In what is seen as a massive turn around, Mayor James Palmer has now told the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) to “step up and deliver” the Cambourne to Cambridge busway.
Previously on June 2018, the Mayor had called on the GCP to pause the scheme to make sure that it did not clash with his plans (aspirations) for the CAM Metro.
At the time of the pause, I expressed my concerns to the Parish Councils about the impact the pause could have on the ongoing examination of the local plan by the Inspectors. The busway was the only transport solution put forward by the County Council’s Transport strategy for the A428 corridor (and therefore Bourn Airfield), and pausing it could potentially adversely affect whether the plan was found sound or not. As it turns out, that fear was unfounded as the Inspectors found the plan sound anyway despite
In removing the temporary pause, he went on to say that the GCP will need to decide which is the best route for the scheme, in consultation with the community, and deliver. However, he has so far not released the report that he commissioned, nor indicated its contents to the GCP in relation to the busway.
So how is the GCP supposed to work on a busway that can later be converted to fit in with his metro plans? The GCP Chairman, Cllr Lewis Herbet said the GCP cannot push ahead without knowing the results of the detailed technical work on the metro by Arup, the Combined Authority’s consultants.
Even I chipped in on twitter asking how the GCP could proceed
Looking forward to hearing more from Mayor Palmer, and I am hoping he will be discussing this in more detail with the GCP.
You can read the full article in the Cambridge Independent here as published on 3rd October 2018.