Some lovely news to share:

Bridge to Royston

We’re delighted to let you know that the Greater Cambridge Partnership is recommending that it fund the long-awaited pedestrian/cycle bridge to Royston.  

This would complete the Melbourn Greenway and the Cambridge-Royston route.  September meetings of the Joint Assembly and Board will need to consider papers and agree recommendations in order to allow next steps – so much work still ahead. 

The item falls within Item 7, Future Investment Strategy – page 392 

We’d like to say a big thank to all our campaigners, young, old and in-between, for helping to get us this far, since our campaign started in 2013 – and your continuing support is still needed. We’ll aim for a campaign meeting in person sometime this autumn, after the key GCP meetings have taken place and we have a clearer picture of what’s next.

Path maintenance

With nesting season now over, work will be taking place soon on overhanging and side vegetation along the path from Melbourn to Hauxton.  Further work, including a siding out of the path, will take place over the course of the year to keep the path in better base condition than of late.  This is possible thanks to a new maintenance grant from Bruntwood SciTech at Melbourn Science Park, and a newly agreed plan with Herts and Cambs Grounds Maintenance. This is coordinated by volunteers.  

Please note that this  does not take the place of County Highways, but supplements the two annual verge cuts and spot work in their brief.  Please, if you notice anything along the path that needs doing, report it here:

https://highwaysreporting.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/

A beautiful morning for cycling and walking saw the biggest turnout ever in the 11^th year of the A10 Annual Awareness Ride/Walk/Scoot, which took place on Sunday June 11^th.

Cyclists made the trek from Trumpington Park and Ride and Melbourn Wellbeing Walkers set out from the Melbourn Hub, all converging on the front lawn of Phillimore Garden Centre in Melbourn, which has hosted the event every year. About 100 people took part.

The event highlighted the popularity of the multi-use paths along the A10 between Trumpington and Melbourn, which ten years ago did not exist.

Children who’d first taken part in the event as tots and toddlers, including Iona Adams, Iris Bostanci and Connie Burge, each cycled nearly twenty miles by the time they got home. 

Collaborating councillors from Royston and South Cambridgeshire villages were out in force, emphasizing the commitment to working together to make the ultimate aim of a bridge over the A505, to connect Melbourn and Royston, a reality. 

The Melbourn-Royston connection is indeed being vigorously pursued by the Greater Cambridge Partnership.  It was great to have Melbourn Greenway officer Kerry Allen and GCP Cllr Neil Shailer supporting the event.

A special treat at Phillimore was Royston Cycles for try-outs of e-bikes, and Melbourn Science Park’s Dr Bike.  A number of people said that e-bikes would enable them to cycle much longer distances than otherwise, including commuting from the villages to work.

We were delighted to welcome Royston Mayor Cllr Lisa Adams who enjoyed trying out an e-bike! 

Cycling campaign veteran Jim Chisholm of Cambridge, who supported the formation of the A10 Campaign ten years ago, came along on his electric folding bike.

Many thanks to everyone for their support, donations to the refreshment stand, marshalling, and most of all, enthusiasm!

Our awareness ride is back on June 11th. This is a largely social ride, suitable for all ages, but with a chance to talk about all things active transport related in the area.

If you wish to put up a copy of the poster, it can be viewed or downloaded here

AGM 13 March, 7-8PM: Our annual general meeting takes place on 13 March at 7PM via Zoom.  Formalities will be succinct and we’ll focus on updates and information. Please let us know if you would like to the join and we’ll send a link.

We will be taking advantage of the opportunity to respond to this landmark Greater Cambridge Partnership consultation on the future of sustainable transport in our area.  

A more frequent and cheaper bus service, offering early, late and new services to ensure people can get to education and jobs without needing access to private car transport, forms the backbone of the proposals.  A Cambridge ‘Sustainable Travel Zone’ congestion charge would form part of the package as a funding stream to sustain bus services, coming in only after an improved bus network is established.  Walking and cycling improvements complement the expansion of public transport.  We encourage people to read through the whole of the consultation document to gain a full picture, before responding.  

Please do respond – and encourage any young people in your household to do so as well, adding their voices to help shape future transport and accessibility choices.

We would welcome any views ahead of submitting our response to the consultation which closes 23 December.

https://www.greatercambridge.org.uk/sustainable-transport-programme/city-access-programme/making-connections

We’ve had the following message for the Melbourn Greenway consultation team. This is a massive scheme for us and local active travel. Please do have your say, the numbers responding really do make a difference.

