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Climate Rescue
Club at the
Junior School

What we are
doing to
lighten our
carbon footprints

We have identified two areas which are of particular concern: journeys of under a mile and under five miles. The former are clearly walkable; indeed 80% of such journeys nationally are taken by foot, but still a residual, shocking 18% by motor vehicle. Yet when we get to journeys of under five miles, thereby in theory cyclable, national figures suggest 95% are by car.

There are several factors at play locally which inhibit more wide-scale take-up of low or carbon neutral forms of travel. Safety, firstly, is critical. With cycle routes often in the open roadway up against heavy volumes of traffic or on-road parking, there are strong incentives to leave the bike at home, especially for younger cyclists. Linked to this is the speed at which traffic proceeds through our village, particularly on the B1049, where the 40 mph limit has a perilous effect; and indeed within the village, the 30mph limit functioning at school crossings and elsewhere adds a needless risk to local journeys. But after safety, clearly there are questions of alternatives to the car such as public transport, with an improving yet still expensive bus system.

To explore and take forward these issues we held a meeting on November 23^rd entitled ‘Beyond Gridlock’. Part of the function of this meeting was to hear from people such as Simon Norton, local campaigner for the pressure group ‘The Campaign for Better Transport’ who illuminated the issues nationally; also County Councillor David Jenkins who spoke on these issues at the level of county and city where huge challenges are emerging. The purpose of the evening's discussion was to determine the differing fronts on which HICCA might initiate further action, enlisting our parish and county councillors in that process.

Minutes of the meeting are given below. For further information contact Steve Waters slwaters@btinternet.com

Summary of a Meeting Hosted by HICCA on the evening of

Friday 23 November 2007 at Impington Village College

Title: ‘Beyond Gridlock: Can we Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Local Transport?’

Chair: Steve Waters.

First Speaker: Simon Norton from The Campaign for Better Transport (formally Transport 2000).

· CBT originally interested in ‘social costs’ of rising road and air traffic but climate change now inevitably high on its agenda

· A14 dominant local issue for the near future. CBT opposed to the particular option recently selected by the Highways Agency - privileges assumed needs of lorry-drivers and motorists

· Cyclists and pedestrians need a safe crossing of the A14 at Impington

· Bus-users also need a way for their vehicles to bypass peak-time jams associated with the A14. Guided Busway addresses this up to a point but goes the ‘long way round’

· Need to find workable local means of road-pricing

· Problem of uncertainty facing local bus services

Second Speaker: County Councillor David Jenkins.

· Guided Busway will be longest in the world so far, mainly funded by central government with some money from the Northstowe developers. A high quality system featuring integrated ticketing with other bus services. Maintenance track alongside the busway to serve as cycle path to Science Park area and buses will ultimately connect to proposed ‘Chesterton Rail Station’. But Lib Dems would have preferred a tram system

· Northstowe – hopes that plans for the Guided Busway plus strong local bus services will encourage people out of their cars. Forcing people to live without cars could cause resentment but wise urban/transport planning could make them feel it was hardly ever necessary to get in the car. Lib Dems hope Northstowe will stand as an exemplar of sustainable development

· Cambridgeshire is bidding for Ł 500 million from the government’s Transport Innovation Fund. If successful need to find further Ł50 million but this might be funded from Council Tax. Govt condition that any scheme funded from TIF must have element of road pricing. CCCouncil is floating possible congestion charging scheme as example of what might be done but reserve right to change details if awarded money. Lib Dems think County should give more attention to climate change objectives with focus on walking, cycling and public transport not cars. No more compromise on cycle paths.

· A14 - current proposals for widening (and partially re-routing) would result in 10 lanes of traffic to W. of Histon/Impington. Public enquiry scheduled for 2009 with building due to start in 2010. DJ personal view - is this best solution? What about a proper East/West rail link and what about real risk of road traffic dipping sharply owing to oil running out?

Third Speaker: Niels Hovius (from Hicca)

· CO2 emissions owing to transport are increasing worldwide

· People in SE England commute in cars more than anywhere else in UK

· In SE Eng., 80% walkable journeys (= less than 1 mile) taken on foot but less than 5% of cyclable journeys (1-5 miles) taken by bike

· 79% of UK children live within walking distance from school. While, in 1971, 66% cycled on local roads, between 1994 and 2005, proportion of primary school children driven to school increased from 30 – 41%

· NH maps hazards encountered on journey to take his children to Juniors and Infant School by bike/foot from home in Villa Road e.g. heavy goods vehicles in Villa Road; no special provision for pedestrians at Vision Park entrance; Station Road between Nursery and Juniors has narrow pavements, many static cars and frustrated pedestrians

· NH suggestions: Station Road for local traffic only – enforce B1049 in its function as bypass. Consider re-instatement of one-way traffic in Stn Rd. Reduce speed limit to 20mph with B1049 at 30 mph. Find means to get parked cars off the road

· Histon B1049 traffic survey from 29/09/05 shows 3 times UK average journeys are made by bike here so why don’t local road layouts reflect this choice in catering properly for bike users?

· NH maps hazards on way to work in Cambridge. Traffic calming measures in Stn Rd force cars in to oncoming cycle traffic; no cycle priorities at A14 roundabout; buses stop in cycle lane on Histon Road and cars parked there too

· Sustrans survey shows two thirds of people asked (even car users) think peds/cyclists should have priority so need to redress the balance of power

· Cycling is cheap, flexible – fights urban congestion, obesity and greenhouse emissions

· Examples of cycle-friendly planning and practices in the Netherlands

Main Points from Questions and Discussion:

· Poorly maintained pavements a hazard to older residents

· Disagreement about desirability of returning to one-way in Station Road

· Pavement parking contributes to pedestrian problems

· Problems of enforcement e.g. 20 mph school zone in Girton – County Council
must have consistent and tough standards of traffic management county-wide

· Need for businesses to put more pressure on vehicles to drive responsibly

· More autonomy for villages who want to impose own speed limits

Problems and Potential Solutions Identified in Small Group Discussion:

· Cycle hazards: remove road bumps and bollards which cause cars to weave; build proper dedicated cycle ways since shared use and raised paths lead to accidents; ensure continuity in cycle paths, e.g. no parking bays in designated cycle ways; work for greater cycle safety on Butt Lane – proper safe cycle option to Milton (Country Park, Tesco etc.)

· Safety: prioritise pedestrians/cyclists at junctions e.g. dangers of new Kings Hedges arrangements

· Safer Routes to School: re-assess procedures for ‘Safety Audit’ to inbuild priority for pedestrians and cyclists; larger budget and more ‘teeth’; more joined up thinking e.g. not separate Junior and Infant School schemes and join up with whole village safety planning; safer access road to Junior school e.g. pavements

· Speed limits: 30mph on B1049 and 20 mph on Station Rd and High Street with possible dead slow zones in smaller residential roads

· Car Parking in Station Road: park cars on one side only; cut hedges and widen footpaths; residents’ parking permits

· Bus services: need faster, more reliable and more affordable services; discourage drivers from unsafe acceleration and stopping practices; connecting bus between Girton, Waterbeach and other necklace villages

· Guided bus access: a stop at the Park Lane junction, park and ride options here and elsewhere,

· Prevalence of single occupancy cars: encourage car sharing

· Possibility of parking restrictions during school drop-offs on Station rd between War Memorial and High Stree

· More work needed on lateral inter-village cycle routes as well as routes to Cambridge which may come from opening up of tracks on farmland eg on NIAB land to Girton or across fields to Milton

· Need a pedestrian/cycle bridge over A14 towards Cambridge