City elections: candidate views on Mill Road

Emmanuel CARRAUD (Liberal Democrat – Petersfield Ward)

1. Are you broadly in agreement with our 8 goals?

Yes, I totally support your 8 goals.

2. If elected, what would you personally do to support our campaign?

As a local resident living on Gwydir street, I already signed and I support your campaign. As a local councillor, I would commit to regularly engaging with Mill Road 4 People (as well as other groups, and residents at large) to listen and consult on the work needed to make Mill Road the best it can be. Change is needed and we need to work hard to build consensus, because the recent closure showed us how vital it is that all stakeholders feel respected as change is made. And as a councillor, I would look to take all opportunities to continue the work of my Lib Dem colleagues in reducing car journeys citywide – having a positive impact on walking and cycling on Mill Road.

3. In your view, what are the three most effective measures that could be taken to improve Mill Road?

1. Improve and broaden pavement space – for accessibility, for extra bike parking, and for use by local cafes, restaurants and other businesses. We could also enhance Mill Road’s pavements with more street furniture and greenery
2. Full commitment to a modernised, well-funded public transport system, meeting the needs of Mill Road and the surrounding area, to reduce car traffic
3. Council-funded consultation on a Business Improvement District dedicated to supporting the local businesses that make Mill Road so special.

4. In your view, what is the best way to prevent rat-running in Petersfield (to and from the station and between East Rd and Hills Rd)?

Speaking with residents on roads affected by rat-running, it’s clear that there are lots of possible solutions – including a wide array of traffic calming measures. I’d look to support a full, official consultation of residents on affected streets to clarify issues and help shape solutions. I would also lobby our County Council for better enforcement of 20mph zones, and support the work to cut down on car journeys citywide – reducing the need for rat-running.

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about our campaign or the future of Mill Road?

Mill Road is a hugely important part of our community and the broader city. We absolutely have to do better to make it safer for pedestrians, cyclists and those with disabilities; to make the air cleaner and safer to breathe, and to protect and champion the businesses that make it so special. As a councillor, I would work for progress in all of these areas, while pushing for a city-wide approach that leaves no street or area of Cambridge feeling left out or worse off for the work we do elsewhere (especially applicable to traffic reduction).

Monica HONE (Independent – Coleridge Ward)

1. Are you broadly in agreement with our 8 goals?

Yes.

2. If elected, what would you personally do to support our campaign?

Campaign for a low traffic neighbourhood.

3. In your view, what are the three most effective measures that could be taken to improve Mill Road?

1. Option 1 – Make Mill Road part of a one way system
2. Option 2 – Close Mill Road except for Buses, taxis, disabled badge holders, access for residents, and timed delivery (eg between 11pm and 9.30 am)
3. Option 3 both option 1 and option 2 together.

4. In your view, what is the best way to prevent rat-running in Petersfield (to and from the station and between East Rd and Hills Rd)?

We need to make radical changes across the whole city or we risk just shifting problems from one place to anothr.

If it were up to me, I would commission an expert from Holland or Paris where radical road closures and one way systems have been successfully introduced, to design a oneway system for Cambridge inside the A1134 which would free up one lane of every main road for bikes. This would make it easy for people to cycle side by side in family groups and reduce the need for cars.

Children could cycle safely across the city, and driving would become an unattractive, slow option.

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about our campaign or the future of Mill Road?

I would like to see more tall trees planted and allowed to grow to full height and wider pavements to enable cafe culture.

However, while these are my own ideas, I recognise many people have good ideas, often better than mine, so I would listen with an open mind to anyone who has something to propose on reducing traffic, air pollution, safety for active travel, and increasing biodiversity.

Mohamed HOSSAIN (Conservative Party – Petersfield Ward)

No response received

Rob NELSON (Conservative Party – Coleridge Ward)

1. Are you broadly in agreement with our 8 goals?

Yes, I am broadly in agreement with the 8 goals, but with thoughts attaching to some of them.

2. If elected, what would you personally do to support our campaign?

I would support your campaign in many parts, but with the same thoughts – or reservations – mentioned above.

