Arbury Road East News – December Arbury Road Baptist Church ‘A Message of Christmas hope’ Fen Road consultationNew GCP Waterbeach to Cambridge transport links consultation ———————————————————Arbury Road Baptist Church: ‘A Message of Christmas hope’ Arbury Road Baptist Church will be sharing some ‘viral hope’ this Christmas and help people to celebrate Christmas in what will be a difficult time for many. The ‘Christmas isn’t Cancelled’ community video will be shown online and is accessible to all. You can access it through the website, arburyroadbaptist.org/christmashope, on Facebook or in your living room on a smart TV via the Arbury Road Baptist Church YouTube Channel.Fen Road consultation  Submit your comments on the proposed development by Cambridge Investment Partnership on Fen Road. As part of their consultation with the local community they will be hosting a live webinar where the project team will present the proposals and the local community will have the opportunity to ask questions. The webinar will take place on Wednesday 16th December at 6pm.Find out more and register for the webinar below:https://yoursay.online/fen-roadNew Waterbeach to Cambridge transport links The Greater Cambridge Partnership is currently consulting on three of its four ‘corridor projects’, aiming to deliver better public transport and active travel routes by 2030. To the north of the city,the Waterbeach to Cambridge route is open for public consultation until 14 December. Options include a new public transport route and an active travel. Please provide your thoughts and comments on the GCP website.Waterbeach to cambridge consultation here:https://consultcambs.uk.engagementhq.com/w2c-consultation-2020All other consultations here:https://consultcambs.uk.engagementhq.comWishing you all a Merry Christmas,ARERA |
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Car Speed(ing) data from August for Arbury Road
Despite a loud opposing minority, low-traffic neighbourhoods are increasingly popular. Newspaper article
YouGov poll found positive views on LTNs are three times higher than negative ones
Read the whole article here:
Views on the Road- support for the filter from John, Maio Road
“The modal filter is a good proposal and I’m supporting it because reducing the traffic helps everyone”
Arbury Road in the News- ‘Roadblock has health benefits’, Cambridge Independent 01.07.20
ARERA monitors the impact of Histon Road closure
Histon Road has been closed to inbound traffic while improvements are made with City Deal funding. The Greater Cambridge Partnership says that its project “aims to provide better bus, walking and cycling facilities for those travelling on this busy key route into Cambridge”, see https://www.greatercambridge.org.uk/transport/transport-projects/histon-road. Closures are expected to last for 12 months.
Traffic entering Cambridge from the Histon roundabout on the A14 is currently being signposted down Kings Hedges Road. ARERA had asked the GCP to prevent this diverted traffic from using Arbury Road since, before the onset of COVID, its staff had warned ARERA that the result of diversion was likely to be “carnage” for those of us who live, work or learn here. But no such signage has been put in place. Members of ARERA have been busy this week monitoring traffic on Kings Hedges and Arbury Roads so that we have evidence about how the diversion is affecting traffic flows on the two roads. Preliminary analysis shows that more traffic is using Arbury Road than Kings Hedges Road, including almost all cyclists and pedestrians. ARERA is sharing the collected data with our elected councillors and with the residents association for the Hurst Park Estate. HPERA are worried that the diversion will cause additional rat running via Leys Road. The collected data is being assembled to present to the GCP as part of our case for additional signage directing diverted traffic away from Arbury Road. Once the traffic data has been fully analysed, we will share our report with residents, businesses and schools on Arbury Road and with our elected councillors. Look out for further updates on the ARERA website.
Grape Britannia endorses the benefits of a modal filter trial
At Grape Britannia, we can see the benefits of the modal filter. With our licence extended to allow drinking outside on our forecourt, the reduction in traffic noise and pollution from its introduction will, we hope, lead to a more positive environment for our patrons.
