sustainable travel zone cambridge

Cambridge Cycling Campaign

For more, better and safer cycling in and around Cambridge

What is the Cambridge Sustainable Travel Zone?

On Friday 26 August 2022, the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) announced proposals for a transformational change to the city’s transport network to be developed over the next six years. Camcycle has long supported the principles of congestion charging and ‘demand management’ and we are interested in how this scheme might work.

Here we’ve taken a look at the GCP’s report to investigate the various aspects of the proposals and what it could mean for our area. We have published an initial statement here and will be posting more detailed thoughts on the scheme once we have had a chance to consult in detail with our members.

A new ‘Public Transport and City Access Strategy’ report , published ahead of a meeting of the GCP Joint Assembly , proposes a £50 million upfront investment in bus service improvements and fare reductions. A road charge would subsequently be implemented for travel within a new ‘Sustainable Travel Zone’ and would provide future funding for the bus network and improved infrastructure for walking and cycling.

This report is the next stage in the GCP’s City Access programme which ‘aims to reduce congestion and improve public transport in order to offer people better journeys, as well as reducing air pollution and carbon emissions from transport’.

What are the main headlines?

Cheaper buses.

Under these plans, bus fares would be significantly reduced – a single fare within the City would be £1 and buses into Cambridge from surrounding towns and villages would be £2.

Faster, more frequent and more reliable buses

Longer operating hours are proposed, with buses running from 5am to 1am each day except Sunday with buses running from 5am to midnight. There would be 8 buses an hour on key city routes, 6 buses an hour from market towns and larger villages and hourly services from smaller villages. Scheduled services would run alongside Demand Responsive Transport (bookable services, not restricted by locations or timetables).

A Sustainable Transport Zone across the whole of Cambridge to promote the use of public transport and active travel

The sustainable travel zone has been drawn around the outskirts of the city and links between the park and ride sites. It will allow vehicles to access all the park and ride sites without incurring a charge. The GCP says this new transport zone would cut the number of car journeys within Cambridge by 50%. This would free up space for walking, cycling and public transport as well as allowing for improvements to public space. Car motorbike, and moped journeys would be disincentivised with a £5 charge per day for using the zone between 7am and 7pm on weekdays only. There would be additional charges for other vehicles, LGVs £10 and coaches and HGVs £50. A system of discounts, exemptions and reimbursements would apply to groups including emergency vehicles, blue badge holders, low-income households, some NHS patients and staff, social care workers and zero-emissions, accessible taxis.

More investment in cycling and walking

Additional funding and roadspace is required for future improvements such as those set out in the GCP’s Cycling Plus consultation . The Sustainable Transport Zone could provide both of these, as revenue raised would be used to fund active travel projects as well as buses, and the reduction of car traffic on the roads would free up space for better cycleways and pavements. An estimated £20 million annually will be available for infrastructure investment.

When would the Sustainable Travel Zone be implemented?

The full zone would not be in place until 2028. The GCP says it will build up the bus improvements first to ensure that there are ‘reliable, competitive and sustainable alternatives to travelling by car’. This is in line with the recommendations of members of the GCP Citizens’ Assembly who said that ‘improvements in public transport need to come first’.

Proposed timetable

How would the sustainable travel zone work.

As with other UK charging schemes, the system would mainly work by capturing vehicle details using a series of ANPR cameras. Vehicle data would be checked and a charge, exemption or discount applied as appropriate. Payment would be possible online or by phone and regular users would be incentivised to sign up for accounts to enable quicker payment.

The details on the potential tapered discount (25-100%) for lower income households say it would be designed so that it is accessible to those on low incomes using range of payment methods.

Is the Sustainable Travel Zone supported by the public?

From the consultations already held by the Greater Cambridge Partnership:

• 95% of respondents to ‘Our Big Conversation’ (2017) supported improving public transport with 66% saying traffic and congestion was their biggest transport challenge.
• 82% of respondents to ‘Choices for Better Journeys’ (2019) supported the vision to significantly improve public transport. A pollution or flexible road charge were the highest ranked solutions in this survey (chosen as first or second choice by 44% and 36% of respondents respectively).
• ‘Provide affordable public transport’ ranked top in a list of ideal outcomes developed by members of the GCP Citizens’ Assembly (2019). They ranked closing roads to cars first, followed by a road charge (clean air zone, pollution charge or congestion charge).
• 78% of respondents to the ‘Making Connections’ consultation (2021) supported the proposals to improve and expand the bus network (with 51% in strong support). 41% preferred a lower charge over a larger area, as opposed to 36% preferring a higher charge over a smaller area (36%). 68% supported reducing traffic as a way to improve walking and cycling.

Will the Sustainable Travel Zone work?

The GCP says that modelling of the proposed plans shows likely results to be:

• 50% reduction in car trips in the Sustainable Travel Zone (STZ)
• 40% increase in public transport use in the STZ and the wider South Cambridgeshire area
• 30% increase in walking and cycling within the STZ
• 5% reduction in greenhouse gases (note that the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority has a target to reduce car mileage in the whole region by 15% by 2030, compared with 2019 levels, equal to approx. 732 million vehicle miles in total).

