Call for an alternative to the Cambridge South West (Hauxton) Park & Ride

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) has published the Outline Business Case for a new 2,260-space [corrected from 946-space] Park & Ride on the west side of the M11–A10 interchange, along with link roads, two new junctions on the A10, and widening of Trumpington Rd to incorporate more bus lane. The total cost is about £55 million or £24,500 [corrected from £58,000] per parking space (in 2019 prices).

The monetised benefits of the “preferred option” are negative (before subtracting costs). This puts the benefit-to-cost ratio (BCR) in the lowest possible (“very poor”) value for money category according to HM Treasury guidance. Furthermore, the traffic forecasts are dire: average traffic speeds reduced from 30mph now to under 7mph between 5pm and 6pm. Queues to leave the M11 could extend over a mile in the morning and up to two miles in the evening.

The impact on villages along the A10, especially Harston, would be intolerable. Bus services using the A10 (Busway A and D) and M11 (National Express and the ‘H’ service from Papworth) would be severely delayed by the traffic queues.

The GCP Executive Board meets on Thursday 27 June 2019 to decide whether to proceed with commissioning detailed designs for this scheme, with a view to starting work next year.

Using the form below, let GCP know that you oppose this plan and what you would prefer to see instead.

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To support our message, simply write in your name and full address where indicated at the end, then send. Alternatively, remove our message and write your own. Please be respectful and constructive.

I oppose any recommendation to the Greater Cambridge Partnership to progress the Cambridge South West Park & Ride on the basis that: a) The scheme has negative benefits, i.e. will cause more harm than good. b) Increased congestion will make life in villages along the A10 intolerable. c) Delays caused by increased congestion will harm bus services on the A10 and M11. d) It is wholly unjustifiable to spend £24,500 per parking space to subsidise car owners. e) Park & Ride is no longer the appropriate transport solution for people living in Greater Cambridge. I support instead Smarter Cambridge Transport’s approach, which is briefly: 1) Obtain a more complete set of data for traffic on the M11, A10 and A1309, including origins and destinations, so that we have a clear picture of what alternative transport provisions from further afield would be most effective. 2) Work with bus operators to increase the hours, frequency and quality of buses serving villages to the west and south of Cambridge, with connections to the Biomedical Campus and rail stations. 3) Reverse the Park & Ride parking subsidy to release money to invest in bus services. 4) Re-evaluate locations for Park & Rides adjacent to the M11, A14 and A428 to best serve people travelling from outside the travel-to-work area (which will be served by comprehensive public transport, as set out in the vision for CAM). 5) Develop an integrated transport strategy that encompasses Cambridge South station; extensive, well-connected cycleways; travel hubs served by rapid bus services to Cambridge, railway stations, and other key destinations; parking provision at Foxton and Meldreth stations; grade separation of the A10 and railway at Foxton or re-routing the A10; a new railway station at Little Shelford; and any other ideas for advancing attractive, sustainable transport for the region. More detail may be found in Smarter Cambridge Transport’s response to the last consultation: https://www.smartertransport.uk/our-cambridge-south-west-park-ride-consultation-response/ Regards, *YOUR NAME* *YOUR ADDRESS* P.S. This email is copied to all Executive Board and councillor Assembly Members, and Mayor James Palmer. On 23 June, point (b) was split into two, and point (d) updated to quote the correct cost per parking space.

Your message above will be emailed to the chair of the Greater Cambridge Partnership Executive Board (Cllr Lewis Herbert), and copied to the other Board members, councillors on the Joint Assembly, and Mayor James Palmer.

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Reference documents

Park and Ride

7 comments

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Charlotte Columbus says:

17 June 2019 at 07:02

Please don’t do this! We need help to reduce the traffic and not to make it worse.

Tony says:

17 June 2019 at 08:55

Extend the existing Trumpington P&R?
IE: Multi-story car parks.

Wendy Berriman says:

17 June 2019 at 21:22

Please make more provision, for footpaths and cycle paths not just make things easy for car owners.

Hugh Wood says:

21 June 2019 at 16:11

Yikes. Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
Where is the data about the queuing times and impact on journey times in the consultation document please? I couldn’t find it!

- Chris Rand says:
  
  22 June 2019 at 12:31
  
  The data is all in the Business Case document.
  
Sarah Ellis says:

23 June 2019 at 07:13

I really don’t understand how anyone could even consider £58,000 for a parking space. Also the impact this will have on the surrounding villages is terrible. The pollution, air quality for our children.
Also with the proposed childrens hospital on the Addenbrokes site, this will not be a solution.
South Cambridge Train station on the hospital site??

Chris Rand says:

24 June 2019 at 15:29

Smarter Cambridge Transport has received a response from the Chair of the GCP Board, and has replied here.