Best wishes
Matt
NOTE: Grape Britannia bar is reopening from Saturday 11th July! Initially it will be 12-10 Friday and Saturday only
Grape Britannia now have a licence for tables outside the shop
Elaine’s Hair Fashions believes the modal filter will be healthier for us all
Elaine’s has been in Arbury road for 34 years now it would be great to encourage more walking and cycling for those that can, there is a lot of pollution with the volume of traffic. We have now experienced less pollution because of the lock down and the air has been so much healthier so for the residents the schools and us shop keepers I think the modal filter would be safer and healthier for us all . Elaine
Sign our petition for safer walking and cycling on Arbury Road East during the COVID-19 and into the future
Our recent survey demonstrated how much our community was concerned with levels of traffic on Arbury Road East and particularly the consequent safety concerns due to traffic volume, speeding traffic, and pollution.
* 95% of you wanted action now due to serious safety concerns and pollution.
* 87% of you supported filtering the road to prevent through commuter traffic (whilst still allowing access for residents, taxis, deliveries, emergency vehicles and business users).
Now, since the current COVID-19 crisis began, the speeding problem has got much worse and made it even riskier for people walking and cycling here. We are trying to do our part to protect the NHS and keep a safe 2m physical distance from each other while walking to the shops or for daily exercise, but this is becoming increasingly difficult.
The pavements are too narrow and the road is often too dangerous because of the high-speed motor traffic passing through.
Our community needs more space to walk and cycle safely, while respecting physical distancing guidelines. Filtering is a solution that will open up more community space, stop the speeding through-traffic and protect key workers who are cycling on Arbury Road, all while ensuring that everyone’s essential services are accessible by any transport mode.
Many other parts of the country are working on ways to make their streets safer to help people who are making essential journeys on foot or bike. It makes a lot of sense and we need to get started before the problem gets any worse.
Let’s work together to ensure safe walking and cycling on Arbury Road East during the COVID-19 lock down and into the future.
Please support our proposal to filter Arbury Road by signing this petition
Please share this with your neighbours
Thank you!
ARERA
Response to Cambridge Independent article ‘Road block plan will cut off our retirement community’ 24th June 2020
The article told a one-sided story from the perspective of group of Havenfield residents
However, many Arbury Road residents are pleased to support the idea of trialling a road closure and a recent Residents Group questionnaire showed that those who live on the road are ready and willing to try pilot schemes to develop proposals that would stop the rat-running, reduce pollution and bring our community together once again. Link: https://arera.org.uk/2020-01-22-survery-results/
The modal filter would be a temporary measure which could be reversed but we think that the effect would positively transformative for everyone
It doesn’t make sense to have “no change” to avoid a 5 min detour. We need to prioritise quality of life for the whole community
Those of us that live on the road see at first hand the problems of congestion, pollution and dangerous conditions for cyclists and pedestrians. Havenfield is set well back from Arbury Road so it is not in the front line
Secondly, many of the assertions of the article are incorrect:
Havenfield will not be cut off. They can have the closure either side of the Havenfield entrance. Worst case is a 5-minute detour if they go by car which is about how long it takes to queue at the traffic lights now!
On the question of emergency services access, Cllr Manning is arranging for a test. To state now that there may be a delay is jumping to conclusions and the test results need to be assessed against all the health benefits due to the scheme.
The proposal is for a modal filter and people can still access Arbury Road by car, no change there
The difference will be that Arbury Road will no longer be used by through traffic and this is what causes most of the pollution and the danger to pedestrians and cyclists because of the narrowness of the road and pavement
This danger has got worse under the pandemic due to speeding cars which has made it more difficult for pedestrians to pass each other
The block will help us maintain safe local distancing and contrary to Ms Purrs assertion this will be of benefit to elderly and infirm pedestrians who are particularly impacted by the current problem
Arbury Road residents have been talking about a scheme like this for some years and are really pleased that there is now some funding to try out the ideas
Survey and headline figures – 87% supported (from 63 households) filtering and with COVID-19 this figure has probably increased.
It was the most popular of proposed solutions:
