We know that some of you are worried that work on the Residents’ Parking Scheme could start while you are away on summer holiday next month.
We have recently heard from our Local County Councillor, Ian Manning, about the start date for this work.
He has informed us:
“The most recent I’ve had from the project team is August/September and I have asked for sufficient notice that I can get another letter out, and organise more public meetings before anything starts.”
This seems to suggest that nothing is imminent.
If we can manage to get any firmer information, we will let you know.
Published in Letters & Opinion, Cambridge Independent (July 9–15, 2025)
It is unusual and heartening to see such coincidence of purpose emerging across the political divide in Cambridgeshire.
First there was Brian Milnes, Liberal Democrat councillor for South Cambridgeshire. He is an executive board member of the Greater Cambridge Partnership. He welcomed the additional £200m recently extended by the government to the GCP. He said this recognised that the schemes and projects the GCP had developed “will meet the needs of Greater Cambridge”:
“Our mission is now to complete the job and deliver the joined-up transport network for Greater Cambridge so people have choice in how they travel, whether they are going to work, school or to see friends.”
Then there was Paul Bristow, Conservative MP for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. He has aligned himself with the mayors of other combined authorities in England. He has signed a joint statement on working together “to improve our streets for everyone, for the benefit of the health, wellbeing and connectedness of our communities.” This statement specifically commits him to:
“transform the school run by delivering high-quality, safer routes in neighbourhoods.”
So they share a commitment to a joined-up transport network that delivers improved safety for children going to school.
Does this mean that they will collaborate to persuade the GCP to “complete the job” by filling in the missing links in Cambridge’s designated priority cycle routes? Union Lane and the eastern end of Arbury Road must be prime candidates for this funding.
Arbury Road has six schools on or just off it—two nurseries, three primaries, and a secondary school. Action is long overdue to improve the safety of the many children who use this route, which is heavily congested (and polluted) during the school run.
We can only hope that this missing link gets the priority it deserves. But given the GCP’s woeful neglect of this missing link for the past six years, we would be wise not to hold our breath.
Ian Cooper Arbury Road East Resident’s Association (ARERA) Arbury Road, Cambridge
Report from ARERA’s acting chair, Ros Lund, and secretary, Lucy Edgeley, about 3rd July meeting with Ian Manning about the Residents Parking Scheme The preparations with road markings, signs etc. for the scheme will take place during July. Our Lib Dem councillors, Ian Manning (County Council) and Jamie Dalzell (City Council) will be writing to residents explaining the scheme and how to make your views known during the initial 6-month review period via the website – provide as much information as you can with dates, times and photos. Residents of both sides of Arbury Road are encouraged to use the website for feedback once the scheme is up and running. During the setting up period you may contact Ian Manning with any immediate/urgent problems via his CCC email (Ian.Manning@cambridgeshire.gov.uk) so he can speak to the relevant officer and ensure the appropriate action is taken. The contractors are expected to take a common-sense approach to marking the parking bays, enabling residents who have parking on their own driveways or front gardens to do so. The scheme will run from 9.30 am -3 pm on weekdays to match the scheme at Ascham Road etc which we shall be part of. At other times, parking will be free as at present but only in marked bays. Residents of Arbury Road on the odd-numbered side of the road with no parking on their own driveway or front garden will be able to purchase up to 3 annual permits per household and visitor permits if required. If you have any questions or concerns, please email Ian Manning on Ian.Manning@cambridgeshire.gov.ukand cc. your email to ARERA at info@arera.org.uk
It was sent by Clare Rankin who is the County Council’s Principal Active Travel officer – i.e. it was not provided by the Greater Cambridge Partnership but by a council official.
(The drawings are dated February 2025 so it isn’t clear why the GCP hasn’t released them to us long ago.)
The set of road plans shows what the GCP is going to start implementing some time next month.
Although labelled ‘detailed’ by WSP, the engineering consultancy working for the GCP, the drawings remain very difficult to interpret.
You only need to look at pages 2 and 3 which cover Arbury Road east.
You will need to use this key to decipher what is meant.
Those of you who live on the north side of Arbury Road east (even numbers) will see that the northern boundary does seem to include your side of the road (but not your properties?) – it is difficult to tell from the level of detail provided.
As expected, no parking bays are being installed on the northern side of the road, just double yellow lines.
If you have concerns about this, please contact your local councillors ASAP – addresses shown in cc’d above.
Ian Manning is our local County Council whom you should expect to represent you on highways-related issues which are the responsibility of the County Council.
Those of you who live on the south side of Arbury Road east (odd numbers), please check the drawings to make sure you understand what is happening directly outside where you live.
If you have any concerns, again, please contact Ian Manning.
If you do contact him, please copy ARERA in via info@arera.org.uk to share your concerns.
You can also contact us via ARERA’s website where we are going to post this information so that it can be accessed by those who aren’t ARERA members,
Open for comments from Wednesday 7 May to Wednesday 18 June.
Cambridge City Council wants to work with the local community to shape a Framework for Change for north Cambridge.
This framework builds on previous work, including the recently adopted North Cambridge neighbourhoods Design Code, which established principles for the area based on the community’s priorities.
