Milton COVID-19 urgent measures
Brief proposal for temporary measures in Milton.
Raised as a result of COVID-19 distancing measures
In addition to or in concert with suggestions arising from Spaces to Breathe
1. Use a point closure at the north side of Cambridge to forbid southbound through traffic. Why? It eliminates through traffic in Milton, especially at peak times. There are other versions of this idea for Milton, such as modal filters. Driving into Milton centre should be further discouraged in favour of the A10 bypass.
2. Implement a 20mph speed limit throughout Milton. Why? Reducing speed limits slows down drivers, a bit. It shifts the balance in favour of walking and cycling. The street environment becomes calmer, cleaner and quieter. In residential areas, there are more walkers and people just drive slower naturally. In these areas, cycling and walking becomes more pleasant and statistically safer. Fatality rate in collisions drops significantly.
3. Remove on-street car storage on Cambridge Road / High street. Why? On-street car storage encourages people to choose the car when making journeys within Milton. (I've done it myself.) Nowhere within Milton is more than a 3 minute cycle journey away.
4. Give cyclists and pedestrians priority at several key junctions on the Milton-Cambridge cycle route.(Winship road to Cambride Road) Why? To encourage people to use these routes and improve safety.
The DfT has made it clear that the money will only be allocated for measures that truly make space for cycling (please let me know if you want to see the letter, as it has not been widely shared). Those painted lanes do not meet the criteria set by the government, so they will have to be paid by Cambs Highways.
The deadline for councils to bid for the funds is Friday June 5th - in 6 days! If anybody has got any follow up suggestions I would suggest emailing our concillors well before that date, as any measures proposed will also have to be reviewed by Cambs Highways before they are sent off.