Comment

Waterbeach New Town Supplementary Planning Document

Representation ID: 167610

Received: 26/10/2018

Respondent: Oliver Shorttle

Representation Summary:

4.2 KEY STRUCTURING ELEMENTS (FIXES)
PRIMARY MOVEMENT AND ACCESS
Fundamentally, there is no clear vision to truly embrace this new town as an opportunity for developing a sustainable modern town with excellent public transport infrastructure.
Traffic to the new station is routed through the old village, past primary school, GP surgery, and nursery.

Full text:

The supplementary planning document put forward by South Cambs District Council is vague and inaccurate on many details critical for delivering improved pedestrian and cycle infrastructure for the current and future residents of Waterbeach.

Errors include:
The planning document stretches credulity in describing the current path besides the A10 as a cycle path. It is a narrow, poorly maintained strip of tarmac, that is barely fit for one person to walk along, let along two-way foot and cycle traffic. It is the only 'cycle path' in Cambridge where I have nearly seen a cyclist killed. This cannot be relied upon.

Describing Waterbeach as already having 'limited cycling infrastructure'. The existing village has no cycling infrastructure at all. Not even proper cycle access to the wholly inadequate A10 and river routes into Cambridge. Not even bike parking near the green or high street.

Concerning aspects:
Routing traffic to the new station past a primary school, GP surgery and nursery, poses to place the most vulnerable in our community at risk. At risk of direct injury from the traffic and at risk of long term health and developmental problems from the pollution this traffic generates. This has been seen recently in Cambridge, where the road infrastructure feeding the station led to illegal levels of pollution in the adjacent residential roads. There is now overwhelming evidence that pollution poses a major risk to public health, especially of children. This aspect of the plan wholly neglects this serious concern.

The plan proposes to place new schools near major roads. As so much traffic is generated by getting to school, this is encouraging more of the same problems communities are plagued with across the country. In a new town with excellent pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, there is no reason a majority of school trips could not be on foot, bike or scooter.