There will also be benefits to health:

• Better air quality will support a reduction in associated deaths and illnesses
• Over £160m of health benefits due to increase in physical activity from higher levels of walking and cycling.

Research published earlier this year ranked congestion charging as the most effective method for reducing car use in cities.

Is the Sustainable Travel Zone fair?

One of the aims of the Sustainable Travel Zone is to help ‘address social inequalities where poor provision of transport is a contributing factor’. The GCP notes that ‘some parts of Greater Cambridge and the wider travel-to-work area are being held back by a lack of any viable public transport. In some places, people are cut off from opportunities by poor public transport access or walk and cycle connections’.

For those without access to a car, choice and accessibility have been decreasing. In the 2011 census, data showed that a third of households in Cambridge did not own a car, or van and for single-parent families this was 42%. Public transport costs have been rising much faster than the cost of driving since the turn of the century and a quarter of bus services have disappeared in the last decade . Meanwhile, increasing traffic on the roads is often a barrier to walking and cycling.

As part of the new proposals, the GCP commissioned a detailed Equalities Impact Assessment. It concluded that the scheme would result in beneficial effects across most protected characteristic groups, including low-income households. The GCP also held focus groups with young people, disabled people and people on low incomes. All of these groups were unhappy with aspects of the existing bus service and wanted to see improvements to active travel. The GCP says some of the funding from the Sustainable Travel Zone could be used to provide more support for disabled users of public transport and support to access specialist and disabled cycles.

For drivers, a road charge is a more regressive transport measure than road closures, for example, as those on lower incomes bear a higher burden of the cost. However, providing roads for free is also not fair. Free roads could be seen to ‘help’ poorer households, but only after they have made large investments, both upfront and ongoing, in the depreciating assets that are cars . Furthermore, research has shown that people from lower-income groups are more likely to die in car crashes, live near polluted roads and suffer from decreasing levels of activity.

The GCP has recognised that some groups will be less able to switch from driving than others and is proposing a range of discounts, exemptions and reimbursements to address this. It says it will continue to develop details of these exemptions and discounts through the consultation process and will ‘engage with protected characteristic groups through the scheme design to obtain more granular information and create a more detailed understanding of the issues’.

Example concerns:

I don’t have a safe cycle route from my village.

In addition to the existing Greenways project, the GCP says new funding would be used to invest in other cycling projects in both Cambridge and the wider area. Existing funding isn’t enough to create all the routes we’d like to see, along with much-needed maintenance and improvements to existing routes. Do contact both Camcycle and the GCP if you have ideas on how routes near you should be improved.

Can I be charged twice in one day for driving in the new zone?

The Sustainable Travel Zone charge is a daily charge. You would only be charged once per day, for example £5 if you are driving a car or £50 for a HGV.

The buses aren’t good enough to get me to work / school / the hospital

If this proposal is approved, improvements to the bus network would start from summer 2023, with a focus on improving frequency on existing routes and delivering new links to Addenbrooke’s and key employment and education sites. The aim is to have good-quality alternatives in place before any road charging begins to be rolled out.

We don’t have enough bus drivers for the existing bus network, let alone one that is double the size

The GCP has factored in a 20% increase in driver wages in recognition of the challenges of recruitment and retention in this sector. The overall plan is to take buses back into the control of the local authorities, as in London or Manchester, which would allow them to design the service according to need.

I won’t get the chance to have a say

This is a long-term project: this month, members of the GCP are considering whether the proposals are suitable to go to public consultation. If they approve them, a consultation would take place in the autumn. Councillors have made clear that there will be plenty of time and different opportunities to share your views.

• ← Initial statement on proposals for a Sustainable Travel Zone
• Consultation guide: GCP Chisholm Trail phase 2, Cromwell Road and Coldham’s Lane junction →

Sustainable Travel Zone

As the threats from Climate Change become ever more worrying, we’re pleased to see that at last we have a clear and apparently fair proposal from Greater Cambridge Partnership to establish a Sustainable Travel Zone in Cambridge. 

The proposed STZ starts in 2023 by dramatically improving public transport, with more bus routes, buses running from 5am to 1am and 8 buses an hour on key routes.  Then from 2024 bus fares would be reduced to £1.

The improvements would be paid for by a £50 Million up front investment. Then, from 2026, there would be a £5 daily charge for non-exempt cars used in the zone between 7am and 7pm.  (CamCycle have written a good blog article here summarising the details of the scheme)

We think this is an exciting opportunity to make our city fairer, healthier and lower carbon.

Currently its deeply unfair that inadequate public transport means that so many people are pushed into having to use their cars to get to work in Cambridge (unless they’re lucky, rich or healthy enough to live within cycling distance).  Congestion in Greater Cambridge is amongst the worst in the UK.

