The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) is proposing to transform the bus network by investing £50 million upfront into bus improvements, and make investments into other sustainable transport schemes, such as better walking and cycling infrastructure, through the introduction of a Sustainable Travel Zone. Once improvements were in place, road charging would be introduced to provide long term funding for the continuation of the better bus services and further improvements to sustainable travel.
It’s really important that you have your say. Share your views before the consultation closes on Friday 23 December at tinyurl.com/STZ-survey
View a summary of the plans in the GCP consultation booklet and find more information on the consultation website. You can use the information below to help shape your response.
For more detail, read these guides from our alliance members:
- Camcycle consultation guide (cycling focus)
- Cambridge Living Streets consultation guide (pedestrian focus).
Our overall view
Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance strongly supports these proposals, which are long overdue. The proposals create a real opportunity to provide a decent public transport system and real travel choices to the people of Cambridgeshire.
Consultation response guide
The Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance has written the following consultation guide to help people easily understand the proposals, share the Alliance’s position and help people respond in a quick but meaningful way.
Bus improvements
The Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance view: These plans are vital in persuading people to switch travel modes and ‘trust the bus’. In this time of increasing economic hardship for so many families, providing cheap, frequent, reliable buses can cut travel costs. The longer operating hours and enhanced rural service will also allow communities to rely on the bus as their means of transport.
The bus improvements must be delivered through bus franchising. This would give the Transport Authority control over routes, times and frequency of operation, and permit cross-subsidy from profitable routes to help support routes that are not financially self-sustaining.
1) To what extent do you support or oppose the proposals for bus improvements and fare reductions?
We suggest you select STRONGLY SUPPORT
2) Do you have any comments on the proposals for:
- Cheaper fares?
- More routes?
- Fast, high frequency services?
- Longer operating hours?
- Increased rural services?
- Simpler ticketing?
- Zero emission bus services?
You may wish to use some of the following text in your answer as well as your own views:
- Services need to be a mix of increased frequencies on existing routes, new express routes and reliable, assured, demand-responsive links.
- Some bus routes should avoid terminating in the city centre, reducing congestion and providing direct connections to locations across Cambridgeshire.
- Information about key fares and payment methods should be provided at all stops.
3) Are there any additional improvements to bus services that would be needed for you to use bus services for more of your journeys? If so, what are they? Or if you are a non-bus user, what would encourage you to use the bus?
You may wish to use some of the following text in your answer as well as your own views:
- Current, accurate route and timetable information should be displayed at all stops.
- A high-quality route planner should be developed, such as Citimapper.
- All bus stops should be linked to a well-maintained, well-lit pedestrian footway, safely accessible by passengers with limited mobility.
- Dial-a-ride services should be extended across Cambridgeshire and fares reduced in line with buses to help people with reduced mobility.
- Traffic signals should prioritise people walking, cycling and buses.
4) The bus improvements are proposed to start immediately after a decision in summer 2023 and ramp up over the following 4-5 years. What bus improvements would you want to see delivered first? (select up to 3)
Bus improvements will initially be funded by a £50 million investment by the GCP and they have said cheaper fares will be one of the first improvements made. Therefore we suggest you select:
- Increased rural services
- Longer operating hours
- Fast, high frequency services
5) To what extent would you support or oppose the franchising of the local bus network by the Mayor and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority?
We suggest you select STRONGLY SUPPORT
Walking, cycling and public space
The Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance view: The proposals will result in thousands of additional journeys every day on the pavements and cycle routes across the city. Urgent action is required across the city to make these journeys safe, as well as longer term strategies to ensure the number of people walking and cycling continues to increase.
6 ) To what extent do you support or oppose additional improvements to walking and cycling, accessibility and public spaces?
We suggest you select STRONGLY SUPPORT for all of the categories.
7) If a Sustainable Travel Zone was introduced, are there any other improvements you would like to see funded?
You may wish to use some of the following text in your answer as well as your own views:
- 20% of the charging revenue should be ring fenced specifically for walking and cycling improvements.