3. In your view, what are the three most effective measures that could be taken to improve Mill Road?

Three Important Measures would be

1. Provide reliable, affordable public transport.
2. Create a low-traffic, but not no-traffic, street.
3. Provide an attractive environment.

4. In your view, what is the best way to prevent rat-running in Petersfield (to and from the station and between East Rd and Hills Rd)?

I am retired, tend mostly to walk or cycle in Cambridge, and have little knowledge or wisdom about rat-runs to the railway station.

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about our campaign or the future of Mill Road?

(a) Occasionally I collect a sight-impaired friend (with his luggage) from the bus park on Parkside, and take him to my home in Coleridge Road for a week’s visit.  It was very frustrating when the bridge was closed having to drive via either Hills Road or Coldham’s Lane bridge to get to the bus park, in terms of time, of fuel consumption and of pollution.  So I would like a system where residents like me can drive along Mill Road on a very limited basis, even buying a permit if that would help.

(b) I support the idea of active travel, but I emphatically believe that the ubiquitous electric scooters provide no good whatsoever for their drivers.  So they cannot be included in the notion of “active travel”.

These apart, all other of the 8 ideas I find laudable.

Sarah NICMANIS (Green Party – Coleridge Ward)

1. Are you broadly in agreement with our 8 goals?

Yes.

2. If elected, what would you personally do to support our campaign?

My concern about traffic, pollution and poor road management in Coleridge extends to Romsey and Petersfield.  I deplore the current state of Coleridge Road which of course is a main road feeding into Mill Road.  Both roads are unsafe and impractical for cyclists and pedestrians, not to mention the high levels of pollution caused by the road layout giving high priority to cars.  Quite simply, dealing with traffic and pollution problems in Coleridge helps to deal with traffic and pollution problems on Mill Road.  I fully support what Mill Road For People is trying to do as your priorities align with mine: improving the quality of the air we breathe, making our city a great place to walk and cycle and enhancing community well-being.

3. In your view, what are the three most effective measures that could be taken to improve Mill Road?

1. We believe that a transition from fossil fuel-powered transport to cycling, walking and use of public transport, and the use of electrically powered vehicles, is an essential step towards tackling the climate crisis as well as air pollution and other more local problems. We believe that, with careful planning and consultation, a partial closure of the Mill Road bridge could be implemented relatively quickly and with highly beneficial results. We would favour a modal filter, allowing only buses, cycles, electric scooters, taxis, emergency vehicles and private =vehicles carrying blue badge holders through.
2. Conversations about the long-term development of Mill Road have been on-going for many years and there is a wealth of evidence to draw upon. The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) appears to have overlooked this. The consultation brochure and survey are disingenuous and appear to be a delaying tactic, prolonging decision-making and increasing conflict rather than promoting consensus. We are calling for any data about the temporary closure of Mill Road bridge during lockdown, particularly in terms of effects on traffic and impacts on local businesses, to be made available immediately. As the project progresses, key indicators including traffic flow (including bikes) and air pollution and should be monitored and the results published.
3. We suggest a number of additional measures that should be explored, including: tighter enforcement of the 20mph speed limit and of parking restrictions; providing a limited number of loading/unloading bays (with strict enforcement against illegal parking) to allow for shop restocking; designating more disabled vehicle parking spaces along the road; improving signage to direct car parking away from residential roads and into the local car parks; implementing further traffic restrictions such as single-lane traffic controlled by lights; improving bus stops; more bicycle parking and wider pavements.

4. In your view, what is the best way to prevent rat-running in Petersfield (to and from the station and between East Rd and Hills Rd)?

We recommend stricter enforcement of the 20mph speed limit in these areas prone to rat-running and speed cameras and/or speed bumps installed in the most problematic areas.  Residents’ safety must be paramount in our priorities and must not be compromised as a result of reducing traffic on our beloved Mill Road.

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about our campaign or the future of Mill Road?

We see the future of Mill Road as a flourishing social and commercial centre, inhabited and used by a diverse range of people and serviced by an excellent pedestrian, cycle and public transport network. If the right decisions are taken now, Mill Road could become a more liveable, sustainable centre of a vibrant community.  Mill Road is currently traffic-heavy and congested. Local car ownership is high, as evidenced by the demand for parking, but could potentially reduce rapidly if the area had better public transport and easier, safer cycling.