The framework will guide improvements to homes, streets, green spaces, and local business and community facilities in Arbury, King’s Hedges and Chesterton. Hearing from local people will be vital.
This survey is part of a wider programme of engagement including workshops, pop-ups, school sessions, and interviews. It gives you the opportunity to share your thoughts, ideas, and concerns to help shape the future of these neighbourhoods.
The framework will consider themes including:
older council housing estates
parks and green spaces
Arbury Court and the surrounding community facilities
From Wednesday 7 May to Wednesday 18 June 2025, the council invite all residents to participate in a series of workshops, community conversations and online forums designed to gather ideas and feedback.
These sessions will allow participants to learn more about the project and share their thoughts.
Ros Lund and the Arbury Road East Residents’ Association (ARERA) have been campaigning for a cleaner, safer street for several years now. They’d like to see the eastern end of Arbury Road become a more welcoming and attractive place for people walking, wheeling and cycling with less traffic, lower speeds and reduced air pollution.
Camcycle have been supporting ARERA with various aspects of their work, providing technical and campaigning advice, helping them apply for Local Highway Improvement Funding, conduct community engagement exercises, meet councillors and visualise ideas.
We work with groups like this across Cambridgeshire to help deliver routes that help more people choose active travel for their daily journeys, reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality and health for all.
We’re fundraising for this work now via The Big Give Green Match Fund. Donate today and DOUBLE your donation, helping achieve double the impact in a community near you.
It only takes 2 minutes to give at camcycle.org.uk/BigGreenGive2025.
· At the end of last year, the chair of the County Council’s Highways and Transport Committee told ARERA that, if we want to secure funding for improvements on Arbury Road east, then we need to develop a detailed strategy for doing this.
· Camcycle has offered to help ARERA to do this.
· The survey reported here was conducted as an attempt to begin building a shared set of priorities amongst those who live and work in ARERA’s catchment area for making the road safer.
· The survey was conducted in January/February 2025.
· This report documents its results.
· These show that there is a set of priorities for improvements shared by those who took part in the survey that live directly on Arbury Road east, see page 7 of the attached report.
· There is also another set of priorities shared by those who took part and live on the Havenfield cul de sac, see pages 5 and 6.
· These two sets of priorities differ.
· If a common strategy, shared by all who live in ARERA’s catchment area, is going to be constructed, then ARERA’s committee and the members of the residents’ association need to recognise that they are confronted by what is likely to prove a significant challenge.
· The committee has agreed that building this consensus should be pursued through holding an open consultation meeting later this year with those who live and work in catchment area of the residents’ association.
A full report of the survey’s findings can be viewed in the attached file.
We have been asked to share the slides shown at our AGM on 12th of February about the residents’ parking scheme.
If, when you have had a chance to look through them, you have any questions or comments, please could you use the contact page on this website to do so?
It is five years since the current members of ARERA’s committee started campaigning to improve conditions on our road for both residents and road users, including pedestrians.
Since then we have campaigned on a growing number of issues:
speed restrictions, monitoring and policing
improving pedestrian safety (via new zebra crossing)
removal of pavement parking (also to safeguard pedestrians)
deterring through (commuter) vehicles (to prevent tailbacks and pollution)
banning heavy goods vehicles (to prevent house shaking)
completion of cycle paths (as designated County Council ‘priority cycle route’)
inclusion in Milton Road Area Residents’ Parking Scheme, and
exclusion of illegal motor vehicle access to Arbury Court Play Area.
Where are we now?
In the most recent instalment of our campaigning, we had an on-street meeting last week with the Chair of the County’s Highways and Transport Committee (H&TC), Alex Beckett, and the County’s Principal Active Travel Officer, Clare Rankin.
We were also joined by Josh Grantham and Anna Wiliams from Camcycle. They worked with us on this year’s unsuccessful bid for a new zebra crossing between Milton Road lights and the North Cambridge Academy (turned down on the grounds of costs).
We discussed all the issues listed above with the H&TC Chair and Principal Active Travel Officer. They said that they understood the problems experienced on Arbury Road east but that action was difficult because:
this section of the road is very narrow, and
currently there aren’t any dedicated funds for undertaking the range of works that needs to be done.
Alex Beckett recommended that we keep making our voices heard and that we develop a staged action planfor implementing changes as and when/if money becomes available. Josh Grantham said that Camcycle was willing to work with ARERA on this.
What next?
We recommend that the ARERA committee works with residents (and businesses) in our catchment area who are interested in producing a detailed staged action plan that we can submit to the County’s H&T Committee.
We suggest that we set this process in motion at ARERA’s next AGM.
The current Chair and Secretary have already served on the committee in these posts for the 4 consecutive years allowed by ARERA’s constitution, https://arera.org.uk/about-arera/constitution/
Elections will be held at the next AGM to fill these posts.
If you would like to join the ARERA committee and/or help draw up the action plan for improvements on Arbury Road east, please let us know on info@arera.org.uk.
ARERA AGM: 29th January 2025 7pm at the Baptist Church More details to follow in the new year