Cars are expensive to own and run, and people waste hours sitting in traffic jams, just trying to get to work from surrounding villages.  GCP estimate that the scheme would halve Cambridge’s traffic, making travelling into Cambridge dramatically faster for everyone. I suspect many drivers would consider this timesaving a bargain at just £5: less than the cost of parking for a couple of hours in the Grand Arcade car park.

As transport is about 20% of Cambridge’s carbon emissions, we’d expect this to reduce the city’s total emissions by about 10%. Although Cambridge’s emissions have been falling for the last few years, we need to do a lot more to get to Net Zero.

It should also improve health. Last year, 21 deaths in Greater Cambridge were attributable to air pollution, mostly from traffic, and its often the poorest people that live on the most polluted streets. Reducing traffic will also make cycling, walking and using e-scooters safer and more pleasant.

We are pleased that there will be exemptions from the charge for people on low incomes and blue badge holders, but we quite understand that some people are anxious about it. Clearly some will be disadvantaged, but as we all change what we do in response to the scheme, new opportunities arise.

For example, car club cars will be exempt, which will encourage people to try them out. Some will then discover that switching from a private car to a car club car saves money as well as reducing the hassle of owning a car.  We’d also hope that it would encourage Cambridge’s schools to collaborate to run buses (as Cambridge University does) so pupils can get to school without needing to be ferried by their parents. 

We think the scheme is a good proposal, to help make Cambridge fairer, healthier and lower carbon.

It is something we can do, so we must.

Do respond to GCP’s consultation here http://tinyurl.com/STZ-survey before the deadline of 23 December 2022

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Why the proposed Greater Cambridge Sustainable Travel Zone is so important

Published: 22nd NOVEMBER 2022

The Greater Cambridge Partnership is looking to introduce a London-style congestion charge zone to improve public transport and improve air quality. Find out more about the plan and why we're supporting it.

Research by the group suggests that the change will reduce trips via motor vehicles by 50%. Photo credit: photojB

In August 2022, the Greater Cambridge Partnership announced proposals to transform the city’s transport network.

At the heart of the proposals is the aim to significantly reduce trips made by motor vehicles.

The partnership will do this by improving public transport, walking, and cycling infrastructure.

They also plan to implement a Sustainable Travel Zone, including a road user charge, which will be fully operational from 2027/28 (weekdays, between 7am and 7pm).

Research by the Greater Cambridge Partnership suggests the Sustainable Travel Zone will reduce motor vehicle trips by 50%.

Reducing the volume of traffic

If we are serious about getting more people to walk, cycle and take public transport then it is key to take ambitious, affirmative action.

This plan will help to reduce the volume of traffic and help to reclaim our streets and neighbourhoods.

To achieve this level of change, public transport usage will need to increase by 40% across Greater Cambridge.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership are proposing cheaper, faster, more regular, and more reliable buses, with greater coverage.

This will be achieved, in part, with a £50m upfront investment (between 2024 and 2026).

The Sustainable Travel Zone will also free up valuable road space and provide additional funding of £50 million per year for improvements, especially to walking and cycling infrastructure.

This in turn will increase walking and cycling trips by 30% - over 60,000 extra walking and cycling trips each day.

Whilst clearly ambitious, and creating a lot of debate and discussion locally, it is important to acknowledge that the proposed Sustainable Travel Zone is in line with local, regional, and national transport plans and policies.

Local and national support for better infrastructure

This year, we carried out the UK’s largest independent survey of residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards sustainable transport.

Our latest study of the local area, the Greater Cambridge Walking and Cycling Index , indicated that:

• 66% of residents think that their streets are dominated by moving or parked motor vehicles
• 74% of residents support building more cycle tracks physically separated from traffic and pedestrians, even when this would mean less room for other road traffic
• 69% of residents support increased government funding for public transport, compared to only 24% who support increased government funding on driving.

Regionally, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority are completing their new Local Transport and Connectivity Plan.

This plan commits the area to reducing motor vehicle miles by 15% by 2030, against a 2019 baseline.

On a national level, the Department for Transport’s Decarbonising Transport: A Better, Greener Britain report from 2021 is also firm on motor vehicles, stating:

“we cannot pile ever more cars, delivery vans and taxis on to the same congested urban roads”, and “we want to reduce urban road traffic overall”, and unequivocally, “we want less motor traffic in urban areas”.

We know that motor vehicle traffic is spoiling where we live, work, learn, and socialise.

It is significantly contributing to problems like climate change, poor air quality, road danger, physical inactivity, and isolation.

Supporting these changes

We at Sustrans support these visionary and much needed proposals, and we encourage the public to engage with the ongoing consultation.

Find out more about the proposals and take the Making Connections 2022 Survey from the Greater Cambridge Partnership to have your say.

In addition, we encourage the Greater Cambridge Partnership to go further and to offer additional tailored support for cycling, especially to those on low incomes or at risk of poverty, as we face the worst cost of living crisis in many years.

The Greater Cambridge Walking and Cycling Index for 2021 showed that there is considerable appetite amongst residents on low incomes to start cycling:

• 27% of people on low incomes do not own a car.
• 45% of people on low incomes do not cycle, and 18% people on low incomes would like to start cycling.

Therefore, we’d like the Sustainable Travel Zone to fund targeted interventions to increase bicycle ownership and usage amongst residents on lower incomes.

Ongoing discussions

There are important questions being asked around exemptions to the Sustainable Travel Zone and what this means for shift workers, as well as those on low incomes.

There is discussion on the proposed new bus routes, their costs, and frequencies.

This discussion is positive, necessary, and it is critical that the Greater Cambridge Partnership listen.

It is also critical that decision makers, especially elected councillors, retain a pragmatic and holistic approach.

Change is always difficult.

If we want to create healthier places which allow communities to thrive without having to use a car, then change, such as the Greater Cambridge Sustainable Travel Zone, is urgently required.

Find out more about the Greater Cambridge Partnership's plans.

Read more about how we can improve air quality without restricting accessibility.

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Read more from sustrans.

The need to help people access a cycle

Taking Sustrans' Walking and Cycling Index to Parliament

How Sustrans is striving to address inequalities within active travel

The case for gender budgeting in active travel

Cambridge Sustainable Travel Zone – A Q&A with Camcycle

On Friday 26 August 2022, the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) announced proposals for a transformational change to the city’s transport network to be developed over the next six years. We think the proposals are an exciting opportunity to make our city not only more sustainable but also fairer and healthier: with faster, cheaper, more reliable bus services, and better infrastructure for walking and cycling. 

We spoke to Anna Williams at Camcycle to find out more about the proposals and how we can all get involved in helping to shape a sustainable transport future for our region. See below our Q&A.

What share of Cambridge’s emissions currently come from transport and what are the expected emissions savings from the scheme?

Surface transport accounts for around 20% of carbon emissions in Cambridge city, 35% in Greater Cambridge and 44% in the wider Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region, so it’s a significant proportion. Most of those emissions come from cars. In its Strategic Outline Business Case , the GCP predicts that the Sustainable Travel Zone scheme would cut the number of car journeys in Cambridge by 50%, saving 33,300 tonnes of CO2e in the first year and 1.28 million tonnes over a 60-year appraisal period. Carbon Neutral Cambridge describe it as a “ exciting opportunity to make our city fairer, healthier and lower carbon ” and point out in their new Greater Cambridge Decarbonisation report that although transport emissions are decreasing in Cambridge city, a lot more progress is needed in South Cambridgeshire. The bus and cycling improvements (such as the Greenways and onward links) will be essential parts of the path to net zero.

What’s the difference between a congestion charge and a sustainable travel zone?

The Sustainable Travel Zone has two main goals: to reduce levels of motor traffic and to secure a long-term funding source for walking, cycling and public transport. Congestion is just one of the issues being tackled; we know that investment in high-quality alternatives to driving is essential in enabling people to switch more of their journeys to sustainable travel. Once these are in place, they bring a host of other benefits. Places with fewer cars are cleaner, safer, fairer and more sociable. Space can be freed up to protect and celebrate our historic buildings, develop public squares and green spaces where people can spend time, and provide new facilities such as seating and cycle parking.

What are the proposed improvements to public transport? Is it more buses on the same routes or new routes? How will prices change?

Improved bus services are at the heart of the proposals and, if the scheme is agreed, improvements would start next year. The aim is to rebuild the bus network with new, direct routes between residential areas, towns and villages, employment areas, education and key services including health and leisure opportunities. New fares would apply from 2024: a £1 single fare for trips in Cambridge, and a £2 single fare for journeys in the wider area plus fare caps and special tickets to ensure low-cost multi-stage journeys and family or group travel. There would be more early morning, late evening and Sunday services, running from 5am to 1am Monday to Saturday, and 5am to midnight on Sundays. In rural areas, new regular services would be supported by bookable buses known as ‘demand-responsive transport’ so that every village would have access to a bus service. 

The aim is also to work with the Mayor and Combined Authority to ‘franchise’ the bus network. This would mean that the local transport authorities could make decisions around the demands of users and bus operators would be contracted to provide the services. The network could be planned holistically with simplified ticketing, rather than routes being decided on how profitable they might be. The recent short-notice announcement of cutbacks by Stagecoach and the scramble to protect routes shows how important it is to take back control of this vital public service.

Are there any other ways to fund public transport improvements in Cambridge? Do we have to pay for this locally or is there central government funding?

Local authorities have limited choice. The Combined Authority is the strategic transport authority for the area and their proposal for a ‘Bus Service Improvement Plan’ which included franchising and an overhaul of rural services failed to gain funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) earlier in the year. One of the reasons given was that the DfT believed our region had an “ insufficient commitment to road charging, active travel, and bus priority schemes “. The Combined Authority also missed out on walking and cycling funding due to a lack of ambition . It’s clear that central government wants to see commitment to the prioritisation of sustainable transport before investing further. 

