Milton Road Update - October 2017

Posted on Saturday 21 October 2017

Workshops

There have been two workshops recently, one on bus stops and pedestrian crossings and another on street trees. Attendance at these workshops was by application to GCP. Each workshop followed a similar format: An initial Presentation giving the tasks and parameters for the evening, followed by discussions in small groups. Milton Road was divided, either side of Arbury Road, for separate discussions and feedback.

Workshop 1 - Bus Stops and Crossings - 19th September

The GCP workshop presentation was given by Officers and the WSP Consultant and participants discussed preferred design type and location of bus stops and crossings along both sections of Milton Road. At this meeting the bus lane ran the length of MR unlike our Do Optimum plans.

The Presentation slides can be viewed on the GCP website: Milton Road – Bus Stop and Crossings Workshop

Workshop 2 -Trees - 3rd October

Presentations were given by the City Council’s Tree Officers who proposed a few tree options and Kieran Perkins, an urban realm architect, who presented ideas for a sense of place. Participants, in small groups, were asked to choose species for each section of Milton Road from the pre-selection offered. Afterwards the groups were allocated one of four potential public spaces for ideas on how these spaces should be used (Milton Road Library, Shop area near Arbury Road, Land by Woodhead Drive and the King’s Hedges junction).

Concern was expressed that the current GSP ‘Final Concept’ design left little green space for the promised grass verge and tree-lined avenue. The Presentation slides can be viewed on the GCP website here: Milton Road Replacement Tree Planting

And Richard Taylor’s video of the event can be found here: Milton Road Trees Presentation

What Happens Next?

GCP’s Programme and Timescale — GCP’s Proposed Programme and Timescale

The County Officers and WSP Consultant will now work up detailed plans, taking into account the workshops feedback. Followed by:

Presentation to the MR LLF in November/December 2017 and January 2018
Consideration for the final detailed design as a basis for Public Consultation Questionnaire by the Joint Assembly (28th February 2018) and the Executive Board (21st March 2018)
Public Consultation Questionnaire from May 2018
Consideration of Public Consultation by the Joint Assembly (20th September 2018) and Final detailed design approval by the Executive Board (11th October 2018)
Forecast completion date of Milton Road remodelling is 2021

What You Can Do

Follow MiltonRoadRA on Facebook

Follow MiltonRoadRA on Twitter

Check for Milton Road project updates on the GCP website and come to the GCP Assembly and Executive Board Meetings.

But most important is to keep lobbying the decision makers for the best possible design for Milton Road for future generations.

GCP’s current ‘Final Concept’ plans include a full length bus lane, albeit alternating between the north and south side. We believe a bus lane will not bring the desired modal change and at most only save a couple of minutes on the rare occasions when the traffic is queuing, before reaching Mitcham’s Corner. We believe that this is valuable space that could be used for safer walking and cycling, segregated by a tree-lined avenue of trees and verges the whole length of Milton Road; a safer more environmentally worthy landscape for one of the main gateways into our beautiful city.

Just three councillors can vote to decide the fate of Milton Road. Please email them with your views.

The GCP Executive Board (the ultimate decision-making body)

Cllr Francis Burkitt (Chair)	cllr.burkitt@scambs.gov.uk
Cllr Lewis Herbert (Vice-Chair)	lewis.herbert@cambridge.gov.uk
Cllr Ian Bates	ian.bates@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
(non-voting)
Mr Mark Reeve	mark.reeve@gcgp.co.uk
Professor Phil Allmendinger	pma32@cam.ac.uk

You can also contact the Milton Road Project Engineer, Paul van der Bulk, and GCP generally at: contactus@greatercambridge.org.uk

Or write to GCP, Room SH1311, Shire Hall, Cambridge CB3 0AJ