Consultation guide: Waterbeach Greenway 2023

The GCP is currently consulting on a revised alignment for the Waterbeach Greenway. The proposals consist of a 5.5 mile route connecting Cambridge North station with Waterbeach. The route was originally proposed to run alongside the railway line, but will now pass through Milton village, offering the opportunity of valuable improvements for residents and better connections with other local routes.

View a summary of the plans in the consultation booklet and find more information (including details of online and in-person consultation events) on the consultation website.

Summary of Camcycle’s views

Camcycle welcomes progress on the Waterbeach Greenway which should provide a safe, high-quality cycle route for existing residents of Milton and Waterbeach and up to 30,000 future residents of Waterbeach New Town. If this route lives up to its potential, it will have a positive effect on the lives of thousands of people in the area, increasing access to education and work, improving health and reducing congestion and pollution in the area.

However, we believe that the proposals presented by the GCP are not good enough. Milton and Waterbeach residents deserve better. 

In particular, this route needs to be a lot better for pedestrians, with separate space for people walking and cycling wherever possible. This route does not align with national guidance on cycle infrastructure design, which does not recommend shared-use paths in busy pedestrian areas. On some narrow sections of the proposed route, people walking, cycling and wheeling will be squeezed onto a path with an effective width below 2 metres.

In its Waterbeach Greenway FAQs, the GCP says that because some parts of the public highway through Milton are narrow, it cannot provide separate paths for people walking and cycling. However, their measurements have been taken from OS map data rather than a more accurate topographical survey. We’ve measured the route in detail and believe there is space for at least 70% of the Milton section to be changed to separate paths, with the narrow High Street area deserving a more effective and ambitious solution supported by improvements on Coles Road. More space should also be used on the rural off-road section between the A10 and Waterbeach to increase comfort and reduce conflict for all users.

You can read more about how these ideas could be put into practice in our alternative vision for the Waterbeach Greenway. We encourage you to use our ideas to inform your responses in the open text boxes of the consultation survey.

Consultation guide: suggested responses

All questions in the GCP consultation survey are optional. We encourage you to answer as many questions as you can and include personal opinion and experience in the open text boxes. If you are short of time, you might find our 3-minute response guide useful.

About You

The first section of the survey asks whether you are responding as an individual or representative of a group and encourages you to enter the first section of your postcode.

Section 1: Cowley Road

This section of the route linking to the Jane Coston bridge has already been consulted on. Camcycle strongly supports the change from a shared-use path to separate paths for walking and cycling and would like to see this treatment continued on the Milton side of the bridge.

Section 2: Jane Coston Bridge to Coles Road

Q4. Do you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed design and different features for Section 2?

Cowley Road and the Jane Coston Bridge will both provide separate walking and cycling facilities.  However when the Greenway enters Milton shared space is proposed. There is enough available width for separate walking and cycling routes to Coles Road which would provide a more pleasant route that improves comfort and reduces conflict between users. Milton residents deserve better. We suggest you make this point.

You could make this point in the questions which ask if you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed design.

Section 3: Coles Road to Fen Road

Q5. To what extent do you support or oppose the proposed options for Coles Road to Fen Road?

Camcycle suggests that you select ‘Neither support nor oppose‘ for the option to relocate car parking to the west of the High Street and ‘Strongly oppose‘ for the option to retain parking to the east. We believe a better solution could be developed for the High Street that would include some parking while creating a more pleasant environment for all road users.

For the questions that ask if you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed designs, we suggest that you say that a more ambitious solution is needed for the High Street section to reduce conflict between people walking and cycling and create a nicer area for residents. The GCP should engage in more detail with the community to develop this. 

Section 4: Coles Road

Q7. To what extent do you support or oppose the proposed options for Coles Road? 

Camcycle suggests that you select ‘Neither support nor oppose‘ for both of the options to formalise and not to formalise parking on Coles Road.

Focus instead should be on providing a quiet route, which feels safe for riders of all ages and abilities. Therefore we support the reduction in speed limit from 30mph to 20mph. However, to ensure that the speed limit is naturally enforced, there should be a focus on a mixture of softer measures to help manage speed and improve safety, from new planting and build-outs to laybys which encourage safe and sensible parking. An improved Coles Road must also be viewed in the context of an improved solution on High Street, which has so far not been discussed.

You could make this point in the questions which ask if you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed design.

Section 5: Fen Road to North Field Stables

Q11. Do you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed design and different features for Section 5?

Camcycle strongly supports the reduction in speed limit from 30mph to 20mph. However, a shared-use path for this section is unambitious. Highway measurements show that there is enough space for separate walking and cycling routes which would provide a more pleasant route that improves comfort and reduces conflict between users. 