Government also caps local council tax increases at 2%, so while that might be another option to raise funding it’s fairly limited. The GCP does have money (through a ‘City Deal’ investment package) to start to get the bus improvements in place, if the public and local politicians agree.

Is this a yes/no consultation or is there an opportunity to make suggestions to alter the proposal? E.g. exemptions, boundaries, time of day…

Camcycle has joined with Cambridge Living Streets (who campaign for better walking) and Cambridge Area Bus Users to form the Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance . Do join us and get involved!

We strongly support the proposals for a Sustainable Travel Zone but do encourage everyone to share your views on the walking, cycling and bus improvements you would like to see in place. Question 9 of the consultation survey asks whether you support the introduction of a Sustainable Travel Zone but there are also separate sections where you can share more specific views on the proposals for buses, cycling and walking, as well as the proposed road charge area, cost levels and hours of operation.

What does all of this mean for people walking and cycling?

Additional funding and roadspace is required for future improvements such as those set out in the GCP’s Cycling Plus consultation . The Sustainable Transport Zone could provide both of these, as revenue raised would be used to fund active travel projects as well as buses, and the reduction of car traffic on the roads would free up space for better cycleways and pavements. The GCP says an estimated £20 million annually will be available for investment in walking and cycling infrastructure.

Where do I find the consultation, how long will it take me to fill in and do you have any recommended responses to save me time?

Read more about the proposals on the  GCP’s consultation website , where you can also find a consultation brochure, interactive bus map, background documents and details of online and in-person consultation events.

The consultation survey will take up to 30 minutes to complete, plus time to read the associated information. For a quickstart guide, check out Camcycle’s consultation guide , Cambridge Living Streets’ consultation guide and the 5-minute summary guide from the Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance . Please fill in the consultation as soon as you can and share the shortlink ( tinyurl.com/STZ-survey ) with friends and family to encourage them to have their say too. 

• November 17, 2022

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MAPPED: The Cambridge congestion charge zone drivers face daily £5 fee under new proposals

The map has been released by the Greater Cambridge Partnership as part of its proposals to change the way people travel.

• 04:00, 27 AUG 2022
• Updated 15:21, 31 AUG 2022

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A new map reveals the proposed Cambridge congestion charge zone in which drivers face being charged £5 per day. A ‘Sustainable Travel Zone’ road user charge has been put forward by Greater Cambridge Partnership for private vehicles between 7am and 7pm on weekdays.

The plans are part of a package to deliver improvements to public transport, reduce congestion in the city , and to help the environment through lower emissions. The proposals follow the Partnership's ‘Making Connections’ consultation, which the authority said showed the public was supportive of improvements to the public transport network, as well as its aims to reduce pollution and congestion.

It also said that people who responded to the consultation were more in favour of road based charges to fund the changes, as opposed to parking based charges. The GCP said the consultation showed a “preference” for the charge covering a larger area, but at a lower cost.

Read more: Cambridge £5 congestion charge and bus fares could drop - everything we know about new travel proposal

A map published alongside the plans shows the current area being considered to be included in the zone where a charge would apply. The proposed zone covers from the A14 to the north of the city down to, and including, Trumpington, as well as Addenbrookes Hospital. The zone includes Cherry Hinton and Cambridge Airport to the east, and the furthest west it covers is up to the M11.

Peter Blake, Transport Director at the GCP, said: “This is a once in a generation opportunity to create a world-class transport network for Greater Cambridge and the wider area to drive a real step change in the way we travel.

“We’ve listened to the views of the public to create a future bus network with cheaper fares, more services to more locations – including rural areas – and faster, more frequent services with longer operating hours to make public transport a reliable and competitive choice for everyone.

“With the City Deal in place to forward-fund and accelerate the delivery of this transformative bus network – one of the largest ever investments in a UK bus network, alongside upgrades to active travel – we can build confidence in the service and encourage people to make the switch to public transport sooner.

“The Citizens Assembly told us ‘to be bold’ and the ambitious proposals we are putting forward would work in tandem with our other schemes to create a truly sustainable transport network for Greater Cambridge.”

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Home   News   Article

Greater Cambridge Partnership sets out plans for £5 road user charge and bus network shake-up with £1 fares

A £5 road user charge to drive into and around Cambridge is being proposed as part of a “once in a generation” plan to shake up how people travel.

Alongside the charge, the Greater Cambridge Partnership is setting out plans for one of the largest ever investments in a UK bus network to provide £1 fares, and more frequent services with longer operating hours.

The ‘Sustainable Travel Zone’ road user charge is proposed by the GCP for private vehicles between 7am and 7pm on weekdays. The charge will fund an improved public transport network in the future, with passengers paying £1 to travel in the city and £2 for journeys in the travel to work area.

The proposals follow the Making Connections consultation run by the GCP, which says the public was supportive of improvements to the public transport network, as well as its aims to reduce pollution and congestion.