We hold Mill Road to be an exemplar of the sorts of diverse communities that Cambridge should foster. The local area (Romsey/Petersfield) is becoming increasingly affluent but still is home to, and the workplace of, many lower income people; many young families also live here who seek a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their children.

Mill Road is important to traders, residents, and to those passing along it to and from the station or travelling in and out of the city. All these uses must be considered, even though people who live and work outside the area are unlikely to get involved in responding to consultations or campaigning.

Sam OLIVER (Liberal Democrat Party – Coleridge Ward)

1. Are you broadly in agreement with our 8 goals?

Yes.

2. If elected, what would you personally do to support our campaign?

As a local councillor, I would commit to regularly engaging with Mill Road 4 People (as well as other groups, and residents at large) to listen and consult on the work needed to make Mill Road the best it can be. Change is needed – but we also need to work hard to build consensus, because the recent closure showed us how vital it is that all stakeholders feel respected as change is made. And as a councillor, I would look to take all opportunities to continue the work of my Lib Dem colleagues in reducing car journeys citywide – having a positive impact on walking and cycling on Mill Road. 

3. In your view, what are the three most effective measures that could be taken to improve Mill Road?

•  Improve and broaden pavement space – for accessibility, for extra bike parking, and for the use by local cafes, restaurants and other businesses. We could also enhance Mill Road’s pavements with more street furniture and greenery
• Full commitment to a modernised, well-funded public transport system, meeting the needs of Mill Road and the surrounding area, to reduce car traffic
• Council funded consultation on a Business Improvement District dedicating to supporting the local businesses that make Mill Road so special.

4. In your view, what is the best way to prevent rat-running in Petersfield (to and from the station and between East Rd and Hills Rd)?

Speaking with residents on roads affected by rat-running, it’s clear that there are lots of possible solutions – including a wide array of traffic calming measures. I’d look to support a full, official consultation of residents on affected streets to clarify issues and help shape solutions. I would also lobby our County Council for better enforcement of 20mph zones, and support the work to cut down on car journeys citywide – reducing the need for rat-running.

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about our campaign or the future of Mill Road?

Mill Road is a hugely important part of our community, and the broader city. We absolutely have to do better to make it safer for pedestrians, cyclists and those with disabilities; to make the air cleaner and safer to breathe; and to protect and champion the businesses that make it so special. As a councillor, I would work for progress in all of these areas, while pushing for a city-wide approach that leaves no street or area of Cambridge feeling left out or worse off for the work we do elsewhere (especially applicable to traffic reduction).

Dinah POUNDS (Labour Party – Romsey Ward)

1. Are you broadly in agreement with our 8 goals?

Yes.

2. If elected, what would you personally do to support our campaign?

I will continue to campaign wherever possible as a councillor to support the goals of millroad4people and to advertise the goals on my communications with Romsey residents including doorstep discussions.

3. In your view, what are the three most effective measures that could be taken to improve Mill Road?

1. Restrict Mill Road Bridge to through-traffic, allowing only certain essential vehicles including disabled drivers access to create a low traffic and low pollution neighbourhood so badly needed for everyone’s health and well-being, and devise a creative scheme to allow access at certain times to meet the needs of traders delivery vehicles (electric wherever possible).
2. Improve road signage to make cycling safer and increase cycle and cargo bike parking.
3. Widen pavements to improve pedestrian safety and disabled peoples’ access, and plant trees and flower boxes to combat climate change, cool the street and make it a pleasanter place to visit.

4. In your view, what is the best way to prevent rat-running in Petersfield (to and from the station and between East Rd and Hills Rd)?

I have observed that most of the traffic rat-running in Petersfield is by both station taxis and cars for the school run to the many schools on Hills Road. The station needs to be redesigned. Taxis should enter the station from Hills Road via station road only and exit via the bus route. This would also alleviate the excessive traffic using the Great Northern Road. School children should be able to travel to school using active travel, public transport or transport supplied by the schools themselves. As a councillor I will be promoting and supporting these measures.

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about our campaign or the future of Mill Road?

I want to create a low traffic and low pollution neighbourhood so important for the many thousands of people who live, work, shop and socialise on Mill Road, and I want to make the road safer and pleasanter for those who use walking and cycling to travel through the city to school and work.

Richard ROBERTSON (Labour Party – Petersfield Ward)

1. Are you broadly in agreement with our 8 goals?

Yes.

2. If elected, what would you personally do to support our campaign?

Ensure that the new consultation is fully reviewed and leads to action to improve safety and the environment on Mill Road

3. In your view, what are the three most effective measures that could be taken to improve Mill Road?

1. A reduction in through traffic
2. Widening narrow sections of pavements and prevention of parking on pavements
3. Traffic calming such as more pedestrian crossings, build outs and chicanes (with landscaping) plus reduction in maximum speed of all traffic to 10mph – rigorously enforced

4. In your view, what is the best way to prevent rat-running in Petersfield (to and from the station and between East Rd and Hills Rd)?

• Apply a 10mph speed limit on Mill Road and install traffic calming measures such as build outs and chicanes on Mill Road, especially between East Road and Tenison Road,
• prevent motor traffic using Mawson Road and Glisson Road as through routes possibly by providing road closures (except cycles)

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about our campaign or the future of Mill Road?

My Labour colleagues and I worked hard to ensure that a new and much better consultation was carried out. We will be ensuring that the results of it are thoroughly dissected and followed up with a full programme of improvements to safety and the environment of Mill Road. Driving down motor traffic on Mill Road will only add it to other roads such as Coldhams Lane, East Road and Hills Road so we will ensure that it is part of a city-wide project to reduce the volume of private cars and vans etc, and provide improved public transport and active travel.

Paul ROPER (Conservative Party – Romsey Ward)

1. Are you broadly in agreement with our 8 goals?

Yes.

2. If elected, what would you personally do to support our campaign?

Promote the best ideas.

3. In your view, what are the three most effective measures that could be taken to improve Mill Road?

1. Plant trees
2. Consider a pedestrian zone within the hours of 11:00 & 17:00 – with the exception of residents with car passes that will enable them to drive, max 15mph in the pedestrian zone.
3. Enable restaurants to have seating areas on the path in front of their premises.

4. In your view, what is the best way to prevent rat-running in Petersfield (to and from the station and between East Rd and Hills Rd)?

Residential badge zone only & cameras to prevent offenders.

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about our campaign or the future of Mill Road?

Reduce drug problems, abuse, crime, coersive control & save people’s lives – create social cohesion through faith and family.

Anna SMITH (Labour Party – Coleridge Ward)

1. Are you broadly in agreement with our 8 goals?

Yes I am.

2. If elected, what would you personally do to support our campaign?

I’ve always been supportive of making it easier for people to choose to cycle, walk or take public transport, and of making streets really work for residents and local businesses. I’ve enjoyed my previous discussions with MRFP, both as individual members and a group, and I’d be very keen to keep that dialogue going. I’ve always had a cooperative approach to politics and believe that we can achieve much more together than we can alone. I want to see as many people involved in the discussion as possible, and that’s why Coleridge Labour sent out its own leaflets to houses in the ward that didn’t get the official GCP consultation notices. A lot of Coleridge residents are very interested in what happens to Mill Road, and it’s important that their voices are heard. I’m keen to help find opportunities for that to happen.

Perhaps most importantly, I want to do my bit to ensure that the recent consultation is properly reviewed, heard, and acted on in a timely manner.

3. In your view, what are the three most effective measures that could be taken to improve Mill Road?

1. Make it safer for cycling and walking. It’s a small road, and as it stands, everyone is in competition for a tiny amount of space.
2. Reduce congestion, improving air quality, making it easier to get better public transport, and making it more of a place people want to come to and use shops and restaurants.
3. Make it more accessible. More bike racks, more disabled access and parking, more busses, good access for taxis. Not everyone who uses Mill Road is able to walk there – we need to make it easier for them to enjoy what it has to offer. (I was struck, for instance, with a suggestion that Cam Cycle made early on, that if there was much less traffic on the road, it would be possible not only to have more cycle parking bays, but also short-stay car parking points so that people could load bulky shopping directly into their car.)

