Street and roads in Cambridge to close

City Access: Transport Response to Covid-19

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) will support efforts to make it easier for people to walk & cycle in Greater Cambridge during the Covid-19 pandemic.

With input from GCP, other local authorities and stakeholder groups, the County Council, as the Highway Authority, are working to identify measures that can be taken forward to create more space for pedestrians and cyclists in response to Covid-19. The GCP will support this work by taking forward some of the measures that have been identified.

The schemes to be delivered by GCP, listed in the table below, include extensions to the pedestrianised zone in the city centre to make it easier for people to get around while social distancing measures are in place, as well as changes in the wider city to support more people to walk and cycle by creating low traffic streets.

GCP have developed these proposals with the County Council, and they will be implemented as quickly as possible on an experimental basis, giving people the chance to try them out and provide feedback.

List of measures:-

Silver Street	Extend prohibition of general vehicular traffic to 24 /7 for period in which traffic remains low
Historic Centre and Burleigh/Fitzroy pedestrian zones	Extend core pedestrian zone hours from 6 hours to 7 or 8 hours per day (10:00 to 17:00 or 18:00)
St Andrews Street / Hobson Street area	Prohibit motor vehicles except hackney carriages and buses between 10:00 and 18:00
Maids Causeway / Victoria Avenue, Cambridge	Prohibit through traffic movements between Newmarket Road and Mitcham’s Corner Avenue except for buses
Grange Road	Prohibit through traffic movements between Barton Road and Madingley Road
Luard Road	Prohibit through traffic movements between Hills Road and Long Road
Storey’s Way	Prohibit through traffic movements between Huntingdon road and Madingley Road
Newtown Area	Prohibit through traffic movements between Hills Road and Trumpington Road/Lensfield Road
Nightingale Avenue (subject to reopening of Fendon Road roundabout)	Prohibit through traffic movements between Queen Edith’s Way and Hills Road
Carlyle Road, Cambridge	Prohibit through movements between Chesterton Road and Victoria Road

As well as supporting and safeguarding cycle and walking during the pandemic, these measures may also offer longer term benefits. They build on our existing plans to reduce congestion, improve air quality and provide better public transport in and around Greater Cambridge.

The costs of the projects will be met from existing budgets.

In addition to these changes we are also talking to businesses about how we can support them through the recovery period, building on its plans for investment announced in February. This includes looking at additional cycle parking, improving access to ebikes and cargo bikes, and working with businesses to develop a pilot for deliveries and freight in the city centre.