Category: Announcement

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Update about timing of Milestone/GCP meetings for local residents to raise issues about  the Milton Road improvement works

The GCP and Milestone have changed the date for their Drop-in meetings for local residents.

These will now be held on the first Monday of the month 11-12.30 at Milton Road Library.  

These meeting are an an easy opportunity for you to raise any issue you have about the Milton Road improvement works.

At the last meeting, Milestone agreed that they would:

  • provide some noticeboards to keep people informed about bus stops, road closures etc
  • improve the signage for pedestrians and cyclists on the Elizabeth Way access to Oak Tree Avenue

While vehicle access from Milton Road is limited by their works, please note that there is a passageway between Union Lane and Oak Tree Ave which joins the latter at the right-angle corner and enables safe pedestrian access to Milton Road via a safe crossing point.

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Consultation by Cambridge City Council on what you think it should cut in its budget

In case you haven’t seen it, here is a ’new year’ notice circulated to us by the local Lib Dems …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

1st of January 2023
As Christmas turns to New Year, Cambridge City Council is approaching some controversial decisions in its budget.  
At risk of disturbing your festivities, I wanted to alert you to some of these – as there is an opportunity for residents to express their point of view before decisions are taken.   Three items we have singled out are:  

Closing Public Toilets   These are an essential, if not glamorous aspect of what a council provides – because no-one else will! Labour councillors want to close the conveniences on Quayside (the only ones on the west side of the city centre), Chesterton Road (without any plan to improve the inadequate block on Jesus Green nearby) and Mill Road (where there are no nearby alternatives). They also want to limit opening to weekends on the recreation grounds at Chesterton, Coleridge, Romsey and Midsummer Common. In a city which thrives from its shoppers and visitors, how come public loos are such a low priority that when cutbacks are in the air, they come to the fore? Apart from their use to everyone on occasion, public loos are especially important to the elderly, pregnant mothers, those with disabilities, parents of small children and those making full use of public open spaces. 

Reducing the Environmental Enforcement Team   Where there are rules for the benefit of the community, there needs to be an effort to enforce them – or they don’t get taken seriously. This applies to dropping litter, fly tipping, controlling dogs in public places, lighting BBQs on the grass, punt touting and commercial ‘A’ Boards on pavements. Few could claim these are all well under control, but Labour’s proposal is to reduce the officers from 7 to 6 and have those remaining only patrolling in pairs. When you take account of the size of the city and the need for weekend and summer evening patrols, we can expect only negligible attention anywhere – including where we need it locally and across the rest of the city! This is another core council responsibility: cutting it back is sure to result in lower standards.  

Discontinuing the ‘Big Weekend’   This free annual summer event on Parker’s Piece brings the whole city together in a way little else does. The way it integrates and celebrates the city’s Asian community through the ‘Mela’ is especially valuable. It is natural for the cost of the event to come under scrutiny in times like these, but it seems shortsighted simply to abandon it, without a serious attempt to seek sponsorship for it, or failing that, to commercialise it whilst avoiding high cost entry.   

If you feel more thought is needed before these measures are agreed, please say so in the council’s consultation survey – focusing on Question 10. But do act now, as the opportunity closes on January 10th at noon. Go to:  https://cambridge.citizenlab.co/en-GB/projects/draft-budget-2023-24 
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GCP Making Connections Consultation

It’s not too late to make your response to the latest GCP consultation – the one which many people think is just about the congestion charge proposals, but is really about improving the way we all live and work together.

The deadline is midday on 23 December.

The attached link will take you to a guide to the consultation provided by the Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance

https://cambstravelalliance.org/gcp-making-connections-consultation-guide/

Whatever you think about the proposals it is really important to have your say.  Alternative suggestions to the congestion charge will be welcomed, as will your views on buses, cycling, walking, pollution hot spots etc.  This really is your chance to make your views known!

To complete the survey click

https://tinyurl.com/STZ-survey

Please make sure that your voice gets heard.

ARERA Committee

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ARERA presses local Councillors and police on Speeding on Arbury Road

At the North Area Committee Meeting on the 15th March ARERA presented data on Speeding

Data from a County Council Speed Camera which was installed on Arbury Road clearly shows that for a two-week measured period maximum traffic speed is consistently twice the speed limit e.g. 40mph instead of the 20mph limit. There are also at least five instances of traffic exceeding 60mph on Arbury Road

We asked what measures are the police pursuing to reduce gross speeding violations on Arbury Road and prevent another fatality?

