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News  »  Bridge proposals questioned by Parish Council



   Bridge proposals questioned by Parish Council    31 July, 2014

Cambridgeshire County Council is looking at creating a new foot and cycle bridge over the river Cam which would link the Abbey area of the City to Chesterton close to the existing railway bridge and the site for the new Science Park Station. The Transport Department has asked for views on two possible locations and designs for a bridge.

In response to this request for views the Fen Ditton Parish Council examined the proposal from all aspects and have provided feedback to the Transport Department in detail. Here is a summary of the findings.

The Parish Council (PC) believes the methodology employed in the consultation process was flawed, and was so biased that the PC recommends an independent review.

The PC believes that a combination of the rail bridge underpass pinch point, having to double back along the tow-path and the projected length of the proposed new bridge/ramps would combine to deter many of the projected trips.

The assumption that the proposed bridge would relieve the traffic over the Green Dragon Bridge is based on inaccurate data as indicated by our quick study.

The PC does not believe the surrounding infrastructure could cope with the projected traffic without significant upgrading.

The PC believes there are more appropriate designs and locations for a bridge that have not been considered in the proposal.

The small (cycling) time gain to traffic to/from the north (Fen Ditton) of the rail bridge, by the proposed new bridge that may be achieved in comparison to the existing route would not justify the damage done to the Meadows conservation area.

Most of Fen Ditton's councillors are cyclists and fully support well planned improvements to the cycling facilities around Cambridge.

This is a poorly thought-out plan that has not fully considered the impact on a village in a conservation area and the impact on its residents.

Some residents reported that they had not received a Survey Form and others reported having problems filling in the online survey form due to site maintenance the weekend before the cut-off date.  

To view the full report click here

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