COUNTY COUNCIL ANNOUNCES COMMISSION TO DEVELOP CAMBRIDGE TRANSPORT STRATEGY

Following the recent consultation on the Transport Innovation Fund proposals, plans for dealing with the growing problem of congestion in and around Cambridge are going back to the drawing board.

The County Council has announced plans to set up a Commission of key public and private sector bodies to jointly come up with recommendations for an innovative and far-reaching transport strategy for the Cambridge area. Invitations to join the Commission have today been sent to organisations including Cambridgeshire's City and District Councils, Addenbrooke’s, the University, Cambridgeshire Horizons, Police, Marshalls, Stagecoach, the Chamber of Commerce and Trade, Federation of Small Businesses and the Greater Cambridge Partnership.

The new Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, Conservative Councillor Jill Tuck, said "We have listened carefully over the last few months and it is clear that the Transport Innovation Fund scheme we put forward for consultation last autumn does not have sufficient support either from other key organisations or the public and needs, at the very least, refinement."

"The Government's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF), does give us a unique opportunity to attract substantial Government funding for transport improvements and we will continue to work with them in the hope of securing that. The £500 Million we have requested is way in excess of anything we could ever raise locally but such a huge cash injection does have to be accompanied by a congestion charging scheme. It will be for the Commission to recommend what is best for Cambridge but any scheme must have support from key public and private organisations and also the public."

"The task of the Commission will be to take evidence and listen to views from all interested groups and come up with recommendations on how to tackle the growing problem of congestion."

The County Council's Cabinet Member for Growth and Infrastructure, Matt Bradney, added "The one thing everybody seems to agree on is that congestion is a major problem and with a further 58,000 new homes in the pipeline for the Cambridge sub region, congestion will get even worse. We need to jointly come up with an innovative strategy to deal with this challenge. There won't be any one easy solution but somehow we need to find a way to transform public transport and change people's travel habits."

“We have ambitious plans for growth in housing, jobs and in economic terms but only by us all working together to tackle the congestion problem, will we achieve our overall goals of a thriving and prosperous county.”

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

Bob Pearson, Director of Communications: 01223 699280.

2. Councillor Jill Tuck: 01354 742388 or 07725 958592; Councillor Matt Bradney:
01954 204347 or 07739393137.
3. Liberal Democrat Councillor Alex Reid: 01223 356537; Labour Leader Councillor Paul
Sales: 01223 574863.

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