We’ll be holding our next meeting, which will also be our AGM, on January 18, 7:30-8:30PM – this will be by Zoom, and we’ll send a link nearer the time. If you wish to be sent a link, contact us and we’ll send a link through closer to the time.
An Agenda can be viewed or downloaded here
The Annual Report can be viewed or downloaded here
The Treasurers Report can be viewed or downloaded here
The last meeting minutes can be viewed or downloaded here
Update,
We have received the following reply to the thank you notes from AstraZeneca:
Thank you Susan, this is lovely. Makes it all worthwhile. The A10cycle campaign is a great case study on how to progress complex projects by always maintaining positive relationships with all stakeholders, despite the challenges.
Best wishes Andy
Many thanks to all who wrote in.
We’ve some great notes from members of the cycle campaign thanking AstraZeneca for the exceptional support they have shown to the campaign. Here is a selection below:
From all at the A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign
Your help with maintenance for the A10 path has been invaluable especially during the
Pandemic. The path has been very well maintained and as a result there has been a
dramatic increase in usage over the last year. It is normal to meet cyclists, children, walkers,
runners, mobility aids, dogs and even a horse. Thank you for allowing us use of your
conference room. It has been a really good relationship.
Many thanks.
Mike
The path has made such a difference to my cycling into and out of Cambridge and also
improved my running routes that head in that direction. The maintenance has allowed for
the distancing needed over the last9 months too.
Thanks AstraZeneca,
David
Melbourn
Thank you for your support in helping maintain this – it is truly appreciated
Rupert
I work in a company on the same site in Babraham Research Campus where AZ has a
facility. The regions close to AZ sites all have great cycle paths with the most dangerous part
of my route being within 1 mile of Royston. Thank you AZ for supporting safe sustainable
and healthy cycle routes to work for the scientific community that have to travel from
Royston
Joe
Dear AstraZeneca,
Thank you for your generous contribution to maintain the A10 bike path. I have used it
regularly to commute to Cambridge in any weather, to go shopping, and — during lockdown
-also for family cycling and inline skating with the kids. Having the path fully functional
has greatly improved life in Meldreth.
Adam
Having this path maintained makes a huge difference especially at night. In addition to
general commuters the path does provide an almost entirely off-road route between the AZ
sites in Melbourn Science park and Academy/City House beside Cambridge station.
Neil
As a year-round commuter along the A10 path, that on the dark winter nights with car
headlights reducing visibility, having the path at its full width, cleared of debris and
overhanging branches, enables the path to be a real all round serious proposition for
commuting. It allows us to pass other users without having to get too close and generally
makes it a safer place to be for all types of users. Many thanks for the huge contribution you
have made.
Ian
Thank you AstraZeneca, for your fantastic support for the A10 Corridor cycling campaign
over the past few years. Particular thanks for providing a maintenance grant to help us keep
the path free from vegetation. Having a cycle path is one thing; having one that is
maintained so you can use the full width is quite another and it has been a real boon to me
as a walker, runner and cyclist. And in all those modes, I can use the path safely alongside
other users, because there is room for all of us to use the path without being too close to one
another – so important at this time. In short, you have contributed significantly to a major
improvement to many people’s lives. Thank you!
From a grateful Melbourn resident
We’ve been uniquely lucky to have AstraZeneca’s support in keeping the A10 path clear for
safe cycling all year round. The arrangement has given us some good ideas for a sustainable
long-term maintenance plan which we hope can be replicated in other parts of South Cambs
as well. Thank you for all the work behind the scenes to make this happen, and indeed for
your support from the very beginning. we’ve been very lucky to have you in Melbourn!
Many thanks,
Susan
Chair, A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign
We cycle the A10 path regularly for shopping trips, doctor/dentist visits in Cambridge and
often just for exercise! It is a joy to ride this path (especially at night) knowing it is clear of
brambles and low branches. Thank you, AstraZeneca, for providing such tangible and
practical support that directly benefits local people!
Ron and Julie
Foxton
I have been very grateful for the verge maintenance on the A10 cycle path between Royston
and Melbourn over the last few years. Particularly in the dark the brambles and long grass
became hazardous as they grew over the narrow path. My commute has changed and so I
use the path much less frequently now, but I certainly did appreciate the maintenance on a
daily basis.
Best regards,
Ann
I’m writing to thank you for your support for the A10 cycle path over the past few years –
both for your political support through the GCP and for AZ’s direct contribution to path
maintenance. Having the support of such a prominent business has really helped make the
case for further investment in “active travel”by the local authorities. It has made a lasting
contribution to the local community, for which we are verygrateful. We look forward to
continuing to work with you and the AstraZeneca Cambridge team in the coming years.
Yours sincerely,
Mike
Vice Chair, A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign
Dear Astrazeneca,
Thank you for funding the A10 Cycle Path maintenance. I am a regular
commuter into Cambridge and see how quickly branches grow over the path
making it more difficult to ride. I see many riders coming the other way
during my commute and having full width of the path allows us to pass
safely without having to stop all the time. I’m sure that without
regular maintenance the path would become overgrown and less used
meaning fewer cycists and more cars on the road.
Thank you,
Mark
Ron and Terry met in the rain with their secateurs at the brambles on the cycle path near Sagentia Harston. They cut back a big swathe, resulting in a wider path at that point – and exposed a lost solar stud.
Earlier, the vegetation maintenance group met to review the current state of play. Here are our notes:AstraZeneca’s temporary £5k maintenance grant comes to an end at the close of this calendar year, as expected. Recognizing that County Highways does no more routine maintenance than cut the verge twice per year, action is needed to ensure a decent level of path maintenance.Susan would inquire about attending the forthcoming Greater Cambridge Partnership meeting to raise the subject of a Greenway vegetation maintenance plan for the A10.Ron had created a list of maintenance jobs for Herts and Cambs Grounds Maintenance (our contractor for the duration of AZ grant funding) and would liaise with them to agree on details, timing and reporting back of any problems.
Meanwhile, please all do use these public reporting sites for ‘faults’:County Highways – For dangerously overhanging vegetation, obstructions to solar stud lights, and any other faults to the path please log at:https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/…/roadworks-and-faultsSouth Cambridgeshire District Council Street Care and Cleaning – For sweeping the path of cuttings and leaf fall – please follow instructions at:https://www.scambs.gov.uk/envir…/street-care-and-cleaning/‘
Meeting on the path with secateurs’:We would call for any volunteers willing to help cut back vegetation by hand. This should be an easy and effective activity to conduct on an occasional basis (and can be done one-legged as demonstrated by Ron!).
We’re delighted to report that the Melbourn Greenway scheme was approved by the Greater Cambridge Partnership Board meeting on 25 June. This is a big step forward in providing improvements right along our route, which we’ll explain in more detail below. Importantly, it means that the local authorities will start the detailed design and land acquisition process for these improvements, including a new path and bridge between Royston and Melbourn. Pleasingly, all three of the decision-makers spoke in favour of the Royston connection – there is real political support to make this happen, and is a real vindication of our long campaign to get it built!
You can see the report here https://bit.ly/31z1VDl (page 216 onwards) and watch the meeting decision discussion here: https://youtu.be/_TKHCWb28xU (4 hours 4 minutes in).
The scheme is currently specified only in outline, but includes the following improvements (starting at the Royston end):
– A bridge from Royston over the A505 (in cooperation with Hertfordshire County Council)
– A new path along the east side of the A10 (opposite side to the existing path) linking the new bridge with Melbourn village
– Changes to Melbourn village centre including a 20mph speed limit, on-road cycle lanes and improvements to junctions
– Improvements in Foxton and Shepreth, linking both villages to the existing A10 path, and reducing the speed limit in Foxton to 20mph.
– Improvements at Foxton Level Crossing, with a new 30mph speed limit (reduced from the present 50mph), narrowing the road and providing a cycle lane over the main crossing as well as retaining the existing wicket gates
– A new path through the fields around Harston, allowing cyclists to avoid the village centre – this will start from Church End and rejoin the existing path at Rectory Farm in Hauxton. A connection to Haslingfield is also planned as part of a later scheme.
– The existing narrow path north of Harston will be widened to 3m
– The route through the Trumpington Meadows Country park will be revised and straightened as part of plans to build a park-and-ride site (“Hauxton Travel Hub”) between the A10 and M11. This will include a new foot/cycle bridge over the M11 adjacent to the existing concrete farm bridge.
So, what happens now? Council officers will begin the process of getting to a detailed design, which will include appointing consultants to do the design work and briefing them on what is wanted. The design process is forecast to take about two years. There will then need to be a further authorisation by the Board to construct the scheme, and planning permission will be needed for several aspects. There is still campaign work for us to do to ensure that the scheme gets built in a way that gives maximum benefit to the local community. The scheme is due for completion before 2025, but we hope that at least some of it will be done before then!
The importance of the A505 bridge was highlighted by each member of the Board, and support and financial contributions from Royston and Melbourn businesses toward the bridge were specifically cited as evidence of the strong demand for cycle to work in a cross-county border setting.
As county councillors, Fiona Hill and Steve Jarvis in Herts and Susan van de Ven in Cambs, together with their respective officers, are working closely together on vital cross-county collaboration for next steps.
At the same meeting, the Board also approved plans to construct a station car park for Foxton station (branded as “Foxton Travel Hub”). We will be liaising directly with GCP officers to try and get the best possible design – especially where the A10 cycle path meets access points for Foxton and Hauxton Travel Hubs.
Timescales may seem slow but we believe this to be a milestone decision for very significant improvements to the Royston-Cambridge cycle link.
We are delighted to be supporting, and would love our members to support, Camcycles’ Spaces to breath campaign and for our members to sign their letter.
Taken from the Camcycle website: “During the coronavirus pandemic we would like to help people stay active while protecting themselves and others, by identifying areas where it is hard to keep at least 2m away from people when walking or cycling and proposing temporary measures to reallocate space away from motor traffic while the roads are quieter. This would help widen existing walking and cycling routes and provide alternatives to those that are busy or narrow. It would also help tackle the rise in speeding drivers which has been a sad side-effect of the wide, empty streets.”
To se the full article and to sign their letter, go to Camcycle Spaces to breath.
We hope you can support this. It’s been a delight to see so many bikes out and about. Let’s help create an environment where this can continue.
Plans are evolving for the Melbourn Greenway with Hertordshire including cycle facilities at Royson in their plans Read about the plalns in this Royson Crow article.
One of the key aims of our campaign is see the construction of a safe crossing, in the form of bridge, over the A505 at Rotston.
Herts is now consulting on this. It would be great if you could lend your support by replying to the consultation, especially Herts rersidents. The three page consultation can be found here. Click the have your say tab on the page that opens.
The First Orwell Scouts Group have been litter picking around the A10 cycle path today, in the rain – they’ve cleared the whole stretch from Foxton Level Crossing to Fowlmere Road. And want to do it again next year! Many thanks to all.
Two members of the campaign have been asking questions regarding crossing the A505 at a recent Hertfordshire County Council Meeting. The questions and responses are:
3. PUBLIC QUESTIONS – STANDING ORDER 8 (10) 3A. 3.1 Mr S Czarnawski-Iliev, a resident of Royston, asked T L F Douris, Executive Member for Education, Libraries and Localism the following question:-
“Would the Councillor lend his support in principle to the provision of a safe pedestrian/cycle route to enable Royston teenagers to have safe, cheap and independent transport for accessing education, leisure, parttime employment, friends, family and all the things that make up normal life, but might happen to be a mile or two over the county border?
3.2 T L F Douris, Executive Member for Education, Libraries and Localism, replied:- “Thank you for your question which I note is similar in vein to that asked by Mr Nash to my colleague Councillor Derrick Ashley. I am also aware of questions posed by Mr Meadows and Mr Taylor at the November Council meeting. From an educational perspective, we would always encourage pupils of all ages to walk or cycle to school, where it is safe for them to do so. Indeed, we regularly review opportunities to create or enhance safe routes to schools within Hertfordshire recognising the health, environmental and financial benefits of walking and cycling in keeping with the Local Transport Plan4 ambitions. We want our young people to be able to engage in local leisure activities. I believe that we are all of a similar view that such a route would be of benefit and indeed I am aware that Councillor Ashley wrote on 19th June this year to the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Authority and to the Leader of the Combined Authority requesting their support for a cycle link over the A505 thus providing a continuous route and it is my understanding that we have had positive responses from Cambridgeshire. Indeed, North Hertfordshire District Council and Hertfordshire County Council have been working with the Local Parish Council and reviewing planning applications to secure developer contributions and other potential funding where appropriate. Hertfordshire County Council is also working on proposals as part of the North Central Growth and Transport Plan to help routes connect to the bridge and consider the wider cycle infrastructure in the town.
From this you will see that Hertfordshire County Council is working hard to achieve the required outcome, but this is a complex issue and it requires the support and commitment of all the relevant partners.”
3B. 3.4 Mr R Nash, a resident of Royston, asked D A Ashley, Executive Member for Growth, Infrastructure, Planning and the Economy, the following question:-
“Could Councillor Ashley please give us an update on work within the Council on the planned pedestrian and cycle bridge over the A505 north of Royston – particularly with reference to the Council’s recent application to the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership for funding for the bridge and also engagement with officers from Cambridge County Council and the Greater Cambridge Partnership on their Melbourn Greenways proposal?”
3.5 D A Ashley, Executive Member for Growth, Infrastructure, Planning and the Economy, replied:- “Thank you for your question. First of all I apologise if the answer overlaps some of the answer to the previous question because of course they are related to the same topic. Just to repeat my colleagues report, I did write to Mayor James Palmer (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority), Councillor Steve Count (Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, Combined Authority Board Member), and Councillor Lewis Herbert (Leader, Cambridge City Council, Greater Cambridge Partnership Board Chairman) who are the key decision makers in the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority and indeed are Board members of that and also members of Cambridge County Council and City Council. Prior to the development of the Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership there was an understanding between Hertfordshire County Council and Cambridgeshire County Council that the project to deliver the Cycle Link
and Bridge over the A505 completing the route from Cambridge via Melbourne to Royston would be developed jointly, to help link communities to key services and employment areas. As per the Melbourn Greenway Review Report which says ‘the Melbourn to Royston route is partly in Hertfordshire and is dependent for its success on a new bridge over the A505 on the edge of Royston’. This clearly recognises the need for co-operation between the authorities to bring forward the project. As part of this commitment Hertfordshire County Council took a lead role in producing the feasibility study for the bridge with a commitment to maintaining the bridge once constructed. It was agreed that the construction of the route connections and bridge itself should be the joint responsibility of both authorities to fund and deliver. It was understood that there was agreement in principal that the Local Enterprise Partnerships for both areas were supportive of the project. Hertfordshire County Council sought funding to support the scheme by submitting a Local Enterprise Partnership bid in the November 2018 Open Call which unfortunately was unsuccessful due to match funding not being secured and concerns over delivery timescales. North Hertfordshire District Council and Hertfordshire County Council have been working with the Local Parish Council and reviewing planning applications to secure developer contributions and other potential funding where appropriate. Hertfordshire County Council are also working on proposals as part of the North Central Growth and Transport Plan to help routes connect to the bridge and consider the wider cycle infrastructure in the town. Following an officers’ meeting towards the end of 2018, Hertfordshire County Council were informed that whilst the Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership still have similar aspirations to Hertfordshire County Council in implementing the project, support from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority remained unclear and no decision had been made on committing funding to support the project. Hertfordshire remains keen to work with the Partnership to promote the project and I have asked officers to re-establish links with the Project leads in the Partnership as the bridge is a vital component of the overall Cambridge, Melbourn and Royston Route. Unfortunately, I understand that the last two meetings have been cancelled. However, a new date for July has been proposed and I hope that it can be achieved to help discussions recommence. We hope that Cambridgeshire County Council and the Combined Authority recognise the value to South Cambridgeshire residents of a sustainable link to the employment opportunities offered by Royston; people do travel in from that route. I have received correspondence back from Cambridgeshire and further to the officer meeting I intend to meet with them to discuss how we can work more closely to develop and enable the project to be delivered.”
3.6 Mr R Nash, asked D A Ashley, Executive Member for Growth, Infrastructure, Planning and the Economy the following supplementary question:-
“I wondered if Councillor Ashley was aware of the latest accident on the A505/A10 roundabout, involving a cyclist a couple of weeks ago. Fire, ambulance and police were in attendance. Luckily, no serious injury; but just to underline the importance of trying to get this key bit of infrastructure in place.”
3.7 D A Ashley, Executive Member for Growth, Infrastructure, Planning and the Economy replied:- “Thank you very much, I was aware of this accident and as I say, it just highlights the importance of trying to make progress and complete this project. As I said, I think it is very important that we keep up our dialogue with Cambridgeshire, and I think we are working closely with local Elected Members just across the border to try and bring this to fruition. So hopefully we can make some progress soon.”
Thank you to the members who took the time to attend this meeting.
Every young person counts!
Consultation for the Melbourn Greenway closes at noon on August 5th. The link is here: https://bit.ly/2F5VjQI
Every person in a household is entitled to their own response. Most particularly it is hoped that children and young people will be encouraged to respond and be counted – because improvements to walking and cycling and getting around independently will be of particular benefit to them.
Funding for Greenway schemes comes not from councils but is earmarked Government funding for infrastructure development, passed down to our area via the Greater Cambridge Partnership, which is comprised of elected council representatives.
Indeed, it is thanks to Junior Travel Ambassadors at Meldreth Primary School and students at Melbourn Village College who have been along to make the case at meetings of the Greater Cambridge Partnership that the link to Royston is now being considered as part of the overall Cambridge-Royston scheme.
There are very few funding opportunities for infrastructure straddling a county border, and so this scheme holds special potential for a path on the eastern side of the A10 and a bridge over the A505 to Royston.
For children and young people, the route would feed into an existing Sustrans cycle network in Royston, leading to the Royston Leisure Centre, and to the amazing walk/cycle/scooter underpass at Coombes Hole that leads to the BMX track facility. For Melbourn Village College students coming from Royston, the two-mile link would mean the chance to travel independently to college. And of course, for mums and dads living and working on either side of the county border, a safe link to work.
Coombes Hole
The Melbourn Greenway scheme is one of 12 schemes radiating out from Cambridge and these will be prioritized at the Greater Cambridge Partnership meeting on December 12.
So if you haven’t responded please do so!