It also said that people who responded to the consultation were more in favour of road based charges to fund the changes, as opposed to parking based charges.

The GCP said the consultation showed a “preference” for the charge covering a larger area, but at a lower cost.

The proposals, which will be discussed by the GCP’s joint assembly on September 8, set out plans for private vehicles driving into, out of, or within the travel zone to pay a £5 daily charge between 7am and 7pm on weekdays.

Exemptions and discounts are being considered for some, including a reimbursement scheme for a number of groups and workers, including clinically ill NHS patients, NHS staff, social care and care home workers, as well as minibuses and LGVs used by not-for-profit groups.

The details of how the charge zone will be operated have not yet been fully developed, but the GCP has said it is expected that ANPR cameras would be used. The authority has said that enforcement of those who do not pay the charge would follow usual traffic enforcement practice with an appeal process put in place.

Alongside funding the public transport improvement, the GCP is hoping the charge would also cut the number of people driving in the city. Any charge will ultimately need to be approved by the highway authority Cambridgeshire County Council.

The public transport improvements under the proposed City Access package includes new bus routes, additional orbital and express services, and a huge increase in rural coverage, with buses supported by Demand Responsive Transport.

The plans also include longer operating hours from 5am to 1am Monday to Saturday and 5am to midnight on Sunday and more frequent services – up to eight buses every hour in the city, six from market towns, and hourly rural buses.

Alongside the increased services, the GCP has set out plans for passengers to pay a flat fare of £1 to travel in the city and £2 for journeys in the travel to work area.

The authority also set out ambitions for the entire bus fleet to be zero-emission by 2030.

A tap on and tap off system and fare cap is proposed, and there are also plans for additional ticket types to provide discounts for group travel and for specific groups, such as students and apprentices.

Under the current proposed timeline, the GCP is hoping to start delivering the bus improvements from next year, and is planning to look at introducing the travel zone charge from 2026 to 2027.

GCP transport director Peter Blake stressed that there was a “clear demonstrable commitment” that the public transport improvements would come first.

Income from the proposed charge would be ring-fenced for public transport.

Mr Blake said the upgraded services could continue to be funded in the future, saying they had ‘done the maths and it added up’.

He continued: “This is a once in a generation opportunity to create a world-class transport network for Greater Cambridge and the wider area to drive a real step change in the way we travel.

“We’ve listened to the views of the public to create a future bus network with cheaper fares, more services to more locations – including rural areas – and faster, more frequent services with longer operating hours to make public transport a reliable and competitive choice for everyone.”

Mr Blake said logistically doubling the bus network was “quite challenging”, which is why he said the hope was to start “as soon as possible”.

He said: “There are some things we can do that are relatively straight forward, you can reduce the fares, literally at the flick of a switch, and that would make it attractive to an awful lot of users within Cambridge, even if they continue to experience congestion.

“We can make park and ride services in Cambridge much earlier and much later in the evening.

“We can’t flood Cambridge now with more buses because it is busy, but what we can do is incrementally make these changes.”

The GCP added that lower traffic levels would also provide the opportunity to create more “people-centric” spaces in the city, and said the plans also confirmed its support to deliver 13 cross-city cycling routes.

The proposals would be put to a final statutory public consultation before any decisions are made. This would be held in the autumn if approved by the GCP executive board on September 28.

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GCP Making Connections 2022

This consultation has now closed – thank you for your contributions.

We're now concluding our analytical work and are set to publish the final report on Friday 26 May. It will be available at: www.greatercambridge.org.uk/mc-22

The report will be presented to the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s joint assembly meeting on Thursday 8 June where members will have the opportunity to discuss the findings.

We look forward to publishing the consultation findings and working constructively to identify what needs to change, whilst doing our best to preserve the parts of the proposals the majority of people want to see..

The proposals

Transforming the bus network: From as early as mid-2023, we’re proposing to transform the bus network through more services to more locations, with cheaper fares set at £1/£2.

Investing in other sustainable travel schemes : Alongside the bus network, we're proposing to invest in new sustainable travel schemes, such as better walking and cycling links.

Creating a Sustainable Travel Zone : We're proposing the introduction of a Sustainable Travel Zone in the form of a road user charge on behalf of C a mbridgeshire County Council . Vehicles would be charged for driving within the Zone between 7am and 7pm on weekdays, and money raised would fund improvements to the bus network and other sustainable travel schemes. The Zone would be fully operational in 2027/28 but only once the first bus improvements are introduced.

The proposals will see:

Double the hours of service and miles covered of the pre-pandemic Greater Cambridge bus network

£1 flat fare s for single journeys in the Cambridge bus zone, and £2 fares in the wider area

50% expected reduction of traffic in Cambridge

Proposed future bus network, planner and maps

The proposed transformation of the bus network would provide more routes, for longer hours and higher frequencies for lower fares across the whole region. Find out how you'd be able to travel on the proposed new network using the interactive planner .