We also believe that the junction with Fen Road and High Street can be reimagined. The carriageway is extremely wide at this location, a relic of when the A10 came through the village. By reducing the width of the road and providing more space for cycling we can create a safer junction for everyone, with improved pedestrian crossings and more green space. Priority junctions for people walking and cycling can also be provided for North Lodge Park and the College of West Anglia. The lighting which is currently poor, should be improved. 

You could make this point in the question which ask if you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed design.

Section 6: North Field Stables to A10

Q12. Do you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed design and different features for Section 6?

Camcycle strongly supports the reduction in speed limit from 50mph to 40mph. Highway measurements show that there is enough space for separate walking and cycling routes which would provide a more pleasant route that improves comfort and reduces conflict between users. 

You could make this point in the question which ask if you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed design.

Section 7: A10 – Ely Road

Q13. To what extent do you support or oppose the proposed options for the A10 Ely Road design? 

Camcycle believes that the existing slip road encourages people to drive into Milton Village at excess speed. If closed, the space could be reallocated to provide separate space for people walking and cycling as well as space for new planting. 

Therefore we suggest that you select ‘Strongly oppose‘ for the option to retain the slip lane and ‘Strongly support‘ for the option to close it. 

Closing the slip lane and priority junction is also discussed in the consultation. A complete closure would make it possible to completely reimagine Ely Road, with opportunities for large areas of new planting and a low traffic environment that can be enjoyed more as an amenity space. However, closing the junction is not required to deliver a high quality active travel route. We believe the GCP should do more work to communicate the opportunity, which would allow people to make a more informed response. 

You could make this point in the questions which ask if you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed design.

Section 8: A10 Off-Road Alignment 

Q17. Do you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed design and different features for Section 8?

As well as simply connecting Waterbeach and Milton, we believe the off-road path would make it possible to in effect create an enjoyable linear park between the villages. This could offer space to play, separate routes for different users (e.g. people walking, people cycling and people riding horses) and space for new planting.

To make the route feel safe and accessible for everyone we believe it should be sensitively lit. It is worth noting that traffic on the A10 currently causes significant levels of light pollution: every journey walked or cycled reduces the impact of the A10 on the environment. Lighting could be motion-activated and the level of lighting for walking and cycling routes can be much lower than street lighting in urban areas or on highway schemes. 

You could make this point in the question which ask if you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed design.

Section 9: Car Dyke Road

Q18. Do you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed design and different features for Section 8? 

Directness is a key design principle for cycle infrastructure, yet the proposed route follows the existing Car Dyke Road alignment, requiring people to travel two sides of a triangle. A more direct route to the Cambridge Road junction would save people time and therefore make walking, cycling, wheeling or horse-riding along this route more appealing. It would also present another opportunity for planting and amenity space.

You could make this point in the question which ask if you have any comments or suggestions on the proposed design.

Q19: Overall, to what extent do you support or oppose proposals for the Waterbeach Greenway?

Camcycle encourages you to select ‘Strongly oppose’ for this question. These proposals are woefully unambitious and we must make this point strongly to the GCP. Milton and Waterbeach residents deserve better.

Q20. Do you have anything you would like to say about why you gave this answer? 

Please make clear that you strongly support the principle of a Greenway for Waterbeach and welcome the route through Milton village as a way to benefit local residents and link up with existing active travel routes. Improvements in Milton will create a more active and vibrant village life.

Say that people walking, cycling and wheeling deserve better – there is space for separate paths through Milton and wider paths between the A10 and Waterbeach. There are also better solutions for the High Street which would improve the public realm in Milton: the GCP should engage closely with local people and active travel groups to make this a nicer place for everyone.

Q21. Please comment if you feel any of the proposals would either positively or negatively affect or impact on any such person/s or group/s.

Providing high-quality walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure allows people of all ages and abilities to choose active travel for more of their everyday journeys, opening up access to employment opportunities, education and social activities as well as improving physical and mental health. Children are enabled to travel independently from their parents from a younger age, leading to improved skills and emotional resilience. Older people are able to travel independently for longer as they age, reducing loneliness and isolation. Reducing congestion and traffic on the roads will improve air quality for all those who live, work and travel in the area. Many people who use mobility aids, including mobility scooters, can also benefit from protected infrastructure and disabled people who have no option but to drive can benefit from less congested and more reliable journeys.

Q22. We welcome your views. If you have any other comments on the proposals, including any suggestions for inclusion on the design please add them in the space below. 

Please use this comment box to call for:

• Separate space for cycling and walking within Milton village
• A better option for Milton High Street
• More space and greenery between Milton and Waterbeach
  

Use the ideas set out in our alternative vision for the Waterbeach Greenway to provide details on your preferred options for each section of the route. Please make the point that this consultation should have been a chance to reimagine the space within Milton and engage with the community in a positive way to help people share their views. This is a Milton and Waterbeach Greenway and each section needs to work well for both local residents and those travelling through the area.