Agenda item

To consider the attached report.

The Joint Assembly considered the report and supported the approach to the Executive Board to move away from the ‘do maximum’ approach which had been previously proposed.

The Joint Assembly commented on the progress, noting that subject to the outcome of the Executive Board meeting, a revised concept scheme for Histon Road would be presented to the Executive Board in March 2018.

Several Joint Assembly members questioned whether the scheme would still deliver a transformative step change in strategic terms given this proposed way forward. The Transport Director undertook to take away the comments to review the potential benefits against the anticipated costs.

The Interim Director of Transport gave an overview of the officer responses to the resolutions of the Histon Road Local Liaison Forum, advising that officers agreed with most of the LLF’s resolutions. The Interim Director of Transport advised that on street parking at the southern end of Histon Rd/Huntingdon Road needed to be looked at as it was causing issues due to the narrowness of the road. Bus priority at the far end at Kings Hedges to Gilbert Road needed to be looked. The Joint Assembly was informed that under the ‘do maximum’ approach, a bus lane from Kings Hedges to Gilbert Road had been suggested, which  would have involved taking gardens away due to the narrowness of the road. Following further work between officers and the LLF, the Board would be advised that this bus lane option was not necessary, with a bus gate and bus priority to be considered instead. Officers would work closely with the Histon Road LLF to minimise any impact on trees. The Transport Director explained the scheme was being proposed up to the A14 junction. Subject to Board agreement, a revised concept scheme would come back to the Greater Cambridge Partnership by March 2018.

The Joint Assembly considered the report and commented on the progress and officer recommendations to the Executive Board. The following points were raised:

·         Some Joint Assembly members questioned whether it was plausible to do something that would actually improve access along Histon Road. It was felt that a point of diminishing returns was being reached. There was support for the direction of travel outlined in the report, though it was felt that the result would not be transformative. In response to this, officers advised that consultants were looking into whether there was a good benefit to cost ratio. Whilst the Joint Assembly’s views were acknowledged and appreciated, the Interim Director of Transport felt strongly that Histon Road needed to be looked at.

·         Sir Michael Marshall advised that much pressure on Histon Road could be reduced by having a proper  feed off from the M11 at junction 13 southbound. The Interim Director of Transport advised that junction 13 would be tied in with discussions with Highways England regarding smart motorways.

·         Councillor Kavanagh felt that the reference needed to be made to the safety of cyclists rather than the ‘comfort’ of cycling as referred to in the report. He stressed that the Huntingdon Road end of Histon Road was one of the most dangerous stretches for cyclists. Officers accepted this point, acknowledging that it was a well known incident spot for cyclists.

·         Councillor Bick expressed his support for the direction of travel outlined in the report and congratulated the LLF on their work with officers.

·         The Director of Transport emphasised that problems on roads were caused by junctions rather than links between junctions, with queuing occurring on the links due to congestion at the junctions.

·         The Joint Assembly was informed that Histon Road and the A10 Trumpington Road had seen the most significant increase in traffic. Traffic on all other corridors had plateaued as the queues were already there.

·         The LLF was congratulated for its work with officers. Councillor Bates advised that the Joint Assembly’s conversation needed to be fed back to the Histon Road LLF. The Vice Chairman of the LLF was present at the meeting.

The Joint Assembly broadly supported the direction of travel outlined in the report to move away from the ‘do maximum’ approach which had previously been proposed, and noted that subject to the outcome of the Executive Board meeting, a revised concept scheme for Histon Road would be presented to the Executive Board in March 2018.