• To use the interactive planner , click on a place. On the right hand side of the screen, you'll see a 'before' and 'after' comparison of services.
• To see proposed route information, click the box at the bottom right hand side of the screen. Towns and larger villages will have their own route maps – switch between 'before' and 'after' using the grey buttons which appear at the top right.

• For a higher resolution version of the network diagram, please see the map book .
• You can find a zoomable map which shows the proposed Sustainable Travel Zone area here .

Find out more

Please review our proposals in detail in our consultation brochure and documents.

From the week commencing 24 October , you can also find paper copies of materials at Cambridgeshire libraries . Copies will be available for inspection at Central Cambridge, Histon, Rock Road, Cherry Hinton and Cambourne libraries. Please see the libraries page for details of locations and opening times.

If you need a hard copy, or would prefer a copy of the brochure and supporting materials in large print, Braille, audio tape or in another language please email consultations@ greatercambridge .org. uk or call 01223 699906.

Further supporting documents can also be found on our City Access webpages .

H ave your say

Share your feedback by :

C ompleting the survey at the bottom of the page after you have read through the supporting materials . If you are having trouble completing the survey, you can call 01223 699906 for assistance .

A ttending in-person or online events. Please see key dates section on the right for dates and locations .

E mail ing [email protected]

Follow ing us on Facebook or Twitter @GreaterCambs and using #GCPMakingConnections

Writing to us at Greater Cambridge Partnership, PO Box 1493, Mandela House, 4 Regent Street, Cambridge CB2 1BY

The consultation closes at midday on 23 December 2022.

Making Connections 2022 survey

This consultation is seeking feedback on a proposed package of measures to improve how people travel in Greater Cambridge. Full details of the proposals can be found in the consultation brochure . The proposals involve:

• A transformed bus network, offering cheaper fares, new routes, and faster, more frequent and reliable services between 5am and 1am
• Lower traffic levels enabling improvements to cycling and walking infrastructure and supporting public realm enhancements
• Funding these improvements through a Sustainable Travel Zone. Vehicles would pay to drive in the Zone at certain times. This would also reduce traffic, tackle pollution, emissions and climate change and support improved access to opportunity and health in our communities.    

Background documents

Consultation documents

• What is Making Connections?
• Why are you doing this now?
• When will the charge come into force?
• What happens now?
• Are the Park & Ride inside the Sustainable Travel Zone?
• Why is Addenbrooke's in the Sustainable Travel Zone?
• Will Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles be charged to enter the zone?
• Who will manage the zone in the future?
• How will you ensure there is enough space on buses for people with wheelchairs/children’s buggies?
• How would this work? Are you franchising the buses?
• GCP has just consulted on proposals to change the road network in Cambridge. How does Making Connections work with that?
• Why not a pollution charge or why aren’t electric private cars exempt?
• Why are you charging and/or why are there no discounts for people who live in the Zone?
• Why £5 per day for private cars?
• Why are motorbikes still charged?
• Drop-in public exhibition - Cambourne 5-8pm 26 October 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - West Cambridge 5-8pm 27 October 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - Ely 10am-1pm 29 October 2022
• Making Connections consultation webinar 7-8pm 03 November 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - North Cambridge 10am-1pm 05 November 2022
• West Area Community Forum - online webinar 6-8pm 07 November 2022
• Making Connections consultation webinar 7-8pm 09 November 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - East Cambridge 5-8pm 10 November 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - South Cambridge 5-8pm 15 November 2022
• East Area Community Forum - online webinar 6-8pm 16 November 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - Central Cambridge 12-2pm 17 November 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - St Ives 19 November 2022
• South Area Community Forum - online webinar 6-8pm 22 November 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - Newmarket 5-8pm 22 November 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - Saffron Walden 5-8pm 29 November 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - St Neots 4-7:30pm 30 November 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - Huntingdon 10am-noon 03 December 2022
• North Area Community Forum - online webinar 6-8pm 05 December 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - Linton 5-7pm 06 December 2022
• Drop-in public exhibition - Impington 5-7pm 12 December 2022

Interactive planner

Cambridge City Council

Travel more sustainably.

One of the largest contributors to our individual carbon footprints is transport. We all need to get from A to B as we go about our daily lives, but our choice of transport can mean a larger or smaller impact on our environment. There are often alternative means of transport that are more sustainable.

Our ‘Greening your home’ booklet gives you with the information you need to make your home and lifestyle greener.

• Greening your home [PDF, 2MB]
• Chapter 5: Using sustainable transport [PDF, 0.2MB]

Walking and cycling

• Get cycling to work or school, to pop to the shops or for a bit of exercise – visit Cycling UK
• Find out how to cycle and walk more including using the Cambridge cycling map [PDF, 19MB] to find the best routes

Public transport

• Travel by bus
• Use the park and ride to get into Cambridge

Greener motoring

• Consider an electric vehicle .
• Follow these fuel-efficient driving tips to save on fuel and reduce your emissions.
• Find out about electric vehicles and where you can charge them .
• [email protected]
• 01223 457086
• 01223 457176

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Guest post: Sustrans: Why the proposed Greater Cambridge Sustainable Travel Zone is so important

Sustrans is an ally member of the Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance . This post was first published on the Sustrans blog on 22 November, 2022 .

