Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

Disagree

• Given that a climate emergency has been declared by both the South Cambridgeshire District Council and the Cambridge City Council we urge them to take swift action to transition the Cambridge region to sustainable transport including cycling. • Local Plan strategies for cycling and public transportation (which include understanding where and how new developments should be located and designed) must assume a radical shift away from cars well before 2040. Not later than 2030.

• One of the best ways the Local Plan can help us achieve net zero carbon by 2050 is by ensuring a rapid transition to sustainable transport. How and where we plan our new developments and integrate them with existing developments will be critical to enabling that transition at the scale we require. • Every development must prioritise walking, cycling and public transport for all abilities over private cars (including electric cars). • Developments in Cambridge and the surrounding area should be required to plan for at least 50% of trips by bicycle as well as electric mobility scooters, E-Mopeds in various forms, E-scooters. • New developments must be planned around dense walking and cycling networks and local transport hubs (not car-reliant park & rides). • Walking and cycling/mobility networks must be in place before dwellings are occupied. • New and existing developments should seek to minimise car usage, prevent rat-running, and keep neighbourhood streets compact to reduce their negative impact. • Housing should be on quiet neighbourhood streets that are good for cycling because they have very low levels of car traffic. • Schools should never be on major roads. • All employment, entertainment, shopping and community facilities should be easily accessed by cycling and have accessible cycle parking for all types of cycles and mobility scooters.

• Broad aspirations about reducing our impact on the climate must be translated into specific planning policies and subsequent development that will prioritise and encourage cycling and mobility scooters. • Land-use planning goes hand-in-hand with sustainable transport. Any significant development must have a mix of uses including accommodation, amenity, education, and employment - to give people a chance to access everyday needs without travelling far. • The Local Plan, in every aspect, needs to be enabling and encouraging a full-scale transition away from private car dependency and towards walking, cycling and public transport for all abilities. Every development must be fully permeable with safe, convenient and high-quality walking and cycling routes for all abilities.

Always remember to include particulates in the air pollution issues not just the carbon emmissions. For that you must keep your promises regarding the Tree Canopy and continously plant more trees and hedges where-ever possible.

Cambridge informal green spaces with ducks and swans and cows are admired all over the world. And, it is this informal, semi rural style that residents tell us they do like and enjoy. In Cambridge, almost uniquely the urban and rural mix and abut, and it is this combination that give our city much of its special character

• Parks should be linked up with safe and convenient walking and cycling routes for all abilities to each other and to all the residential neighbourhoods surrounding them. • Giving people access to green spaces will increase their connection with nature and desire to protect it as well as improving health and wellbeing. Cycling access to these areas is one way to improve public access to the natural environment for all abilities. • Reducing the amount of road and parking space needed for cars will provide more space for greenery and green corridors in our region.

To keep as much as possible of the already existing biodiversity such as trees and hedges and green spaces. Replant along all residential streets and cycleways, create tunnels and bridges for e.g. hedgehogs and also wild flower spots, water gardens and green verges. Cr4eate the semi-rural spaces everone likes in Cambridge.

Yes, strongly agree

• We should aim to increase tree cover by planting trees in a way that complements cycling and walking, creating safe, attractive and tree-lined routes. • Cycleways separated from car lanes by trees or shrubbery are ideal and supported by local communities.

• Accessible transport is vital for wellbeing and inclusion in our community. • Lack of access to transport (due to affordability, unreliability or the non-existence of transport options) is preventing people from accessing education, work and social opportunities. • Safe, convenient and high-quality cycling infrastructure is fully accessible to people of all ages and abilities. That means more people will be able to cycle, leading to more social inclusion for people who cannot afford to drive or use public transport. • Accessible cycling infrastructure means more children and people with mobility issues will be able to freely move around our region. • Inclusive cycle parking design standards will provide places for people to securely park their larger or adapted cycles. Properly designed cycling infrastructure can also be well-utilised by people on mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs, wheelchairs and other mobility aids. • Some forms of transport can have negative impacts on wellbeing and inclusion. Living near motorways and busy roads reduces well-being. Housing should be designed to be on quiet, local roads with the minimal amount of motor-traffic. Schools should never be on major roads. • Busy roads are polluted, noisy, and unsafe. They divide communities and trap people in their homes. Planning policies must not allow busy roads to harm communities in the future, and help fix this problem in existing developments. • Making walking and cycling safer and more accessible will allow children to travel independently from their parents at an earlier age leading to improved emotional resilience.

• It is important that planning policies specify that cycling infrastructure for all abilities and facilities are not treated as afterthoughts – relegated to the shadows of new developments in poor locations and/or with poor lighting. • Cycle parking and cycleways should always be in well-lit and overlooked locations. • To determine if people feel safe, we should reach out to the most vulnerable people in our community to assess safety. • Transport and cycling infrastructure must not just be designed for work commutes but for all types of uses and all types of users.