And whether the committee would include Arbury road speeding on the ‘recommended local areas of concern’ list for the next reporting period of the Policing and Safer Neighbourhoods Agenda item?

The response from the police was that they now have more officers allocated to driving issues and more speed guns. They will look into the problems on Arbury Road

The response from the committee was that the initiative to tackle bad driving on Fen Road would be expanded to cover other main North Cambridge Roads including Arbury Road and it will therefore be included under the ‘local areas of concern’

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ARERA Satisfaction Survey Results Summary

Results from the Make Arbury Road better! ARERA Survey.

Overview

The Arbury Road East Residents Association (ARERA) was officially inaugurated on 9 December 2019. ARERA aims to provide a forum for discussion of issues affecting residents and business owners on Arbury road, and its side streets, from the North Cambridge Academy school to the junction at Milton Road.

Residents/business operators have come together to discuss options as it is felt that the use of Arbury Road as a through-route/cut through is not keeping with its designated status – e.g. 20mph designation, its narrow width, multiple schools, shops, popular cyclist route, and a pedestrian zone accessing homes/schools/shops/businesses etc.

Issues discussed at the meeting included:

  • views on whether cars should be actively discouraged in an era of climate emergency
  • views about lorries not being restricted by weight
  • views about bus services
  • views about safety and usage of pavements for cycling and parking
  • views about whether Arbury road, as currently configured, actually splits the community in two
  • views about the safety of Arbury Road junction with Milton Road specifically
  • whether people (perhaps older) avoid cycling and walking because they consider it too dangerous
  • views on pollution, vibration, and noise
  • impact of the Histon Road one-way development and the Milton Road development plans

In this survey, we want to collect your views concerning traffic and road usage from both residents and businesses on/just off Arbury Road, with the aim of trying to develop and present ideas for improvements to the County Council and the Greater Cambridge Partnership.

Results

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COVID-19 virus measures: Supporting your neighbours

Dear Neighbour

We have been thinking about how we can support and care for each other should we need to stay indoors in the coming weeks and months.

Please contact us if you intend to self-isolate or have a neighbour who may need to and think we may be able to support you e.g. with collecting and delivering shopping or prescriptions, or a friendly front garden chat or telephone call.

Likewise, please contact us (info@arera.org.uk) if you are someone who would like to offer help.

Events are changing fast and this is a worrying time for many people, but we believe we will be a stronger community if we all work together.

Local shops that are delivering

cambridgelocalshops.co.uk has a full list of local shops that deliver.

Some of the local ones are:

Radmore farm shop

What: Fruit, veg, meat and other provisions like fuel

Victoria Avenue Cambridge
Tel: 01223 361 155
https://www.radmorefarmshop.co.uk/shop/
Email: hello@radmorefarmshop.co.uk
They usually have two deliveries a week but at the moment deliveries are booked up until the end of March

Les Ward

What: Greengrocers

Arbury Court
Tel: 01223 353 799
https://www.facebook.com/leswardflorist/They do deliveries

Cam Home & Garden

What: Gardening, cleaning, cookware, DIY

Milton Road
Call Robin on 07845 964 013 after 10am
https://www.facebook.com/camhomeandgarden
To join the mailing list for stock and delivery please email info@camhomeandgarden.co.uk

Priority deliveries are of food, vegetable plants and seeds, beer and jam making goods and essential cleaning and sanitising products
Other coronavirus-related services being offered by Cambridge shops, through https://cambridgelocalshops.co.uk

Cambridge Quality Meats

What: Butchers
1a Arbury Rd, Cambridge CB4 2JB
Monday: 6am -1pm
Tuesday 6am – 3pm
Wednesday 6am- 3pm
Thursday 6am- 3pm
Friday 6am- 3pm

Tel: 01223 352 853
http://www.cambridgequalitymeats.co.uk/

All local shops

Again, please see cambridgelocalshops.co.uk has a full list of local shops that deliver.

With best wishes
ARERA team

info@arera.org.uk