Agree with us? Take action:
- Sign our petition to Cambridgeshire County Council
- Email County Councillors on the responsible committee (Economy & Environment)
Walked or cycled down Mill Road recently?
Even with the current low vehicle volumes on Mill Road, social distancing for pedestrians is impossible without stepping into or crossing over the Road.
Cyclists, worried about using the enclosed Carter Bridge during the pandemic will find using Mill Road becomes even more unsafe than usual, with pedestrians stepping off the pavements to avoid others.
And with any relaxation of lockdown restrictions, an increase in traffic will make a dangerous situation on Mill Road worse….
Fortunately the Government have recognised this and announced emergency funding to make high density urban streets just like Mill Road safer for walking and cycling during the pandemic.
At Over Mill Road Bridge we’re campaigning to make sure that Cambridgeshire County Council use this funding to make the length of Mill Road a safe space.
Hi Andy,
Great to see action on this. The petition could be more prominent on the web page. In general I’d also advice using the County’s own petition page so that officers manage the collation and presentation. That’s probably more for future reference as it can take up to ten days for the council to make a petition live:
https://cmis.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ccc_live/ePetitions.aspx
When I went to sign it I found that it is compulsory to opt-in to updates, which will put some people off signing.
Worth also promoting Camcycle’s Spaces to Breathe campaign:
https://www.camcycle.org.uk/campaigning/issues/spaces-to-breathe/
I tried replying to the email about this, but it bounced:
“Your message wasn’t delivered to info@overmillroadbridge.org.uk because the address couldn’t be found or is unable to receive email.”
Kind regards,
Edward Leigh
Chair of South Petersfield Residents Association
chair@sopra.org.uk
01223 561 042
http://www.sopra.org.uk/
Hi Edward, yes we didn’t go for the County Petition mechanism because of the lack of time between now and the 28th May. We now hear that the 28th meeting may be delayed, so we’ll make that application now.
Thanks for the camcycle link! And thanks for the heads up re the email address, that’s fixed now 🙂
“We need a scheme that works for everyone and which respects the unique character of Mill Road.
“Mill Road will not be the same if traders are pushed out of the city and we lose independent shops that have been hit with one crisis after another.
“Cyclists, residents, shop owners and those who use the mosque deserve better than this from the out-of-touch Tory county council.”
There are also concerns about how the closure will affect the elderly or those who have disabilities.
Former Cambridge Mayor, Councillor Gerri Bird, said that like many disabled people, she relies on the bus, taxis or her partner driving her to Mill Road.
She believes the closure will make Mill Road “inaccessible” to the many who rely on private vehicles to be able to enjoy “the huge diversity of independent shops and businesses”.
“It will also mean many elderly people who shop by taxi will be priced out of accessing one side of the bridge,” said Cllr Bird.