Highway Code changes
A bill is being put forward to sentence any cyclist convicted of dangerous cycling to a 14 year prison term.
Issues
This section lists issues - problems on the street network and related matters.
Issues always relate to some geographical location, whether very local or perhaps city-wide.
You can create a new issue using the button on the right.
Listed issues, most recent first, limited to the area of Waterbeach Cycling Campaign:
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19/1616/FUL 67-97 Campkin Road - redevelopment into 75 affordable homes
Demolition of 32no existing flats and garages, and erection of 75no new affordable dwellings, including 4no houses and 71no apartments, a new community facility, car parking, landscaping and associated works.
67 - 97A Campkin Road Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB4 2NP
Cambridge
Application reference : 19/1616/FUL
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19/1472/FUL - Cambridge 'cows' sculpture installation
There's a whole bunch of locations reported for this Cambridge Cow sculpture exhibit.
I've already spotted one that gets too close to a dropped kerb in Station Square. More eyes needed to look through all the proposed locations.
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Create Dutch Style Cycle Map/Waypoints for Cambridge
This is a suggestion to create a Dutch style cycle map for the area around Cambridge and get the waypoints and routes marked on the ground to help navigation by bike, and then use it to measure progress on creating better routes.
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Redevelopment of 67 to 97a Campkin Road
As part of the City Council's plan to build 500 new homes in Cambridge by 2022, Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP) is proposing to build around 78 new council-rented homes and a new community facility on Campkin Road.
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S/3011/19/E1 EIA screening opinion new Cambs police station in Milton
EIA screening opinion for up to 4,801 sqm of operational police accommodation and ancillary functions
Land at Milton
South Cambridgeshire
Application reference : S/3011/19/E1
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Cycling policies project
We're moving forward on our policy project. This thread is to discuss the various policies and move them towards publication.
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Hi Events
Events to promote cycling within Histon and Impington. Raise awareness for groups other activities.
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Bicycle Swept Path Analysis
For discussing swept path analysis matters
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Active travel in Chesterton
Group looking at issues for active travel in the Chesterton area.
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Traffic management works that are bad for cyclists and pedestrians
I've recently moved to be the Lib Dem lead on the County Council's Highways & Infrastructure committee.
I want to start working through in detail bad and good TM examples with officers to understand whether it's specific sets of contractors that are poor, whether they aren't compliant with the current policy and/or whether I agree with our officers about whether they are.
For this I need a Cambridgeshire wide list of both good and bad, with locations - so it would be good to get some from Cambridge and other nearby Cycle Campaigns.
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New Police Station, Milton
New South Cambridgeshire Police station proposed for land adjacent to Milton Park & Ride.
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GCP Tranche Two Ideas
GCP should be applying for the second Tranche. This was discussed at the May monthly meeting where we created a list of possible schemes. This issue is designed to both create additional items for this list, and also expand on the needs of each of these items.
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S/0874/19/FL Unit 330 Science Park - front extension and new cycle park
Unit 330 is a circa 30,000 sq. ft over 2, 330 , Cambridge Science Park, Milton, CB4 0WN
First Floor front extension. Window and external door renewal. External repairs to existing area of hard and soft landscaping. Reduction of car parking spaces and provision of new bin store and cycle shelter.
http://plan.scambs.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=S/0874/19/FL&theTabNo=3
(location is approximate)
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S/1312/19/OL Milton Road Impington - 50 residential dwellings & community park
Outline application for planning permission with all matters other than access reserved, for the development of up to 50 residential dwellings and a Community Park to provide recreation and leisure facilities, including a community building, and associated works.
http://plan.scambs.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=S/1312/19/OL
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S/4615/18/OL 28,000sqm office and R&D space
Outline Application for the erection of up to 28,000sqm of mixed B1 (a) offices, B1 (b) research and development, B1 (c) light industrial, B2 general industrial, B8 storage and distribution, and A1/A3 amenity café, with all matters reserved (Access from Beech Road, Appearance, Landscaping, Layout and Scale)
Land To The West Of Cambridge Research Park, Beach Drive, Landbeach, CB25 9TL
South Cambridgeshire
Application reference : S/4615/18/OL
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#camcyclequest - a treasure hunt by bike for the 2019 Festival of Cycling
We are planning a treasure hunt for the 2019 Cambridge Festival of Cycling in September.
The idea is to produce a pocket-size, attractively-produced booklet with a suggested route and clues to solve, items to collect and so on, which will be sold for a modest price. There would be a prize.
