Plan to close Mill Road bridge gets green light from locals calling it a ‘vast improvement’

CambridgeshireLive readers have been discussing the news that plans to stop most vehicles from driving on Mill Road bridge are set to be given the green light at a Cambridgeshire County Council meeting this week. Just over half of local respondents backed the bus gate plans in a public consultation.

The Highways and Transport Committee will make the final decision of whether to close the bridge to most vehicles Friday, October 4. The consultation saw 53 percent of the 4,072 participants voice their support for a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) that would see Mill Road bridge closed to all but buses, bicycles, emergency service vehicles, taxis and blue badge holders. The TRO was met with opposition from 46.5 percent of respondents, while a mere 0.6 percent claimed they were ‘neutral’.

Council officers from Cambridgeshire County Council have recommended the approval of the TRO. If councillors give it the thumbs up, work to put the bus gate into action could kick off in November and wrap up by early December.

Read more: Litterbugs and fly tippers face increased fines in council crackdown

Read more: Plan for 95 new homes in Cambs village slammed as ‘great shame’ and ‘ridiculous’

Those against the TRO raised concerns about the impact on traffic and congestion on alternative routes, the effect on local businesses and residents, and issues around accessibility. Supporters of the TRO highlighted safety improvements, benefits to active travel, traffic reduction, and advantages for businesses.

If given the go-ahead, traffic restrictions would be enforced by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, with owners of non-exempt vehicles using the bridge being fined.

Commenter Stayfocused29 says: “Good! People always profess to care about the environment until an environmentally friendly plan has the potential to inconvenience them – then the care ceases. The closure will also (hopefully!) massively help to reduce all of the pavement parking that plagues Mill Rd and the roads off of it. Cambridge roads are far too congested and I’m happy to see measures being implemented to reduce this.”

Penelope3 believes: “Most of the roads off Mill Rd are resident parking/pay and display now, or permitted parking for the doctor’s surgeries etc. As for pavement parking, where do you suggest HGVs or vehicles park up to deliver to the shops that have been there for years? Shops have to have deliveries. Yes roads in Cambridge are busy at rush hour, but during the day it is construction traffic, university vehicles and maintenance engineers etc going about their work servicing customers. Signs have been put up around the City by the Council that the roads are busy when the schools and Universities are back at term time and to expect delays in your travel time.”

Bradley2103 writes: “All electric vehicles should be allowed as well, as they produce zero emissions. Makes no sense to penalise them. They make up an even smaller amount of cars compared to petrol cars in Cambridge.”

Rogerbelchworth says: “Will be a vast improvement once it’s closed. It’s a small back street that isn’t even a B road. Totally unsuitable for the volumes of traffic that are rammed down it every day. Most of those vehicles are only using it as a shortcut into town, they are not stopping and buying anything. It just happens to be convenient for shop owners to drive in and park their cars all over the pavements. There are tens of thousands of people living right off that street, they do not need to drive to get to any of those shops.”

Penelope3 thinks: “Well I’d hate to think what the roads off Mill Rd are called if Mill Rd is classed as a small back street. Years ago they were classed as slums until they were bought for pennies and now command thousands, it would be a vast improvement if the whole bridge was done away with and dismantled. Cyclists can then use the Carter bridge that was put in for them at the cost of millions and the people responsible wanting this ban can toss and turn in their beds wondering which area of Cambridge they can target next to cause misery for residents having to use a vehicle whilst trying to get to their jobs and running businesses.”

Jemima3 adds: “This obsession with Mill Rd being a C road is irrelevant. Progress is made when a lane from A to B becomes a road from A to B and the economy that requires movement of goods can then thrive. Closing the bridge to most vehicles is a backwards step.”

Jon1983 writes: “Imagine the traffic on Hills Road after this!”

Rogerbelchworth replies: “Actually, in the long run, fewer roadways available for cars means less space to fill with traffic. When road capacity is reduced, the number of people choosing to drive tends to stabilise or decrease, rather than increasing beyond the limits of the remaining roads. Time to look up “induced demand” as well as ‘traffic evaporation’.”

How do you feel about the new bus gate? Will it improve congestion in Cambridge or will it just be a money spinner? Have your say in our comments section.

Cambridgeshire Live – Cambridge News