Hundreds of protestors took to the streets of Cambridge on Sunday (November 27) to march against a planned congestion charge for the city.
The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) has proposed a £5 charge to drive into and around Cambridge as part of a “once in a generation” plan to shake up how people travel.
Alongside the charge, the GCP is setting out plans for one of the largest ever investments in a UK bus network to provide £1 fares and more frequent services with longer operating hours.
The board is currently holding a consultation on the plans until December 23.
However, since its announcement, it has received backlash from locals who live both in and around the Cambridge area, business owners, those who work in the city, and councillors who are opposing it.
This weekend, they united and marched through the city to voice their anger over the proposed plans.
Before marching, they gathered at Parker’s Piece from three rally points around Cambridge.
Around eight speakers, including residents, tradespeople, Shapour Meftah, leader of the Mill Road Traders Association, and Anthony Browne, MP for South Cambridgeshire, addressed the crowd.
Among those who marched the streets were two Cambridgeshire councillors, leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, Cllr Anna Bailey, and district councillor for Stretham ward, Cllr Bill Hunt.
Cllr Bailey is not supporting the GCP’s proposals in their current form and is also against the road charging element of the plans.
“I believe the road charge will be extremely detrimental to East Cambs residents and will seriously disadvantage those that are least able to afford the charge but rely on vehicle access to our ‘county town’,” she said.
Cllr Bailey also said she believed the consultation is “biased” and “flawed” and that the proposals for public transport services in rural communities are based on “out of date data” and “do not stack up”.
She said: “There is a huge strength of feeling about the proposals. Residents young and old and from all sorts of different backgrounds have contacted me to tell me how worried they are.
“I marched on their behalf."
The congestion charge plans for the city
The fee, known as the ‘sustainable travel zone’ road user charge, is proposed for privately owned vehicles between 7am and 7pm on weekdays, and is planned to be introduced in 2026/27.
The charge will fund an improved public transport network in the future, with passengers paying £1 to travel in the city and £2 for journeys in the travel to work area.
The proposal will cover from the A14 in the north down to and including Trumpington and Addenbrooke’s Hospital, and extend from Cambridge Airport in the east to the M11 in the west.
It follows the ‘Making Connections’ consultation run by the GCP last year which revealed that the public was supportive of improvements to the public transport network, as well as its aims to reduce pollution and congestion.
It also said that people who responded to the consultation were more in favour of road-based charges to fund the changes, as opposed to parking-based charges.
A GCP spokesperson said: “Cambridge has some of the worst congestion in the UK and with thousands of new homes and jobs being created across the region over the next decade, traffic will only get worse.
“This is why we are putting forward proposals to create a London-style transport network with cheaper, more frequent buses to more locations operating from 5am until 1am, as well as more walking and cycling networks funded by a charge on vehicles driving in, out, and around the city.”
Other views
However, while protests have gone ahead against the plans for the Cambridge congestion charge, it has to be noted that the proposed charge will not only affect those living directly in and around the proposed area, but also those who travel in and out of the city for work purposes and leisure.
MP for Huntingdon, Jonathan Djanogly, has written to the GCP to outline what he says is his “firm opposition” to their plans to introduce a congestion charge in the city for this exact reason, saying the proposed charge is not just a Cambridge issue.
In the letter, it reads: “Whilst the GCP may consider the proposed congestion charge solely a Cambridge issue, this fails to recognise that for many of my constituents in Huntingdon, and particularly those living outside of Huntingdonshire towns, using a car to access work and services in the city is the only realistic transport option.
“Whilst improved bus services would of course be welcome, the limited offerings in the Making Connections proposals would still not enable many of my constituents to give up using their own cars.”
It continued: “The very nature of a stealth tax like the proposed congestion charge will mean those on lower wages – the least able to afford them – will be penalised the most.
“A potential addition of over £1,000 a year to the cost of travelling to work in the current economic climate with no thought for how it affects people on a day-to-day basis is, in my view, unacceptable.”
Mr Djanogly also said he has “serious concerns” about the charge being imposed on those visiting Addenbrooke’s Hospital which includes both vulnerable patients and hard-working NHS staff.
“Thousands of local people have signed petitions against the charge proposals and I would urge the GCP leadership to listen to their concerns and take action in response at the earliest opportunity.”
Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council, Cllr Stephen Ferguson, has also expressed his views on the proposed congestion charge for Cambridge.
He said: “Although the GCP plans are far from perfect, I had hoped that the consultation would be the start of an intelligent conversation about the provision of public transport for those who choose not to drive and the many who cannot afford to.
“A future in which only car users can afford to travel is neither sustainable nor ethical. Without some sort of subsidy more bus routes will inevitably be axed.”
What’s next?
The GCP spokesperson added: “We have seen and heard the passionate debate over the last six weeks as people tell us they want better buses, improved cycle routes and how ultimately something has to be done.
“We would encourage everyone to view the detail of the proposals – which includes a list of exemptions and discounts for people from the road user charge – and share their views with us by December 23.”
The GCP has a drop-in public exhibition at The Great Hall, Priory Centre, in St Neots on November 30 between 4pm and 7:30pm as part of the Making Connections consultation.
Anyone is welcome to go along to hear/view more on the proposals and have questions answered by a member of the project team.
What do you think about the proposed congestion charge? Email katie.woodcock@archant.co.uk.
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