This topic is a place to discuss ideas for this. I (David Earl) will be taking the lead in getting this together. Roxanne and Anna are seeking funding partners.
If you'd like to help, please say so in the thread.
Just one thing though - please don't put clue suggestions or answers here! If you do chances are people taking part will have read them, which rather spoils the fun.
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S/4629/18/FL Science Park - new hotel & office on site of Trinity Centre
http://plan.scambs.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=S/4629/18/FL&theTabNo=3
Hybrid Planning Application comprising in Detail the demolition of the gym, Trinity Centre and Innovation Centre and the construction of hotel with gym, restaurant, café and business suite; and a building comprising multi-storey car park and three storey commercial floorspace (B1 floorspace to the first and second floor; flexible accommodation to the ground floor (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, B1, D1 and/or D2)) along with associated access, infrastructure and landscaping, and the change of use of the Trinity Centre to B1 as part of a phased development; in Outline the construction of a building up to seven stories to provide B1floorspace, with all matters reserved.
24, Cambridge Science Park, Milton, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 0FN
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Mill Road (transporation) Survey (for edit)
In the coming weeks we, UoC Students from the Cambridge Hub, are going to do a survey on Mill Road in order to find out how people get to Mill Road and how they interact with it. The survey will be compared with the survey done last November in order to build momentum for the car-free Mill Road project.
We would love your input. Please give suggestions below.
For the survey, click on the link below.
Deadline for edits is this friday.
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21-month closure of cycle path from Cambridge North to Milton Road
At the end of this blog post, it's reported that the segregated cycle path from Cambridge North station to the north of the Business Park will be closed to cyclists from March 2019 to December 2020 (a period of 21 months), for utility works relating to development on the Cambridge North site. Cyclists are to be diverted to the south side path (along the busway); pedestrian access on the north side will apparently be maintained.
In particular, this appears to prevent cyclist use of the recently opened gate at the south end of the Business Park for the duration of the works (unless perhaps one pushes one's cycle). Getting from or through Cambridge North to the Science Park will be less convenient, too.
Full text from Camcycle blog post. (Robin Heydon tells me this information originally came from Brookgate.)
Development at Cambridge North
Early works have begun on the further development around Cambridge North, where new offices and a hotel will be built. Within the next couple of months, a major cyclist diversion will be put in place which reroutes cyclists accessing the station via the segregated path along Cowley Road. This will be closed to allow utility works from Milton Road down to the station. Cyclists will be redirected along the Busway cycleway from Milton Road. There will continue to be road access for cyclists to the industrial and residential units off Cowley Road (including the Camcycle office), but not beyond this point. Note that there will be a signifidant increase in construction traffic along Cowley Road.
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S/0296/19/DC Science Park - access from guided busway (eastern entrance)
While this is a discharge of condition 12 of a previous application this is quite a substantial project in its own right. It looks like a significant improvement, with a wide pathway for accessing the site, a bunch of fancy architecture (some sort of series of archways over the path), and even a parallel Zebra over one of the Science Park internal roadways.
See part 6 of the D&A statement for several mentions of Camcycle input.
While I am making this an issue I do not see any immediate reason to send in a response, but those involved with the pre-application talks may want to double-check, possibly even send a letter of support if happy.
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Discharge of condition 12 (a scheme detailing the widening of the footway to allow for shared use walking and cycling and a scheme showing the layout and design of the plaza area to the East of the site, including vehicle circulation, pedestrian routes, kiosks, shelters, bollards and other ancillary structures) pursuant to planning permission S/3590/17/VC Transport Plaza, Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge, CB4 0FJ http://plan.scambs.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=S/0296/19/DC South Cambridgeshire Application reference : S/0296/19/DC
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S/0193/19/FL Rosemary Road Waterbeach - 9 new dwellings
The cycle parking dimensions look good, almost lifted straight out of the guide. Main issues are: garden gate doors are only 90cm, the Sheffield stands are affixed with only M12 bolts, and the cycle shelter doors are not lockable.
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Construction of 9 dwellings and new access Land to the rear of 10A, Rosemary Road, Waterbeach, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB25 9NB http://plan.scambs.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=S/0193/19/FL South Cambridgeshire Application reference : S/0193/19/FL
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Vehicle free tradespeople
A list of carpenters, cleaners, electricians, plumbers and other tradespeople who can attend jobs in Cambridge without needing a car parking space (for example those arriving by cargo bike) would be a useful resource.
