Figures 28 to 30: Transport measures

Vehicles are put in their place. Excellent.

It is fanciful to suppose that these measures will improve the general experience of the junction for pedestrians and cyclists. A junction as busy as this one cannot be transformed into a pedestrian/cyclist-friendly merely by reducing vehicle speeds. Pedestrians and cyclists require dedicated, segregated provision and nowhere is this more the case than at busy routes and at junctions (Mitcham's Corner qualifies as both). They are put in danger by the presence of motor vehicles and it is only through dedicated provision (crossings mandating vehicles to stop, cycle lanes, etc.) that this danger can be reliably mitigated.

Shared space merely encourages a "might makes right" attitude where motorists always have the upper hand. Motorists in Cambridge routinely flout traffic laws and cannot be expected to magically become polite and respecting of pedestrians by the addition of crazy paving. Those pedestrians who are cautious and vulnerable, such as the elderly, disabled and those with children, are likely to find shared space particularly intimidating; they will not take risks with "courtesy crossings" when there is a real danger of being run down by hurried and distracted drivers. They are better served by the existing arrangements, poor as these are. This are precisely the sorts of people the infrastructure ought to be aiming to protect, and it would be scandalous to expect the council to adopt any scheme which will make it worse for them.

Cyclists, particularly the less experienced, are also not well served by sharing with other road user, particularly motor vehicles which present a physical threat. Whilst the current junction is very poor for cycling, it is not clear that the proposals constitute an improvement. Attention is to be paid to other junctions in the city where, in the absence of dedicated provision, cyclists are routinely put in danger from motor vehicles - for instance the junction of Lensfield Road / Fen Causeway / Trumpington Road where, in spite of relatively low vehicle speeds, the rate of cyclist casualties is unacceptably high. The proposed changes will cause Mitcham's Corner to resemble that junction, something which cannot be supported.

It is undoubtedly the case that the junction will favour motorists, particularly those with little regard for other road users, who will benefit from the absence of traffic signals and the two-way system. It would be shameful for the council to adopt any proposal that, under the guise of protecting vulnerable road users, in fact does the opposite, and entrenches a motor-centric environment.