Melbourn Greenway public engagement programme kicks off today (3rd October)

The public engagement programme for the Melbourn Greenway kicks off today (3rd October) with people encouraged to share their views on the proposed designs.

The Greenway will provide safer and better routes for people walking, cycling and, where appropriate, horse-riding, along the A10 corridor south of the M11 towards Royston, connecting Melbourn, Hauxton, Harston, Foxton with improved links to Shepreth and Meldreth railway stations.

Engagement on the Greenway begins today – 3rd October – and closes at midday on Friday 28th October.

There will be a virtual event on the 11th of October (18:00 – 20:00), and public drop-in events at Melbourn Hub on 17th October (16:00 – 19:00), and Hauxton Centre on 20th October (16;00 – 19:00).

To find out more and share your views with us please visit the following website: https://consultcambs.uk.engagementhq.com/gcp-melbourn…

Your feedback will be considered as part of further design and planning work.  

The Greater Cambridge Partnership launched a rolling programme of public engagement on the Greenways in the summer to give communities an opportunity to shape how each route will look and feel to provide significantly enhanced active travel journeys.

When complete, there will be about 150km of Greenways to provide new and improved active travel links to more than 50 communities and public transport hubs.

For more information about the Greenways project and to view the designs visit https://www.greatercambridge.org.uk/greenways

Have your say on the Melbourn Greenway before midday 28th October

The A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign will hold its annual Awareness Ride on Sunday 25 September, setting off from Trumpington Park and Ride at 10AM, bound for Phillimore Garden Centre for refreshments. A walking and scooter contingent will set off from the Melbourn Hub at 10AM. Please bring your own drinks and do get in touch if you would like to help as a ride marshal or contribute any cakes – many thanks in anticipation.

Melbourn Greenway officers have been invited to join us so this will be a chance to share any concerns or ideas about proposals to extend the current route to Royston, divert between Church St Harston and Hauxton, and via the new planned Hauxton P&R.
Hoping to see you on the day!

The A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign will be holding its AGM and meeting to update members, on March 21, 7:30PM, via Zoom.   An agenda and link will be made available closer to the date.

This month we’ve had to say farewell to John Meadows, a great friend and champion for safe cycling on the A10. He’s pictured here at Royston Town Hall a few years ago, third from left, following a meeting of the A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign with Cambridgeshire County Council officer Simon Manville, who gave a sneak preview of the proposed Melbourn Greenway and the link to Royston, a scheme that was formally adopted by the Greater Cambridge Partnership in June 2020.

John was also at the inaugural meeting of the A10 Campaign in January 2013, with a big smile and ready to do absolutely anything necessary to make the bridge to Royston a reality. Every year he’d say, ‘it’s been 2-3-4-5-6-7-8! years – why haven’t we got the bridge yet?’ As a former Royston Town Councillor, he knew first-hand the bureaucracies of local government. Equally, he understood how vital it was to develop strong relationships in every quarter – and he was always the first to spot potential and cultivate these.

‘Keep smiling!’ John would always say, encouraging us on our way. His trademark red hair and red bicycles were emblematic of his unrestrained passion, and often at campaign meetings, Jill would put her hand gently on John’s arm. We all knew it was coming and indeed it was John’s passion that injected the fire we needed for the campaign – and after each meeting we knew we’d taken another step forward. Once when a tour was offered to a key official who wanted to experience first-hand the awful existing A10 path between Royston and Melbourn, John arranged to loan one of his bicycles for the occasion. He said to Jill with a grin, ‘Let’s make sure we pump up those tyres to the max. Those potholes need to be fully appreciated!’

A multitude of friendships and traditions have evolved out of the A10 Campaign, including the Tuesday morning Meldreth Marvels cycling group, in which John and Jill have taken part for many years. Still awaiting the safe link to Royston, John and Jill would load their bikes into the back of their car to make the short trip to Meldreth, cycling on with the Marvels from there. While ‘the last mile’ to Royston is still awaited, today the A10 corridor looks very different from when the A10 Campaign kicked off in 2013, and the Marvels always meander onto the network of cycle paths that now feature on the A10 corridor between Melbourn and Cambridge.

When the bridge to Royston is finally built, we’ll be there on its crest with our bicycles, toasting John.

Susan van de Ven

Photos courtesy of Gerald C.