Zero Carbon Streets

Zero Carbon Streets is a campaign to help Cambridgeshire communities work together for better active travel routes and to play our part in reducing carbon emissions.

We’ll be raising money for this campaign via the Big Give Green Match Fund in April – donations made on our Big Give page between 18 and 25 April will be DOUBLED. Save the date to donate here.

Aerial photo of tree and cyclistTransport makes up 44% of Cambridgeshire’s carbon footprint (higher than the UK average), so rapid change is needed if our county is to play its part in helping the UK reach net zero by 2050. The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Independent Commission on Climate has made it clear that if we don’t act quickly to reach this target, global and local impacts will be severe and that the effects of climate change the UK faces – such as high temperatures, flooding and water shortages – will be particularly acute in our region.

We know that increasing the rates of active travel could have a significant impact on reducing carbon emissions. Over 60% of UK journeys between 1 and 2 miles are made by car, and recent research has shown that if 10% of the UK population were to replace one car trip each day with a journey by cycle, overall transport emissions would decrease by about 10%. Better infrastructure is proven to increase rates of active travel and local communities have ideas for improvements in their area, but often lack the technical and policy knowledge to develop their proposals further.

Building on 25 years of successful campaigning for better cycling in and around Cambridge, Camcycle wants to support more local groups to work for walking and cycling improvements in their neighbourhoods. Groups like Milton Cycling Campaign, Ely Cycling Campaign and Hunts Walking & Cycling Group have already told us our support for their work has been invaluable, and demand is growing. Generous donations to our Zero Carbon Streets campaign have enabled us to employ Josh Grantham, our new Infrastructure Campaigner, who provides technical advice and campaign support to help local groups achieve the changes they need to help more people choose active travel for everyday journeys. Please continue to support this campaign with your time, money and ideas so we can increase our impact across the region.

Together with communities across the county, let’s create a vision of an inspiring zero-carbon future and show decision-makers the important role that cycling and walking can have in tackling the climate crisis.

EXAMPLE ZERO CARBON STREETS PROJECTS

  • We supported parents in Guyhirn, Fenland in their campaign for a safer route to school in March and simple connections that would enable everyday journeys for shopping and leisure to be done on foot or by cycle. Cambridgeshire County Council has now agreed to fund a feasibility study and public consultation on the route.
  • We’re advising Arbury Road East Residents’ Association on their campaign for a safer street with better walking and cycling facilities. They’re currently planning to apply for a new Zebra crossing.
  • We’re helping residents in West Chesterton campaign for new walking links when the Westbrook Centre is redeveloped.
  • We provided support to Girton Parish Council as they hosted an engagement event called ‘Girton on the Move’, discussing ideas for better walking and cycling routes and gathering residents’ ideas.
  • We’ve advised two groups of campaigners in West Chesterton on options for a modal filter in their street.
  • We met with councillors and campaigners in Willingham to discuss existing and potential walking and cycling routes. At the moment, none of the routes available meet anything like the minimum standards for cycling infrastructure.
  • We met with parish councillors and active travel campaigners in Swavesey to discuss options to improve active travel in the village, from School Streets and bus gates to improvements to the public rights of way.

TAKE ACTION!

Build the Zero Carbon Streets community

Are you part of a group working for better walking and cycling in Cambridgeshire? We want to join walking groups, cycling groups, green groups and safety groups in a big campaign to deliver the sustainable transport of the future.

Contact us and let’s begin to work together.

A young cyclist on a rural path

Share your views in our Best Streets survey

Please fill out this short survey to tell us about the streets you love. We want to discover the best streets in Cambridgeshire and use them as inspiration to help create more outstanding places to live, work and visit.

A Camcycle charity collection tin

Donate to our Zero Carbon Streets campaign

Please give what you can to support our work. Donate directly to Camcycle via our Big Give donation page or get in touch to discuss other ways of giving including the opportunity to become a Camcycle corporate supporter.

A male and female volunteer working at laptops in the Camcycle office

Contact us about this campaign

If you’d like to know more about this campaign, can help as a volunteer or are from a publication who would like a statement or press release about this campaign, please get in touch.

Join Camcycle

Become a member and help us campaign for Zero Carbon Streets and the local cycling issues you care about. Members receive weekly email updates, four issues of our quarterly magazine, access to Cyclescape, our online member forum, and discounts at local bike shops.