SPEAK UP ON ACTIVE TRAVEL AND THE FUTURE OF YOUR LOCAL TRANSPORT, SAYS COUNTY

People in Cambridgeshire will soon be able to comment on three new strategies setting the transport vision for Fenland and Huntingdonshire, and for active travel across the county.

Cambridgeshire County Council’s engagement on the Fenland and Huntingdonshire transport strategies and the county’s plan for active travel begins on Monday 12 September. It will run for eight weeks until Monday 7 November.

The listening exercise will involve in-person events across Cambridgeshire and a short online survey.

Since 2017, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority has taken over responsibility for the Local Transport Plan from Cambridgeshire County Council.

The LTP sets the overarching transport policies for the area.

The Combined Authority has just finished a major public engagement on its refreshed LTP, now called the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan, which is now being developed with the benefit of public views and input the county council.

The three new strategies will sit under the LTCP and Cambridgeshire County Council will use the strategies to decide investment priorities and ensure effective implementation of the LTCP. The plans will also support and complement the Local Plans, which shape land use.

Under the Combined Authority’s LTCP, the county’s active travel strategy aims to make walking and cycling the ‘go-to’ option for local journeys. Active travel investment can have an all-round positive impact in terms of boosting journeys travelled by foot or cycle, improving the environment, cleansing air quality, and empowering the health and wellbeing of the community. Active travel is one of the most powerful steps individual people can take to help the county reach the zero carbon targets that will make a difference to our overheating planet.

The transport strategies for Fenland and Huntingdonshire will provide the strategy and an action plan of schemes to address the transport challenges facing those districts, whilst also looking at sustainable access to services and a safe and healthy environment.

Cambridgeshire County Council’s strategies under the LTCP will help put the health and wellbeing of residents front and centre of transport planning, helping to make Cambridgeshire a greener, cleaner, healthier and nicer place to live and work, and helping create urban and rural growth that is lasting, inclusive and puts people first.

The surveys will be available at https://consultcambs.uk.engagementhq.com from Monday 12 September.

The draft strategies, the survey, and the opportunity to speak to staff from the county council transport planning team will be available at the following events:

Ramsey Market: Saturday 1 October, from 10am until 1pm

Tesco superstore Huntingdon: Saturday 1 October, from 2pm until 5pm

St Neots Market: Thursday 6 October, from 10am until 1pm

Waitrose St Ives: Thursday 6 October, from 2pm until 5pm

March Market: Wednesday 12 October, from 9am until midday

Tesco superstore Chatteris: Wednesday 12 October, from 2pm until 5pm

Whittlesey Market: Friday 14 October, from 9am until midday

Wisbech Market: Friday 14 October, from 12.30pm until 3pm

Grafton Centre, Cambridge: Wednesday 19 October, from 10am until 3pm

Ely Market: Thursday 27 October, from 10am until 3pm

There will also be information located in libraries across the county, so residents who are unable to access the internet or cannot attend an event can view hard copies of the draft strategies and complete the survey.

Following public input, a county council programme of schemes for future funding bids and delivery will be finalised, aligning with the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan. The final strategies will be published in spring 2023.

The strategies, once adopted, will be used when developers submit planning applications, with schemes assessed to ensure they contribute to the vision and objectives of each strategy. There will be a focus on improving more sustainable access to services and key destinations, they will support tackling the climate emergency and improving the health and wellbeing of Cambridgeshire residents.