Elections

Cambridgeshire County Council elections, May 2021: St Ives North & Wyton

Summary: Cambridgeshire County Council elections, May 2021
Polling date: Thursday 6th May 2021
Division:
Candidates
(by surname):
  • Ann BARNES  (Green Party)
  • Paul BULLEN  (Independent)
  • James Roger CATMUR  (Liberal Democrat)
  • Ryan FULLER  (Conservative Party)
  • Angela Louise RICHARDS  (Labour Party)

Questions for St Ives North & Wyton division candidates (6 questions)

Jump to question:  1   2   3   4   5   6 

# Question 1

Safe and responsible use of the roads is a major issue. Our view is that traffic policing, of all groups of road users (cyclists, drivers, etc.), should become a greater police priority, and that this should be evidence-based, namely based on the relative levels of danger presented by each such group. What are your thoughts, and where would your priorities be?

Ann BARNES
(Green Party)

I believe it is important that all road users should be expected to observe the rules, and that traffic policing should be enhanced so that poor road behaviour is discouraged /prevented.
I am concerned that many cyclists are unaware or unsure about some rules of cycling in our towns (eg cycling on pavements), and believe that there should be better signage to reduce confusion. Better education and enforcement of infringes of the rules, such as jumping traffic lights and cycling without lights after dark should be made a priority.

Paul BULLEN
(Independent)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
James Roger CATMUR
(Liberal Democrat)

This is a major issue for all road users. I do not believe that policing is the answer - we need to change the attitude of all road users. I have commented on the proposed changes to the highway code, which if implemented will I hope start to change the behaviour of road users. I visited The Netherlands to see how they encourage cycling and walking and the most striking this to me was that all the users follow the rules. The rules are better than ours, in my opinion, but the key is to encourage better behaviour by everyone.

Ryan FULLER
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Angela Louise RICHARDS
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 2

How important is it for every rural village to have at least one safe and accessible off-road path for people walking and cycling, connecting to the growing network of such routes in the county? What action should be taken to enable everyone in the county to have access to the cycling network?

Ann BARNES
(Green Party)

It is imperative that every village community should be able to use an off-road path for walking and cycling.

Paul BULLEN
(Independent)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
James Roger CATMUR
(Liberal Democrat)

I have been working for a number of years to improve our cycle network and create all-weather routes (some are only usable in good weather by mountain bikes). I found that we should look at other parallel routes (bridle paths, old railways) that we can convert into part of an all-weather cycle / walking network. Looking at adding routes to roads may not be the best solution - there may be alternatives that we can convert into an all-weather cycle / walking network

Ryan FULLER
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Angela Louise RICHARDS
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 3

LTN 1/20 is the government's new cycling design manual, with a focus on inclusivity and accessibility for all. How would you support our call for the county to affirm that they will use LTN 1/20 (and its successor documents) in all current and future schemes related to cycling?

Ann BARNES
(Green Party)
The candidate did not enter a response for this question.
Paul BULLEN
(Independent)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
James Roger CATMUR
(Liberal Democrat)

I am disabled so, sadly as a keen walker and cyclist, I can no longer cycle at all or walk far - instead, I use an all-terrain wheelchair and this has shown me how poor what we already have is for its disabled users. The current cycle and footpath network in not inclusive with regular barriers to inclusivity and accessibility. This will require a long process as we make the network more inclusive, but it should be considered as we upgrade the network. Remove the stiles and gates, consider all users.

Ryan FULLER
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Angela Louise RICHARDS
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 4

There is no reasonably direct safe cycle route from St Ives to Huntingdon. How would you improve the cycling link along the key transport corridor between St Ives and Huntingdon, particularly along the A1123 opposite Wyton garden centre?

Ann BARNES
(Green Party)

A 2m wide cycle track along the length of this road should be a priority.

Paul BULLEN
(Independent)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
James Roger CATMUR
(Liberal Democrat)

See above, look for alternatives we can convert. There is a bridle path to the rear of the garden centre - can we convert this to an all-weather cycle and walking route?

Ryan FULLER
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Angela Louise RICHARDS
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 5

The Guided Busway cycle path should provide a sustainable travel link for commuters between St Ives and Cambridge, but it is unusable for significant parts of the year because of flooding. Whilst it is still possible to use the bus during these times, it is not possible to combine this commute with cycling, which is crucial for those who live or work at any distance from the busway at either end. How would you improve the year-round viability of the Guided Busway cycle path for commuters and other users travelling from St Ives to Cambridge?

Ann BARNES
(Green Party)

Would it not be possible for the cycle path to be built up to the same height as the bus-way at those points where it currently dips down to a point where flooding becomes inevitable?

Paul BULLEN
(Independent)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
James Roger CATMUR
(Liberal Democrat)

Sadly this feature was designed into the busway design. So we need to look for ways to upgrade the busway, find all-weather alternatives, etc.

Ryan FULLER
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Angela Louise RICHARDS
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 6

How would you improve the cycling links to the villages to the east of St Ives; Bluntisham and Earith?

Ann BARNES
(Green Party)

I believe there should be adequate cycle tracks built alongside the roads between these communities.

Paul BULLEN
(Independent)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
James Roger CATMUR
(Liberal Democrat)

See above - do not look at doing things besides the current (high-speed) road, but look for other routes we could convert or adapt. For example, the old railway would provide an ideal all-weather route between the town and the villages, although it is currently in private hands.

Ryan FULLER
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Angela Louise RICHARDS
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

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.