Agenda item

Milton Road bus priority, walking and cycling measures: report on initial consultation and selection of a preferred route

To consider the attached report.

Decision:

The Joint Assembly RECOMMENDED that the Executive Board:

 

(a)        Notes the findings in the initial consultation report.

 

(b)        Agrees to take forward the initial ideas in the ‘Do Something’ option for further design work including the Union Lane closure and Elizabeth Way roundabout ideas and ‘floating bus stops’, where highway space permitted, but excluding the ideas for banned turns at the Gilbert Road, Arbury Road and King’s Hedges Road junctions.

 

(c)        Agrees to consider major changes to the highway layout at the Mitcham’s Corner junction for implementation as part of the ongoing tranche 2 prioritisation work.

 

(d)        Notes the further technical work that would be undertaken over the summer period;

 

(e)        Supports the development of traffic management measures to mitigate displaced traffic and parking for the purposes of further consultation.

 

(f)        Delegates authority to the Executive Director of Economy, Transport and Environment at Cambridgeshire County Council, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Executive Board, to approve a further consultation for a preferred option scheme design, as detailed in section 43 of the report.

 

(g)        Notes the procurement plan for project delivery, the revised project programme and the consultation plan set out in the report.

Minutes:

This item was considered as part of the item on Histon Road at minute number 9, which included a number of public questions, consideration of the report and receipt of an officer presentation.

 

The officer recommendation in the report was noted as follows:

 

That the Executive Board:

 

(a)        notes the findings in the initial consultation report;

(b)        agrees to take forward the initial ideas in the ‘Do Something’ option for further design work including the Union Lane closure and Elizabeth Way roundabout ideas and ‘floating bus stops’, where highway space permitted, but excluding the ideas for banned turns at the Gilbert Road, Arbury Road and King’s Hedges Road junctions;

(c)        agrees to consider major changes to the highway layout at the Mitcham’s Corner junction for implementation as part of the ongoing tranche 2 prioritisation work;

(d)        notes the further technical work that would be undertaken over the summer period;

(e)        supports the development of traffic management measures to mitigate displaced traffic and parking for the purposes of further consultation;

(f)        delegates authority to the Executive Director of Economy, Transport and Environment at Cambridgeshire County Council, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Executive Board, to approve a further consultation for a preferred option scheme design, as detailed in section 43 of the report;

(g)        notes the procurement plan for project delivery, the revised project programme and the consultation plan set out in the report.

 

Councillor Kevin Price proposed an amendment, which took into account the many responses he had received by residents affected in the city, and thought that it reflected a better way forward than that proposed in the report and addendum.  Councillor Price therefore proposed that the Executive Board be recommended to:

 

(a)        note the findings in the initial consultation report and welcome the many detailed and high quality responses from residents and other stakeholder groups which have been used to shape the next stages of consultation;

(b)        take forward the initial ideas in the ‘Do Something’ option for further design work including ‘floating’ bus stops (where highway space permits) but excluding the ideas for banned turns at the Gilbert Road, Arbury Road and King’s Hedges Road junctions.  This includes:

(i)         a single bus lane for the length of Milton Road in the direction of travel leading up to junctions;

(ii)        segregated cycle lanes on each side of the road with additional on-pavement two directional cycling on the west side of Milton Road from Arbury Road to Gilbert Road;

(iii)       mature tree planting and green landscaping within the highway throughout the route;

(iv)       further investigation of options for Highworth Avenue roundabout ideas to evidence the benefits of any scheme and address the concerns of residents.

(c)        agree to consider major changes to the highway layout at the Mitcham’s Corner junction for implementation as part of the ongoing tranche 2 prioritisation work;

(d)        note the further technical work that would be undertaken over the summer period;

(e)        support the development of traffic management measures to mitigate displaced traffic and parking for the purposes of further consultation;

(f)        request the Executive Director of Economy, Transport and Environment to develop a detailed preferred option design, as laid out in recommendation (b) and section 43 of the report, and bring a report to the City Deal Joint Assembly and Executive Board for approval on further consideration;

(g)        note the procurement plan for project delivery, the revised project programme and the consultation plan set out in the report.

 

Councillor Noel Kavanagh seconded the amendment.

 

Bob Menzies, Director of Strategy and Development at Cambridgeshire County Council did not thing that the proposals set out in (ii) and (iii) of the amendment would be possible as the road was not wide enough all the way along the length of the road in order to achieve this. 

 

Voting on the amendment, with 3 votes in favour, 4 votes against and 3 abstentions, the amendment was lost.

 

Voting on the recommendations contained within the report, with 6 votes in favour, 3 votes against and 1 abstention, the Joint Assembly RECOMMENDED that the Executive Board:

 

(a)        Notes the findings in the initial consultation report.

 

(b)        Agrees to take forward the initial ideas in the ‘Do Something’ option for further design work including the Union Lane closure and Elizabeth Way roundabout ideas and ‘floating bus stops’, where highway space permitted, but excluding the ideas for banned turns at the Gilbert Road, Arbury Road and King’s Hedges Road junctions.

 

(c)        Agrees to consider major changes to the highway layout at the Mitcham’s Corner junction for implementation as part of the ongoing tranche 2 prioritisation work.

 

(d)        Notes the further technical work that would be undertaken over the summer period.

 

(e)        Supports the development of traffic management measures to mitigate displaced traffic and parking for the purposes of further consultation.

 

(f)        Delegates authority to the Executive Director of Economy, Transport and Environment at Cambridgeshire County Council, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Executive Board, to approve a further consultation for a preferred option scheme design, as detailed in section 43 of the report.

 

(g)        Notes the procurement plan for project delivery, the revised project programme and the consultation plan set out in the report.

Supporting documents: