A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign – October 2023 Update

Lots of news:

Funding for the path and bridge connecting Melbourn and Royston was approved by the Greater Cambridge Partnership on September 28. This will comprise an off-road path on the east side of the A10 and the cycle/pedestrian bridge over the A505 just to the east of the A10 roundabout, landing on the existing path round the Twigden estate. More steps lie ahead including a statutory public consultation and planning permission; this will take time, but if all goes well, we hope to see construction in 2026. Contributions from local businesses and Hertfordshire local authorities plus funds raised directly by the A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign will form the total funding package.

We’d like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support over many years. Nothing is guaranteed as we have learned over the years, and we need to keep going!

Special thanks to Iris and Yunus, now of Melbourn Village College and previously of Meldreth Primary School, for their third visit to the Board meeting over five years, to make the case.

Thanks also to CamCycle, who spoke at the Board meeting in support of the Royston link, also pointing out that critical safety work along the existing path, especially on junctions, is needed.

Path upgrade, Melbourn-Meldreth Station: Lots of required background work has been taking place but things are moving, and we expect the upgrade to happen in 2024.

Path maintenance: A light cut-back of side and overhanging vegetation along the existing path between Mebourn and Harston took place in September, thanks to a communities grant from Bruntwood SciTech to the A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign, which arranged for work to be carried out by Herts and Cambs Grounds Maintenance. A hard cutback will take place prior to nesting season, and a siding out of the path will take place in spring.

Foxton Travel Hub has been paused, partly due to very significant inflationary pressures on GCP funds and a consequent reprioritization of schemes. The A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign and CamCycle worked hard to ensure that, whatever one’s views on the project, the Foxton Travel Hub would see the optimum adaptations for pedestrians and cyclists.

Making Connections – This is the major GCP package of measures including a Cambridge Sustainable Travel Zone road charge, the freeing up of road space to allow buses to run to schedule, transformational investment in bus services, and additional investment in active travel infrastructure. The STZ road charge was arrived at over a period of 7-8 years’ work, sifting through all possible tools for congestion relief, revenue generation for public and active travel, and the undertaking of in-depth public consultations. Despite very significant adaptations to meet public consultation concerns, a collapse in political support caused the GCP to decide not to progress this project. Serious questions about the future of traffic and travel in our area require answers, as congestion worsens and need for further investment in walking and cycling routes only grows (including on aspects of the Melbourn Greenway, as pointed out by CamCycle at the GCP Board meeting).

Meeting up in person – we’ll be in touch before long about an in-person meeting, if only to raise a glad to continued working together on our quest for safer cycling along the A10 corridor between Cambridge and Royston.

Best wishes Susan van de Ven and Adam Bostanci for the A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign