The Community Orchard is the preferred location for a Busway crossing to be re-instated in Histon, a County Council survey has found.
Last year, Cambridgeshire County Council controversially closed informal crossing points along the Guided Busway as part of ongoing measures to install safety fencing.
After extensive community campaigning, the Council’s Highways and Transport Committee allocated £2 million to reinstate one of the Histon crossing points and others along the route.
Members also agreed a new bus stop would be considered for the north of Histon.
To help identify where the Histon crossing could be re-introduced, over 830 people responded to the survey with nearly 60% in favour of a crossing at the Orchard. Meanwhile, 17% preferred a new crossing at Manor Park, 17% said they had no preference between the two locations and 3.7% did not support a new crossing.
Most of the respondents to the County Council survey (55%) said they live in Histon and 29% in Impington. Almost all (96%) said they use the maintenance track for leisure, 34% for commuting and 7% to access education.
Cambridgeshire County Council also plans to hold another drop-in event for H&I residents next month. The date and timings are yet to be confirmed.
‘Not surprised’
Campaigner Helena Perry, who has been pressing the Council to reinstate a crossing, said she was “not surprised” by the results, saying they mirrored findings from a previous community survey to establish the most frequently used crossing points.
She said: “We’re still waiting for some form of acknowledgement from the County Council after submitting our own survey results in a letter signed by ourselves the Parish Council and our local MP, in which we also requested preliminary design and costings to be shared.
“As a community, we need clarification from the County Council on what the next steps will be with regards to the ‘prison fencing’ that has been installed. It is having an impact on wildlife in the area which will only get worse when the second fence begins in spring.
Helena added that residents want Council Officers to attend the next drop-in session prepared with designs, costings and details of the new bus stop being considered.
“The meeting needs to be properly recorded as well. Let’s make this a valuable information-gathering session, where we can all utilise each other’s expertise,” she said.
Community involvement
H&I’s County Councillor Ros Hathorn echoed Helena’s call for stronger community engagement around the project, and for a date to be confirmed for the next drop-in session.
Ros said: “The County Council needs to recognise that they need to take the community with them this time step-by-step. Unanswered questions persist in regards to the review (and removal or radical modification) of the palisade, spiked fencing along Manor Field Meadow.
“Also, if the crossing is to be wheelchair friendly, how will the Council manage making the path that connects up with the village’s footpath network wheelchair friendly without radically changing its character?”
Ros added she has repeatedly sought clarification on whether a new request bus stop is possible. She said: “We need answers to this so that the villages can be confident that the decisions made align with each other and are the best decisions on balance for the people who live here and use these spaces.”
Safety fencing update
A newsletter distributed earlier this month offered an update on the ongoing Guided Busway works. It mentioned the separation fencing being installed from Pagram Way to Histon should be finished by the end of March.
Elsewhere, the Trumpington Spur fencing is close to completion and should reopen within a fortnight.
Works on the Addenbrooke’s Spur will begin next month and is expected to take around two months. During this period, pedestrians and cyclists will not be able to use the bridge between the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Trumpington as it will be completely closed. One lane of the Busway is also due to be closed.
Additional reporting from Local Democracy Reporting Service.
READ MORE: Campaigner vows to ‘keep the pressure on’ to reinstate busway crossing
The Council’s response to the villages’ requests and feelings has been very encouraging thus far. Let’s hope this next stage will show evidence of foresight and joined-up planning and that there will be no consideration of reneging on any part of their agreed proposals.