- The quality of existing pavements and paths must be improved before the Sustainable Travel Zone can be implemented.
- A package of walking and cycling quick wins must be complete before the Sustainable Travel Zone can be implemented.
- The rollout of quiet streets and low-traffic neighbourhoods must continue quickly in line with the emerging Cambridgeshire road hierarchy.
- A priority list of junction improvements should be scoped, designed, and implemented.
- Traffic lights must be reprioritised for walking and cycling.
- Bridges across the city need to be improved to facilitate increased levels of walking and cycling.
- More school streets should be introduced.
- More cycle parking must be installed across the Greater Cambridge area.
Sustainable Travel Zone (including a road charge)
The Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance View: We broadly welcome the introduction of a Sustainable Travel Zone. Reducing the use of cars and reallocating space and priority to walking, cycling and buses helps to solve urban and environmental issues and creates safe, healthy and attractive places for people to live, work and visit.
Car ownership actually has a significant societal cost that is borne by society as a whole and not just drivers, making driving itself subsidised. This is even more true in cities where road space is limited, and the impacts of poor air quality amplified.
Walking, cycling and public transport on the other hand can have many societal benefits, such as reduced congestion, increased mobility for all ages and abilities and improved air quality. The road charge will redress this imbalance and support people walking, cycling and taking public transport.
We think the £5 charge for cars alongside the improvements is a fair price that adequately reflects the social impacts of driving and helps to change travel behaviours.
8 ) Do you have any comments on the proposal to introduce a Sustainable Travel Zone?
You may wish to use some of the following text in your answer as well as your own views:
- Public transport improvements must be performing well before the Sustainable Travel Zone is implemented.
9) To what extent do you support or oppose the introduction of a Sustainable Travel Zone to fund improvements to bus services, walking and cycling?
We suggest you select STRONGLY SUPPORT
10) If you do not support the introduction of a Sustainable Travel Zone to fund improvements to bus services, walking and cycling, what alternative funding proposals would you propose to tackle the challenges faced by Greater Cambridge?
We suggest that you DO NOT respond to question 10.
11) Do you have any feedback on the proposed Zone and its boundary?
We are broadly happy with the proposed Zone and its boundary as it works effectively with the existing park and rides. We suggest you provide feedback that reflects your situation or opinion on the proposed Zone boundary.
12) Do you have any comments on the proposed hours of operation of the Sustainable Travel Zone?
You may wish to use some of the following text in your answer as well as your own views:
- Further modelling should be used to assess the impact of a morning and evening peak charge and weekend traffic levels.
13) To what extent would you support or oppose the principle of phasing in the Sustainable Travel Zone charge?
We suggest you select SUPPORT
14) Do you have any comments on the suggested phasing approach?
You may wish to use some of the following text in your answer as well as your own views:
- A staged introduction of the charge may result in displacement of the time of car journeys, disguising any reduction in congestion.
- A staged introduction may impact the quality of the bus service when there is the greatest opportunity to change travel behaviours.
15) Do you have any comments on the proposed charge levels?
You may wish to use some of the following text in your answer as well as your own views:
- A £5 charge for cars seems a fair price that adequately reflects the social impacts of driving and helps to change travel behaviours.
- registered coach services such as National Express and FlixBus should be exempt.
16) Do you have any comments on the below proposed discounts, exemptions and reimbursements?
We have no comments on the proposed discounts, exemptions and reimbursements, we suggest you share any of your own views.
17 ) Do you have any other comments on the proposed discounts, exemptions and reimbursements?
You may wish to use some of the following text in your answer as well as your own views:
- Short-term and medium-term exemptions could be assigned to those with temporary health or social care needs and who are assessed as currently unfit to travel on public transport.
18) Taking into account the improvements suggested above, are there any changes to the proposals or additional measures that would help enhance or address impacts on you / your business / your organisation and the way you travel?
You should complete this with your personal views on what would best support your day-to-day life.