Elections

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Question 10 - we asked:

Some cyclists have told us they feel unsafe riding alongside two short stretches of Lensfield Road and East Road where car parking is allowed in spite of the heavy traffic. Such car parking narrows the space available considerably. Do you support removal of this car parking in the interests of improved traffic flow and the safety of cyclists?

We asked this question in these 2 wards: Market, Petersfield.

5 of the 8 candidates (63%) who were asked this question responded as below.

James Andrew MARTIN
(Conservative Party)

Cylist safety is a key priority for the Conservatives. Given the serious problems of traffic flow in that part of the city, I would certainly be open to persuasion on changing the current situation as regards parking.

Shayne Mary MITCHELL
(Green Party)

Yes. Especially as car parking means cyclists risk being hit by opened car doors. I feel most unsafe when cycling on East Road in general, and am always struck by how rare cyclists are on it.

The area of East Road near the New Street junction also needs to be made less pedestrian/cyclist hostile – at present traffic is fast and it is very hard and dangerous to cross the road.

Gregory Michael PATTON
(Green Party)

In principle yes

Lucy WALKER
(Labour Party)

Yes. That would enable cycle lanes to continue for longer stretches without mysteriously (and dangerously) disappearing. Parking is already available behind East Road as an alternative for that area.

Steven Robert COOPER
(Liberal Democrat)

I do not know the detailed issues about these two locations, but the danger of cyclists being squeezed between parked and moving vehicles is an obvious one, especially on main roads such as East Road and Lensfield Rd. In these cases, I would need to know more about who the parking spaces are serving. If they are serving commuters and city centre shoppers then I would be inclined to favour their removal as these drivers should be encouraged to use public transport. If they are residents’ parking bays or short term bays for people popping into local shops, then it is more difficult. Residents’ parking is in short supply in many areas. Local shops are really important to keeping communities vibrant and they tend to depend on there being a modest amount of parking nearby. I would need to know more about the local circumstances before making my mind up about these cases.

Mike DIXON
(Liberal Democrat)

This candidate has contacted the Campaign in response to the survey but has not given permission to make the response public.

Camcycle is a non-partisan body. All candidates are given an equal opportunity to submit their views. Information published by Camcycle (Cambridge Cycling Campaign), The Bike Depot, 140 Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0DL.