The Cambridge South East Transport project will transform journeys by public transport and active travel – for example, cycling and walking - to the city and key employment sites.
The eight-week public consultation, which opens today (19 October), asks for views on the detailed design of the scheme and forms part of the Environmental Impact Assessment for the project.
With Covid-19 restrictions in place, people will be able to visit the GCP’s virtual consultation room to share their views on the current plans for CSETs and how we minimise the impact on the environment until the consultation closes on Monday 14 December.
Cllr Roger Hickford, Chair of the GCP’s Executive Board, said: “The Cambridge South East Transport project will mean people can travel on reliable public transport services and quality walking and cycling routes to get to the Biomedical Campus and other destinations like the proposed Cambridge South station – reducing road congestion and improving air quality.
“We are committed to developing schemes that improve biodiversity wherever we can. This consultation is asking for people to look at the plans to do this and I urge people to share their thoughts on how we can best protect and enhance the environment while delivering this transport project.”
Once the EIA consultation is complete, the design is expected to be put before the GCP’s Executive Board in July 2021 for a decision before an application is made to the Secretary of State for Transport for approval.
The Cambridge South East Transport scheme will connect the city, the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and the proposed Cambridge South station with communities to the south east including Great Shelford, Stapleford and Sawston with onwards journeys to Haverhill. It will also provide links to the Granta Park and Babraham Research Campus sites.
A new travel hub near the A11 will mean drivers can leave their cars outside the city and complete their journeys on bike or improved, reliable public transport services running on a segregated off-road route.
The route, which has been refined in a number of areas to reduce impact on farming and ecology, is intended to be served by modern, electric vehicles to limit air pollution and noise. A separate active travel path will run alongside it, so people can walk, cycle or ride horses the whole length of the route – encouraging sustainable and active travel.
The GCP’s priority public transport routes form an integral part of the delivery of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM) scheme, part of a network of regional routes planned for delivery by 2024.
The virtual consultation room opens today (Monday 19 October) at www.greatercambridge.org.uk/CambridgeSET.