcement betrays that they are in fact doing the exact opposite. When given the chance to voice their views on the congestion charge, local residents have made their opposition to the introduction of such a scheme loud and clear.
“Tinkering at the edges is not going to save residents from the significant financial impact of the congestion charge and the widespread inconvenience to their daily lives. I remain strongly opposed to the plans and superficial changes will not divert us from our campaign to stop a tax that will hit the most vulnerable in our society the hardest, and do huge damage to our local economy.”
Pippa Heylings, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for South Cambridgeshire, added: “Since last December, I have been calling for the GCP to listen attentively to residents across Cambridgeshire and to go back to the drawing board on the proposals for funding bus improvements. The voice of residents rings loud and clear: they want better buses, safer cycle ways and links between villages, work, colleges and the city centre; but there is little support for a congestion charge as the only way to pay for this. I urge the GCP to go back to the drawing board and rethink the solutions; with funding secured from multiple, alternative sources for the bus improvements. People need to see with their own eyes that they can trust public transport to be reliable, frequent and affordable.
“If the GCP presses ahead now, it will be missing a huge opportunity for alternative solutions to provide radically improved public transport that local people are crying out for. Recently, the Conservative government finally recognised how critical the world-renowned Cambridge Life Sciences area is to the UK economy. If the government are serious about supporting the future of our communities, it should act now to invest in bus improvements and fulfil its manifesto pledge to “revolutionise the bus sector” with the “most ambitious shake-up ever”.
“Upfront, unconditional funding for bus improvements from the government would allow us to tackle the problems of congestion and crippled public transport without placing the full burden on drivers in Cambridge often making unavoidable car journeys.”
Anthony Painter, of Cambridgeshire Parents for Sustainable Travel, said: “As parents, we want a fair, safe and healthy city - these proposals are a big step in the right direction. The current situation - woeful public transport and a congested, polluted city - will only get worse as the city grows rapidly. Enough is enough, it is time for action.
“These proposals help provide affordable options whether you travel by car, bike or bus. There will be better access to schools and colleges for kids and young people in and around Cambridge.
“What’s important is that everyone has been listened to in the consultation process and substantial changes have been made. A future without sustainable travel will be worse for the city and those who travel into it. We ask our political leaders to act now to secure a fairer, greener city for both current and future generations.”
Andy Williams, the business representative on the GCP’s executive board, added: “We listened carefully to the feedback that we received from the business community and have taken time to reflect on what people told us.
“There is no doubt that businesses – large and small – had legitimate concerns which we needed to address. The revised proposals are designed to address those concerns and find the balance we all want to see so that Greater Cambridge is a great place to do business with less congestion and carbon impact.”
Silviya Barrett from Campaign for Better Transport said: “We’re pleased that plans are progressing in Cambridge, which will give residents and visitors the ability to travel more sustainably.
“The vision of the team, guided by the consultation responses received, will help expand and improve the bus network. If we are to get anywhere near our legally mandated net zero targets, shifting people from cars to public transport, walking and cycling is of critical importance – and these plans will seek to do just that.”
But some other early reactions to the changes were less positive.
One commentator, who posts on Twitter as Just Another Cambridge Scientist, said: “These revised plans look like a slight reduction in ‘stick’, but with very little ‘carrot’ left to show for it. Expected revenues have been slashed, but administrative costs certainly won’t have been. Last time we were shown a great map of the proposed ‘London-style’ bus network, now reduced to little more than a vague comment about ‘opportunities for new bus routes’. The whole argument for the STZ was that we’d have enough buses to allow us to stop using the car, but now we’re looking at the worst of both worlds.
“The GCP claim they’re now supporting ‘informal carers’ by offering exemptions to those who receive carer’s benefit. Do they really not know that only those who spend at least 35 hours a week are eligible for carer’s allowance in England? Similarly, there’s nothing here for young parents juggling long working hours and nursery commutes, who simply don’t have the hours spare to endlessly bus-hop, or flexibility to avoid peak hours. Between the extortionate cost of early years childcare and the STZ, if the GCP are determined to render Cambridge inhospitable to the hard working 20- and 30-somethings who are the driving force behind Cambridge’s thriving high-tech economy, then they’re certainly going the right way about it!
“Ultimately, though, my biggest concern is not even about these plans, but the wider issue of disenfranchisement of voters across Greater Cambridge, and what it means for the future of our local democracy. The GCP are not themselves directly elected by the public, and the university and business leaders who sit at the GCP’s top table have no democratic accountability at all. As I understand it not one of the county councillors who will soon be voting on this matter – given a Hobson’s choice by the GCP – was elected on an explicit mandate backing anything like the STZ.
“A referendum on the matter was rejected outright, and the popular opposition to the very principle of a STZ to pay for better buses, as illustrated in the GCP’s own consultation, has been glossed over. Even if this latest proposal is pushed through, I worry that the level of anger and loss of trust in local politics which results will make it much harder for the city to make positive progress in the years ahead. Democracy is hard, but if we’re to head towards a greener future then we really, really have to take the public along with us for the ride.”
The revised proposals will be presented to the GCP’s joint assembly on September 7.
The Cambs Against Congestion Charge groups say their position on the STZ remains unchanged.
“We still do not support the tax in any form. This is what we were all expecting. Some watered down version of the original plans. Meaningfully, though, no change in the extension of the STZ, still covering 100 per cent of the city and no change in philosophy: people will be charged to enter, exit or drive through the zone,” a statement from the groups said.
The statement continues: “Cynical people might think that this was the plan from the start: propose an unacceptable plan, water it down a bit – but only administratively – to pretend they’ve listened, so that they get green light to put the infrastructure in place. Once that’s done, it will be a no brainer to change charges and hours as soon as they see fit.”