It could be used by people who cannot offer car parking, or those who would prefer to choose someone who can arrive by sustainable transport.
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18/1782/FUL Cowley Road - Office development
Proposes 120 cycle parking spaces via two-tier racks.
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Four storey office development (B1 use) with associated car and bicycle parking, plant room, sub station and landscaping. William James House 50 - 55 Cowley Road Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB4 0WU https://idox.cambridge.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=PI6V39DXHMI00 Cambridge Application reference : 18/1782/FUL
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Milton Fen Road resurfacing
Alert: Fen Road Milton to be closed for resurfacing Friday 14th Dec. As there's no pavement, it will be totally closed even to pedestrians. However, given the terrible state of the road, one day's pain will be more than worth it.
This map shows all issues, whether points, routes, or areas:
The most popular issues, based on the number of votes:
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Regional Campaigning
How can we support the growth of local initiatives ?
How can we overcome the division urban and rural cycling?
Would it be useful to establish a network of regional groups?
Could such a network become an interesting partner for the county planners?
Would politicians be able to hear us better if we speak from a position of regional awareness, a a group of groups?
Would it help the elected to understand that things are changing on our roads?
Could such a network support constituent groups, facilitate exchange between these groups, become a more important player in the national context?
Could such a network attract its own funding?
What would be a good name for such a grouping (NAMES ARE IMPORTANT)
We have CTC, Ely, A10 Corridor, Martin T thinking about something in Bury St Edmunds, "Routes around Chatteris", Wisbech forum (set up by the County), - anything else ?
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Rumble strips instead of paint
Complete separation of cyclists and cars can't always be achieved. To make sharing of the road safer I would like to propose using rumble strips instead of flat paint to separate the bike lane from the rest of the road. It would act as a physical reminder for car-drivers that they are encroaching the bike lane. This happens particularly near pinch points like road bends or crossroads. So even just a selective application of rumble strips could have a very positive effect, I believe. What's the view of the cycling community? Has it been tested?
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Injustices for the peace.
What to do about disgraceful decisions like this:
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Driver-ran-Cambridge-cyclist-mistakenly-thinking/story-24555273-detail/story.html ?Clearly, the magistrate erred seriously in matters of both fact and law - all the prosecution had to prove was that the way he drives falls below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver.
Equally clearly, it did - nobody who could possibly be described as "competent and careful" would run over something the size of a cyclist without even being aware of it. He even admitted that he was talking on the phone at the time.
It staggers the mind to think what on earth the magistrates were thinking - or what with. Maybe they slept through the case, so didn't hear the prosecution, but were woken up for the defence (how there can be any defence for that is beyond me). Maybe they are dangerous drivers themselves, so sympathise with others of the same ilk instead of adequately discharging the responsibilities they are charged with? Mark Tyler also deserves complete contempt for not pleading guilty, and so preventing this gross miscarriage of justice. He should have been thanking his lucky stars that the police and CPS are so incompetent as not to pursue Dangerous driving, which it equally clearly was.How can we get rid of incompetent idiots like Phil King (the lead magistrate in this case) who asserted that "there were “significant gaps” in the evidence". It is obvious to me that this dangerous idiot is perverting the course of justice by remaining in his position.
Presumably his colleagues on the bench conspired with him in this perversion - they could (and should) have over-ruled him unless they were parties to the conspiracy, surely?The evidence was all there - there was a cyclist in front of him - whether the cyclist was upright or on the ground is irrelevant. Mark Tyler drove over him. Neither of those facts were in dispute. That is not the action of a competent and careful driver, and it should be beyond question that a person being in front of the vehicle is something which the driver should be expected to be aware of, which means the test in s3ZA of the Road Traffic Act is satisfied, and the accused is guilty.
The evidence also meets the test in s2A (Meaning of dangerous driving) so there is no excuse whatsoever for clearing him of even the lesser offence of careless driving. With driving like that, it is clear, beyond reasonable doubt, that he should not be in possession of a driving license, and the magistrates failed in their duty to relieve him of it.As long as dangerous criminals like Phil King are allowed on the bench, the roads will never be safe for anyone.
As a footnote, from the report is appears that this dangerous character commutes from Whitchurch, Hampshire to Clifton Way, Cambridge. What length does that make his effective working day?
It's about 120 miles each way, so at least 4 hours driving (considerably more if in the "rush hour") on top of a full workday. It's utterly moronic to make a commute like that - when I worked anywhere near that far away, I commuted weekly. But this happened on a Wednesday.