Agenda and minutes

 Minutes agreed.

·         The Local Sustainable Transport Fund has provided the County Council with £5 million to deliver initiatives over a 3-year period. Some of these initiatives will be cycling related. This will include liaising with Members on surface improvements etc for the Guided Bus links and cycle paths etc. More details to follow.

·         Section 106 funding for cycling and other improvements. Delivery of lighting improvements along the Busway to the south look likely.

·         Feasibility of the Chesterton Bridge as part of the Chisholm Trail. This should ideally open in parallel with the new Chesterton/Science Park station. Officers will need to liaise with local residents.

·         The eastern section of the Tins path (Cherry Hinton/Mill Road). Widening proposed and the planting of a replacement hedgerow.

·         Hills Road Bridge – access onto Busway. This has been approved.

·         DFT Cycle Safety Fund. The County Council are making a bid e.g. to improve Hyde Park Corner junction and Perne Road/Radegund Road roundabout. For the former it is proposed that inbound cyclists on Hills Rd will have an approach lane.

·         Bike Friendly Cities. This project continues with CJR seconded to the Council for 2 days per week.  One of the main projects is making more one-way streets two-way for cyclists. Plans are currently being drawn up which will be looked at by the County’s Safety Audit and then consulted on, some through the TRO process.  Cllr Rosenstiel asked that changing the sign on Adam & Eve St be a priority.

·         Other projects include a multi-language cycle map, a bike parade as part of Strawberry Fair and a launch event to mark the opening of the Chesterton/Science Park Station.

·         Cycle Park – CB1. Application submission of the 3000-space facility it expected shortly.

·         ‘Bikeability’ cycle training. This is now being managed by Mike Davies’ team and continues to be run by ‘Outspoken.’

 

According to MD, timescales are nor currently available for the contra-flow work but delivery is expected by mid 2013. In terms of cycle access onto the Busway, lessons needed to be learnt from the confusing signage at the Orchard Park/Kings Hedges Road junction according to Cllr Ward. In terms of the proposed new cycle park, Cllr Tucker expressed some concern as to the potential for high numbers of abandoned bikes. All agreed the new Science Park station would likely reduce demand on cycle parking at CB1.

 

 

CJR circulated a map to all Members highlighting Cambridge’s accident black spots. Hills Road and Mill Road are indicated as having particularly high numbers of accidents and the map featured cluster marks on all roundabouts.  The Group discussed various safety measures that could help reduce the accident figures. Cllr Rosenstiel highlighted the need to examine the common causes behind serious accidents. Incidents on roundabouts were usually the result of motorists not seeing cyclists according to CJR.

 

CJR added that there was scope for considerable change at the Coldham’s Lane roundabout/Sainsbury’s access and that zebra crossings on Mill Road rather than signalled crossings could help to slow traffic. The safety team at the County Council look at accident trends.

 

The initiative to improve provision was recently given the go-ahead at Full Council, with a Project Officer starting next week on identifying key areas. This will be a challenging project to deliver.

 

One issue to tackle was the number of students parking on the highway rather than within their colleges. CJR had sent a letter to the city centre colleges around which the problem was worse and had had no reply.  Increasing capacity at the Grand Arcade is being looked at, aswell as at the Guildhall (although the sensitivities associated with the listed building would need to be respected.) Increasing on-street provision will also be examined.

 

According to AP, the need for increased cycle parking is indisputable. City and County officers have conducted a walkabout of the city centre. This needs to be taken to the next level of ambition involving active engagement with stakeholders.

 

·         Sainsbury’s, Sidney Street & outside John Lewis on Downing St – work to install the new cycle racks will begin on Wednesday 7^th November. Any feedback would be useful when planning future installations.

·         Project Board. Membership would need to be discussed with the Steering Group for both the cycle parking and 20mph Project, as they will need Member input. Input from Cambridge Cycling Campaign would also be useful. 

 

ACTION: CJR to check whether Cambridge Cycling Campaign are included on the Cycling & Pedestrian Steering Group.

·        CJR was contacted by a journalist from ‘The Times’ a year on from the Safe Cycling campaign started after a Times journalist was knocked down whilst cycling.  An update on initiatives was provided. 

 

Date of next meeting  20^th February 2013