This post follows on from my preview in this earlier blogpost which featured the final draft transport plan for Greater Cambridge which the Combined Authority’s Transport Committee was asked to approve.
You can:
- Have a look at the Transport Committee’s meeting papers (item 8 has the extensive transport strategy papers)
- Watch the video of the meeting here – the public questions start at 3m30s
- Find out more about light rail and tramways being built elsewhere in Tramways and Urban Transit Magazine, which you get with LRTA membership (I am a member).
Public questions to the Combined Authority’s Transport Committee
The public questions were submitted by:
- Living Streets Cambridge, who asked: “How does the CPCA intend to enable delivery of its strategy for growth in public transport and active travel in central Cambridge and devise a meaningful way to manage this growth and congestion in ways that support and safeguard walkers and wheelers?”
- Cambridge Bus Users, who asked: “Will the Transport Committee support a permanent commitment to the Tiger Pass [very popular with teenagers] and to a daily capping of fares or similar ‘further targeted measures?
- Cambs Sustainable Travel Alliance, who asked: “Will the Chair commit to bringing forward a paper to this Committee that considers the new sources of funding for bus services (as distinct from bus infrastructure) the region sorely needs?”
- CamCycle who asked: “Currently, 40% of Cambridge Science Park employees walk or cycle to work. At Cambridge Biomedical Campus, it’s 28% and at the University of Cambridge it’s 47%. Why then does the Strategy not acknowledge the huge impact a growth in cycling could have on the delivery of its objectives and commit to the implementation of a package of schemes which could create a high-quality [cycling] network relatively quickly and at low cost?”
- Miranda Fyfe for South Cambs Green Party (MP-candidate 2024) who asked: “Will the Combined Authority recognise that all of your intended Standards for Franchising will be useless without first making sure that there is Excellent Bus Information – as specified in the [Cambridge Area Bus Users] Aims & Priorities document – and hence will you add this requirement for Information in to your Bus Franchising Standards?”
“What were the responses from the Committee Chair?”
To Living Streets: I have too many issues with the response, but the follow-up question was about the risks to pedestrians transferring from Drummer Street Bus Station and Emmanuel Street. Which isn’t the most pleasant committee.
To Cambridge Bus Users Group: Officers will be presenting a more detailed fares and ticketing strategy. The follow-up question connected the NEETS issue with transport – asking if the Skills Committee and Transport Committee could subsidise travel to enable young people to get to interviews and jobs.
To Cambs Sustainable Travel Alliance: “The strategy is not fully funded, but provides a basis for new funding proposals. For bus operators, funding can come from: fares revenue from growing passenger numbers, local and government grants, and developer contributions”. The follow-up question asked about what new powers provided to Mayors could increase the range of sources of finance – to which the response was that it was too early to say.
To CamCycle: “Mode-share targets are for kilometres traveled, and not for trips.” To which further questions on modelling and timescales arose.
To Miranda Fyfe: “The CPCA agrees…and is being further developed alongside a passenger charter, and how franchise operators will deliver this. Work is ongoing. The CPCA is investing £1m in bus stops.” The follow-up was about the lack of printed bus timetables at rural bus stops that don’t have electronic boards. CPCA acknowledged a staff shortage in the transport team to hold bus companies to account and ensure they provide the printed timetable posters as per their contracts.
Director of Transport update
The A10 upgrade has had its funding pulled. The CPCA confirmed the public transport team and active travel unit are recruiting new staff not least in response to concerns raised.
Cambridge-Stansted rail
“The Assistant Director for Transport will be attending the Stansted Transport Forum to represent the Combined Authority’s strategic transport priorities and promote the case for improved rail connectivity between Cambridge and Stansted Airport. This will include highlighting the importance of four-tracking the railway between Cambridge and Stansted to increase capacity, improve connectivity and support more frequent and reliable services, alongside the need for stronger transport links to the airport”
Above – CPCA Transport Committee 04 November 2026, item 6
Cllr Alex Beckett (LibDems – Market), Chair of the Highways Committee on Cambridgeshire County Council followed up on the A10 issue – officers were in agreement on going back to the DfT for reasons. Additionally, the development of Waterbeach New Town is one of the reasons needed for the junction improvements in the section north of Cambridge. (Note the overall merits of the A10 were contested by some transport campaigners on the grounds that dualling the A10 north of Cambridge would do nothing for congestion once the cars hit the junction at Milton. It would simply make it quicker to get to the traffic jam at the junction!)
The Greater Cambridge Transport Strategy – discussion
Cllr Tim Bick (Leader of the LibDems on Cambridge City Council) said he supports it – it supports the Greater Cambridge Local Plan. “The key is that this must solve congestion [in Cambridge].” Wasn’t the Greater Cambridge Partnership meant to do that? “Delivery is key. – any failure will become a constraint on new homes” he continued.
Cllr Alex Beckett: “My concerns are with the delivery – that we actually go through it, and that we ensure that there is funding available. The planning is only as good as ‘a piece of paper’. “We have so many utilities working in the city and so little capacity that any work blocks up the city. I hope the Development Corporation can move forward on Mass Rapid Transit”
Cllr Brian Milnes (LibDems – Sawston) South Cambs District Council and Chair of the Greater Cambridge Partnership: “Without this plan going forward, none of those growth plans for Cambridge will have any validity – we have to get behind it, noting it is work in progress. Delivery is critical.
So in the grand scheme of things they welcomed it.
Mass Transit / Light Rail issues
We’re still waiting…but in the meantime, have a look at the report by UK Tram below, which I summarised here
Above – UK Tram’s report on economic impacts on light rail investment – the full report is here.
And finally…
On bus franchising, Cllr Alex Beckett said the new buses are electric, and that the facilities on board (eg USB chargers) are there. And in the longer term, buses that can also accommodate cycles is also an ambition for the routes where there is demand. He also cited the issue of ‘ghost buses’ – where the live timetable says there is a bus coming but in reality there is not.
If you are interested in the longer term future of Cambridge, and on what happens at the local democracy meetings where decisions are made, feel free to:
- Follow me on BSky
- Spot me on LinkedIn
- Like my Facebook page
- Consider a small donation to help fund my continued research and reporting on local democracy in and around Cambridge
- Below – The LRTA Campaign and its publications – a reminder if you want trams and light rail for Cambridge (cheap back copies can also be bought here).