The Greater Cambridge Partnership is looking to introduce a London-style congestion charge zone to improve public transport and improve air quality. Find out more about the plan and why we’re supporting it.

In August 2022, the Greater Cambridge Partnership announced proposals to transform the city’s transport network. At the heart of the proposals is the aim to significantly reduce trips made by motor vehicles. The partnership will do this by improving public transport, walking, and cycling infrastructure. They also plan to implement a Sustainable Travel Zone, including a road user charge, which will be fully operational from 2027/28 (weekdays, between 7am and 7pm). Research by the Greater Cambridge Partnership suggests the Sustainable Travel Zone will reduce motor vehicle trips by 50%.

Reducing the volume of traffic

If we are serious about getting more people to walk, cycle and take public transport, then it is key to take ambitious, affirmative action. This plan will help to reduce the volume of traffic and help to reclaim our streets and neighbourhoods. To achieve this level of change, public transport usage will need to increase by 40% across Greater Cambridge. The Greater Cambridge Partnership are proposing cheaper, faster, more regular, and more reliable buses, with greater coverage. This will be achieved, in part, with a £50m upfront investment (between 2024 and 2026).

The Sustainable Travel Zone will also free up valuable road space and provide additional funding of £50 million per year for improvements, especially to walking and cycling infrastructure. This in turn will increase walking and cycling trips by 30% – over 60,000 extra walking and cycling trips each day.

Whilst clearly ambitious, and creating a lot of debate and discussion locally, it is important to acknowledge that the proposed Sustainable Travel Zone is in line with local, regional, and national transport plans and policies.

Local and national support for better infrastructure

This year, we carried out the UK’s largest independent survey of residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards sustainable transport. Our latest study of the local area,  the Greater Cambridge Walking and Cycling Index , indicated that:

• 66% of residents think that their streets are dominated by moving or parked motor vehicles
• 74% of residents support building more cycle tracks physically separated from traffic and pedestrians, even when this would mean less room for other road traffic
• 69% of residents support increased government funding for public transport, compared to only 24% who support increased government funding on driving.

Regionally, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority are completing their new Local Transport and Connectivity Plan. This plan commits the area to reducing motor vehicle miles by 15% by 2030, against a 2019 baseline.

On a national level, the Department for Transport’s Decarbonising Transport: A Better, Greener Britain report from 2021 is also firm on motor vehicles, stating: “we cannot pile ever more cars, delivery vans and taxis on to the same congested urban roads”, and “we want to reduce urban road traffic overall”, and unequivocally, “we want less motor traffic in urban areas”.

We know that motor vehicle traffic is spoiling where we live, work, learn, and socialise. It is significantly contributing to problems like climate change, poor air quality, road danger, physical inactivity, and isolation.

Supporting these changes

We at Sustrans support these visionary and much needed proposals, and we encourage the public to engage with the ongoing consultation. Find out more about the proposals  and  take the Making Connections 2022 Survey from the Greater Cambridge Partnership  to have your say.

In addition, we encourage the Greater Cambridge Partnership to go further and to offer additional tailored support for cycling, especially to those on low incomes or at risk of poverty, as we face the worst cost of living crisis in many years. The Greater Cambridge Walking and Cycling Index for 2021 showed that there is considerable appetite amongst residents on low incomes to start cycling:

• 27% of people on low incomes do not own a car.
• 45% of people on low incomes do not cycle, and 18% people on low incomes would like to start cycling.

Therefore, we’d like the Sustainable Travel Zone to fund targeted interventions to increase bicycle ownership and usage amongst residents on lower incomes.

Ongoing discussions

There are important questions being asked around exemptions to the Sustainable Travel Zone and what this means for shift workers, as well as those on low incomes. There is discussion on the proposed new bus routes, their costs, and frequencies. This discussion is positive, necessary, and it is critical that the Greater Cambridge Partnership listen. It is also critical that decision makers, especially elected councillors, retain a pragmatic and holistic approach. Change is always difficult. If we want to create healthier places which allow communities to thrive without having to use a car, then change, such as the Greater Cambridge Sustainable Travel Zone, is urgently required.

Find out more about the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s plans.

Read more about how we can improve air quality without restricting accessibility.

Photo credit: photojB

Making Connections

In September 2023, our executive board took the decision to stop further development of the Making Connections proposals.

They collectively decided that while the aims of the project, to make travelling in and around Cambridge simpler and faster by saving time and money, would have eased congestion and offered better, fairer, and greener travel choices, it wasn’t able to progress to the full business case stage.

We’re continuing work in other areas of the City Access programme, including residents’ parking, road user hierarchy and freight consolidation.

Making Connections 2021

Making connections 2022.