A proposed congestion charge for Cambridge would require motorists to pay at least £5 between 07:00 and 19:00 on weekdays to travel in and around the city. The subject continues to divide opinion and following a BBC Politics East debate last week, people have continued to reach out to express their views.
‘Punish people in the city’
Web developer Richard Bagnall lives in Cambridge and says there is “no proposed facility for those already living in Cambridge”.
He says those living in the congestion zone “will therefore be penalized for every trip they take by car, even if it involves leaving the city”.
“It’s punishing people who live in the city,” he says.
The 61-year-old says: “I already use my car as little as possible, but do use it for shopping and getting out of town, which would mean paying at least £1,040 a year on top of the £600 road fund.” duty.”
He says “the council continues to close roads” such as the modal filter on Chapel Street in Chesterton, Cambridge.
Mr Bagnall says those closures “make a difference [roads] more pressure [and] that’s part of the problem”.
More money for public transport
Archie McCann, a civil and environmental engineering student, says the “sustainable travel zones plan is generally very good.”
“It makes sure that [of using] the hundreds of millions of pounds of City Deal money to boost public transport long before the road tax, and also has dozens of proposed exemptions, for example. for people with disabilities, for people with low incomes, etc.”
The 21-year-old says the plan is “the fairest way” to improve public transport, which he currently describes as “awful”.
He says, “I tried to take the bus three times in the last week, and twice the bus just didn’t arrive, so I had to wait for the next one, and god forbid you try to use public transport.” outside the city you will not get anywhere quickly.”
Mr McCann says he sees no other way of improving bus services to improve bus services – the local government doesn’t have the resources and the UK government won’t help.
He adds that the congestion charge “will enable more funding for public transport, [which] reduces congestion on the roads so those buses don’t get stuck in traffic”.
What is proposed?
The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) – a body made up of three city councils, businesses and the University of Cambridge – has proposed a so-called sustainable travel zone covering most of the city.
Vehicles entering the zone between 07:00 and 19:00 on weekdays must pay a daily surcharge of a minimum of £5.
The money raised will be used to pay for a £50 million expansion of the bus network, with the aim of creating a “London-esque” service and improving infrastructure for walking and cycling.
The GCP says the plans would lead to an additional 20,000 bus journeys and reduce car journeys in Cambridge by 50%.
They say the scheme will “reduce pollution to provide cleaner air”.
![Cambridge congestion zone. [ £50m Amount expected to be raised, after costs, from charges to enter the zone. Ringfenced for transport improvements ] [ Daily flat fee for HGVs £50 ],[ Daily flat fee for vans £10 ],[ Daily flat fee for cars £5 ]Source: Source: Greater Cambridge Partnership, Image: Graphical representation of heavy traffic in Cambridge](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/R__4dUF9WPOo10tj8kmiFg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTczNA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bbc_us_articles_995/167106fc2fee6454713f0637da1bd1ef)
‘The wrong approach’
Dragana Hardman, a former NHS worker, says: “Public transport in Cambridge is very poor and many lines have stopped.
“Many of the NHS, hospitality and catering staff, and [those with] other jobs that don’t pay as well, live outside Cambridge and commute to work.
“The current system of parking and driving is not good; the service is poor and needs improvement.
“I understand that Cambridge City Council is keen to make changes and improvements, but this is the wrong approach.”
The 60-year-old says the congestion charge “will penalize people for either living in Cambridge and working outside or living outside and working in Cambridge”.
She says cycling infrastructure and bus services need to be improved before residents are “pushed” to use them.
“This proposal is only for the money, [it is] nothing to do with the improvement of Cambridge,” she adds.
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