Agenda item

1. Apologies:

Cllr Geri Bird

Cllr Caroline Hart

Cllr Charlotte Perry

Simon Nuttall – Cambridge Cycle Campaign

 

2. Minutes of the last meeting – Wednesday 23^rd April 2014 and matters arising.

·       Bike Bus Explorer. This went ahead but without City Council funding. The little feedback received so far suggests the scheme is not greatly used according to MD. It was advertised reasonably well and launched late in the summer.

 

3. Promotion grant funding (CR)

CR updated the Committee on some of the schemes awarded funding in 2013/14

·        ‘Wondergears’ (funding carried over from 2012/13). The City Council’s support was dependant on their finding appropriate accommodation. This has now been secured at the Future Business site off Kings Hedges Road and the scheme was launched in May.

·       Centre 33 – ‘Bike It’. CR circulated a report on the success of the scheme which provided bikes and bike training  for young carers. 20 young carers have been given tuition and 10 have received their own bikes.

·       Wintercomfort – ‘Overstream Clean’. This was partly funded from last year’s budget, with some from 2014/15. This was to provide cargo bikes for a mobile cleaning service which is now up and running.

·       Accordia footbridge across Hobson’s brook. This was also approved for funding. The scheme has received Planning permission but the go-ahead needs to be given by the City Council as the landowner. £2,875 of funding has therefore been reserved in anticipation of the Council’s go-ahead. The footbridge is not intended for cyclists and although open to the public will be gated. A consultation is ongoing.

 

Approximately £7,600 therefore remains in the budget for this year.

 

YHA Cambridge. The proposal presented last time was not considered appropriate. The amended proposal includes an additional locker and visitor cycle parking provision for up to 5 bikes to the front of the building (the chairs and tables having been removed from the proposal). £4,928 is being sought from the Steering Group (which can provide up to £5,000). The Group currently have no other bids to consider.

 

Conclusion.

The Steering Group agreed that visitor parking provision at this location would be useful for a variety of reasons, not least in respect of the nearby café and other local facilities. There was a great deal of discussion regarding the internal lockers - some members thought these should be funded by YHA themselves and questioned the need for lockers rather than simple racks.  CR agreed to look at the possibility of having cycle stands in the back instead but failing this the majority of members were in favour of awarding the grant as requested, as was the Chair.  MS emphasized the need to ensure that any cycle parking provision near the hostel frontage should be clear of the disabled access route. There was a question as to the total amount requested for the grant and CR agreed to check that the grant would cover the work required within the £5,000 budget.

 

ACTION: CR to investigate the rear or the YHA building to assess its suitability for secure cycle parking provision and to check the costings.

 

 

4. County Team Leader Cycling Projects (MD)

The County Council recently moved to the Committee system. Current proposals such as the Trumpington Road scheme which includes the  removal of parking in favour of a cycle lane and widened bank to cater for contra-flow cycling off-road will therefore go before the Economy and Environment Committee 16^th September.

·       Huntingdon and Hills Road improvements. These have been approved and will go into the detailed design phase. Work will begin (at the earliest) in January 2015.

·       Cambridge JAC. This has its inaugural meeting 23^rd September. CR will present the proposal for 2-way cycling on 1 way streets. 10 streets have been earmarked where Local Members and residents have all shown their support. Safety concerns or opposition was raised on 7 of these streets and they will go before the JAC.

·       Thoday Street.  The proposal for on-street cycle parking by removing 2 vehicle parking bays. There have been strong arguments both for and against. Members will make the decision regarding objections to the TRO.

·       Abbey/Chesterton Bridge. The recent consultation received 900 responses. Concerns include the visual impact on Stourbridge Common and increased cycle traffic through Fen Ditton. This will be a particularly challenging scheme for the County Member for Fen Ditton where opposition has been strong. Gonville & Caius and Network Rail are among the landowners.

·       Cllr Moore stressed the importance of providing safe cycle routes for the city’s 6^th form college students. All agreed map boards along the main cycle routes of the city and along the Guided Busway would be helpful for wayfinding. This has been considered according to CR, although reaching agreement on locations etc. was problematic. Cllr Moore added that safe cycle routes were needed through the large developments in the city such as the CUP/Cambridge Assessment site and that they should be in place from the outset. MD agreed routes and linkages were often poor. CR added that due to the movement of construction vehicles and the various phases of development, cycling through sites in the early stages has safety implications.

 

5. NW Cambridge junctions.

Cllr Tucker reported that the NW site Huntingdon Road junction has been raised as a concern at the last West Central Committee. The junction at the NIAB site is generally regarded as poorly designed and is not yet being properly used. The new junction could therefore be highly dangerous for cyclists unless the traffic infrastructure is co-ordinated. MD confirmed the 2.1m wide cycle lane would narrow to 1.5m at the new junction. CR stated that the new junctions had all been designed to cater for  motor traffic flows with facilities for cyclists and pedestrians fitted in as space allowed.  CR added that positive steps did include a toucan crossing connecting the NW Cambridge site with Whitehouse Lane. Cllr Moore enquired whether there was a set of standards or principles that could be provided to developers regarding how sites are connected with the wider area. MD confirmed the approach was to evaluate situations on a case by case basis.

·       Landsdowne Road to Conduit Head Road. Cllr Tucker told the group that this section of the off-road cycle/ped path was poor and that the formation of a sub-group to examine such areas was discussed at the last NW Forum and MD suggested this would be a good forum to discuss the new junctions. CR confirmed there was S106 funding that had been set aside for cycle improvements on Madingley Road.

 

6. City Cycling Schemes (AP)

·       Jesus Green avenue path widening. Funded by the Joint Cycleways budget, work should be completed in a month.

·       Radegund Road/Perne Road roundabout, funded by the Joint Cycleways budget, European funding and the DfT Cycle Safety Scheme budget. Its official opening is scheduled for later this month (NB this is likely to be delayed due to problems with the resurfacing work) and it may receive national attention. It’s being regarded as a trial to cycle safety improvements to other roundabouts in the city.

·       Green Dragon Bridge. The scheme aims to reduce conflict coming on/off the bridge local members are being consulted at present and it is likely come back to the Steering Group for input. A sensitive project.

·       Fen Road. A total of £150,000 is being put forward for improvements.

·       City Centre Cycle Parking project (Peas Hill/Guildhall Street). This is almost complete although negotiations with the utilities company regarding public realm sites has proved challenging.  Additional cycle racks are being installed on Trumpington Street that will complete the installation of a total of 600 new cycle parking spaces. All agreed the public realm surrounding the Guildhall had been significantly improved.

·       CB1. MD confirmed cycle parking provision at the station was not a City Council project but that the current newly installed cycle racks would be re-located into the new cycle park once it’s built.

 

7. Carter Bridge Ramp (CR)

Improvements to linkages between the bridge and the station are proposed as part of the CB1 development. Options put forward by CB1 consultants Mott Macdonald have been discussed with the County, City Council, Cambridge Cycle Campaign etc. One ramp option was originally preferred as a compromise solution.  A design has now been submitted based on the preferred option and a meeting has been arranged to consider again whether this is still the preferred way forward considering the potential to change Devonshire Road if Travis Perkins move and it becomes part of the Chisholm Trail. At the moment, cars and taxis use the road as a rat-run to the station at relatively high speeds.

 

8. Any Other Business

·       Metal bollards along the Guided Busway path are a danger to cyclists who can hit them in the dark. MD confirmed that he had been aware of the issue since the Busway first opened and white lining had been put around the bollards to try and highlight them .

 

Date of next meeting – January 2015

The Steering Group agreed to meet approximately every 3 months.

ACTION: CR to bring more grant proposals for the Steering Group to review next time.