Elections

2021 South Cambridgeshire District Council by-election: Girton

Summary: 2021 South Cambridgeshire District Council by-election
Polling date: Thursday 6th May 2021
Ward:
Candidates
(by surname):
  • Colin Cyril COE  (Green Party)
  • Corinne Mary GARVIE  (Liberal Democrat)
  • Marcelo LIMA  (Labour Party)
  • Khadijeh ZARGAR  (Conservative Party)

Questions for Girton ward candidates (9 questions)

Jump to question:  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 

# Question 1

How would you improve the South Cambridgeshire District Council cycle parking policy? How would you bring inclusive cycle parking into the Local Plan? Also, how would you ensure that cycling parking policies are enforced in subsequent planning applications?

Colin Cyril COE
(Green Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Corinne Mary GARVIE
(Liberal Democrat)

Yes I agree with all this. I do not know the policy about cycle parking. I know that new schools have cycle parking facilities but not new developments

Marcelo LIMA
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Khadijeh ZARGAR
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 2

How would you improve walking and cycling links between Girton and Eddington?

Colin Cyril COE
(Green Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Corinne Mary GARVIE
(Liberal Democrat)

The Ridgeway is a great way to get to Eddington and the Supermarket there and is much used by walkers and cyclists.
Further down Huntingdon Road there is another pedestrian crossing which leads not on to a road but on to a cycle path across to the school.
I did ask for road marking on the cycle path to mark that cyclists had to stop at Huntingdon Road. This has now been done .My complaint was about two years ago and so may have had nothing to do my complaining!

Marcelo LIMA
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Khadijeh ZARGAR
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 3

How will you get a safe and accessible active travel route between Girton and the new bridleway north of the A14? (The existing connection is a very narrow dirt trail at the end of Weavers Field.)

Colin Cyril COE
(Green Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Corinne Mary GARVIE
(Liberal Democrat)

Both the Weaver's Field route and the footpath going alongside Girton College to the bridleway are too narrow to take cyclists and pedestrians going both ways. I will campaign for them to be improved. I would also press the County Council for a cycle lane or path on the south side of Huntingdon Road, between the Ridgeway and the cycle path which goes on to Madingley and Dry Drayton. The current arrangements for cyclists on this route are uncomfortable and potentially dangerous.
As Footpath Officer for the Parish Council I am aware to the footpath from Weaver's field to Huntingdon Road being muddy and it was flooded in the heavy rain we had recently. I asked the Parish to investigate this. I suspect a ditch full of brushwood. It is not designated as a cycle way but is used by some families to cycle to the Ridgeway pedestrian crossing.

Marcelo LIMA
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Khadijeh ZARGAR
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 4

What steps will you take to ensure that the non-motorised user bridge over the A14 is fully accessible to disabled cyclists and people with cargo cycles, as well as being safe, convenient, and attractive for cycling in accordance with the government’s official guidance, Local Transport Note 1/20?

Colin Cyril COE
(Green Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Corinne Mary GARVIE
(Liberal Democrat)

I have used this bridge over the A14 and it is a very convenient way to cycle to Bar Hill.
The barriers make no sense to me. Was it to stop motor cyclists using it? As a cyclist it prevented me from getting a run up to the top of the bridge!
This is a County Council issue and our Libdem County Council candidate, Edna Murphy is on the case.

Marcelo LIMA
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Khadijeh ZARGAR
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 5

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?

Colin Cyril COE
(Green Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Corinne Mary GARVIE
(Liberal Democrat)

I think this is very important but can be difficult to achieve because it relies on landowners giving up a sliver of land. A footpath/cycleway was proposed from Dry Drayton which relied on a landowner selling them a sliver of land which he was not prepared to give at an affordable price. However there are more off road cycleways now so it must be possible and important to develop.

Marcelo LIMA
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Khadijeh ZARGAR
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 6

What do you think should be done to enable more children to walk and cycle safely to school? How can the county support more school communities to implement School Street schemes?

Colin Cyril COE
(Green Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Corinne Mary GARVIE
(Liberal Democrat)

As school Governor I know the local school has participated in a safe to school policy which involved an annual questionnaire, a cycling/walking to school week and cycling proficiency for children. There is a pedestrian crossing now outside the school and the High Street and Cambridge road are now 20mph.
As a parent 30 years ago parent parking was always a problem particularly for children out of the immediate area. I guess this is still a problem.
We have a problem with cycling families crossing Girton Road to access the school in Eddington. I did a small informal observation for a parent who said that crossing at the junction is dangerous which it is . However some parents are crossing it away from the junction where it is more safe. I am writing to this resident today about my observations and how to cross more safely.
it is in schools' best interest to implement the School Street schemes. The county can encourage schools to implement it, perhaps giving an incentive like a grant. Academies will have to be encouraged too and they are independent of the county .I am encouraged that new school builds make cycling and walking to the site easier with pedestrian streets.

Marcelo LIMA
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Khadijeh ZARGAR
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 7

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?

Colin Cyril COE
(Green Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Corinne Mary GARVIE
(Liberal Democrat)

yes I agree that the greater danger to life has to be taken into account in penalising people. In the past when I worked with people with head injuries I was appalled by the light sentences given to drivers whose careless driving caused life changing injuries to cyclists . I would like to think this has changed, it would need legislation.
This is my personal view.
I think that education is important and driving training and the test should include training on giving cyclists room and not to speed past cyclists and walkers.

Marcelo LIMA
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Khadijeh ZARGAR
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 8

Transport is the largest source of UK carbon dioxide emissions (34%). Physical inactivity is responsible for one in six UK deaths. What role do you think cycling can play in tackling the urgent climate and health crises we face?

Colin Cyril COE
(Green Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Corinne Mary GARVIE
(Liberal Democrat)

Cycling clearly plays a vital role in both these issues. Cambridge has long been a cycle city, and we should continue in this, and encourage further cycle use, by building more safe cycle routes like the one on the north side of Huntingdon Road, by encouraging responsible behaviour on the part of motorists and cyclists alike, and by education and training to reduce the fear that many people experience when cycling in traffic

Marcelo LIMA
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Khadijeh ZARGAR
(Conservative Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.

# Question 9

What challenges do people face in your area that prevent them from cycling, especially children and those using cycling as a mobility aid? How should cycling and walking infrastructure in your area be improved so that people of all ages and abilities would feel safe cycling there?

Colin Cyril COE
(Green Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Corinne Mary GARVIE
(Liberal Democrat)

One major specific challenge is to cyclists (and pedestrians) coming from Girton along Girton Road, who need to cross Girton Road to get to the pedestrian crossing on Huntingdon Road, to go to Eddington. The lack of a footpath on the Girton College side, and the excessive speed of drivers turning from Huntingdon Road into Girton Road, make this a very tricky operation, especially with several children in tow.

Marcelo LIMA
(Labour Party)
The candidate has not responded to the survey.
Khadijeh ZARGAR
(Conservative 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.