4. In your view, what is the best way to prevent rat-running in Petersfield (to and from the station and between East Rd and Hills Rd)?

The current access routes to the station force too much traffic down minor, residential, side roads, and that’s bad for congestion and also air quality.

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about our campaign or the future of Mill Road?

Some of issues we are discussing are ones that are addressed by the recent consultations on Mill Road, and I’m committed to making sure the results of that are put into practice as soon as possible. Some of them are going to need more work and discussion. Whatever happens, we need to ensure that there is excellent access for people with disabilities, both those local to Mill Road and those from further afield. And we need to look at Cambridge as a whole too – how can we bring the benefits of reduced congestion and better active travel options to more places? (Cherry Hinton Road, for instance, is incredibly off-putting to cyclists and pedestrians during rush hour, because it’s so busy.)

Mill Road is really special. When I finally managed to save enough for a deposit for a house, one of my main criteria was being in cycling or walking distance of it. Keeping that international, independent, community feel is so very important. I live on the other side of Coleridge now, nearer to the equally special high streets on Cherry Hinton Road and in Cherry Hinton. We need to protect our high streets. At the moment, too many of our roads in the city, like Cherry Hinton Road and Mill Road, just feel like constant traffic jams. And that’s really going to damage their role at the heart of their communities and harm the wonderful independent businesses that line them. Cambridge could learn a lot from cities in Belgium and the Netherlands in looking at how to make streets accessible, liveable and good for local businesses too. (I’m a particularly big fan of a lot of what’s happening in the Belgian city of Ghent, which is really leading the way in transforming the city into somewhere that’s liveable, great for shops, and easy to get around for everyone.)

John WALMSLEY (Liberal Democrat Party – Romsey Ward)

1. Are you broadly in agreement with our 8 goals?

Yes, I am very much in agreement with the stated goals of MILL ROAD – A STREET FOR PEOPLE.

2. If elected, what would you personally do to support our campaign?

As councillor I would focus strongly on inclusive engagement with residents and representative groups such as MILL ROAD – A STREET FOR PEOPLE to inform Council policy and actions. Positive changes in Mill Road are very much needed and there is potential to benefit the area, its residents and its businesses greatly. In particular I would want to continue the Lib Dem emphasis of reducing traffic throughout the city as part of the process of improving pedestrian and cycling use of Mill Road.

3. In your view, what are the three most effective measures that could be taken to improve Mill Road?

There is a consensus amongst Lib Dem candidates in the area about effective measures that would improve Mill Road and we would like to work together and with other councillors on these and other initiatives:

• Improving and widening pavement space and increasing dedicated bike parking to improve access and make it easier for people to visit local businesses, including cafes and restaurants.
• Securing investment to improve and modernise public transport provision to make its use more desirable and practical than driving for as many journeys as possible.
• Seeking a Council funded consultation on a Business Improvement District dedicated to supporting the local businesses that give Mill Road such a thriving and unique identity.

4. In your view, what is the best way to prevent rat-running in Petersfield (to and from the station and between East Rd and Hills Rd)?

I would seek to learn more about this issue, particularly from with residents on the affected roads and support a formal consultation so that they can be part of establishing solutions. I certainly feel that there is scope for improved traffic calming measures and enforcement of 20 mph zones. The latter would require lobbying the County Council and is an issue that should be addressed across the city.

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about our campaign or the future of Mill Road?

Your organization is an excellent forum for discussion and generating initiatives to help shape the future of Mill Road, which is of fundamental importance to all the residents and businesses in the areas around it. The challenges involved in doing this effectively, which I don’t underestimate, are a major part of my motivation to be Councillor. As a councillor I would want to engage with MILL ROAD – A STREET FOR PEOPLE in order to help me do the job as effectively as possible.

Suzie WEBB (Green Party – Romsey Ward)

No response received.

Eddie WILKINSON (Green Party – Petersfield Ward)

No response received.