If you care to look you will find many examples of those opposing Mill Road Bridge restrictions claiming that the County Council is defying the will of the majority. That the Council are wasting public money by repeatedly pressing ahead with plans to restrict private motor vehicles from crossing the Bridge. (If you’d like an example, see their latest petition to County). But who exactly is subverting democracy here? And who is causing all the delay and racking up huge bills for taxpayers? (Spoiler alert: it’s not the County Council).
Since the first period of bridge restrictions for railway works in 2019, there have been numerous opportunities both for local residents and for those further afield to express their views on Mill Road and transport in Cambridge through transparent formal democratic processes, both council elections and consultations. And what were the results?
6th May 2021 – City and County Council Elections
In the first test of public opinion since the Covid pandemic, County Councillors were elected in both Petersfield and Romsey by standing on a manifesto which included promises to
…ensure that sustainable and more active travel is encouraged and supported”
and
Improve …cycling provision to reduce congestion and pollution”
The Liberal Democrats had many candidates elected to the County Council both in Cambridge and more widely throughout Cambridgeshire by running on a manifesto which said:
We must encourage and support [more people to walk and cycle]
and
The transport system in Cambridgeshire is no longer fit for purpose. It does not serve the needs of all residents. Its failings, especially high levels of congestion, are starting to damage the strength of the economy. We will make sure that public authorities listen better to what local communities say about their transport wants and needs.
Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors from across Cambridgeshire then agreed to join forces and run the County Council in coalition. Their joint formal agreement includes a promise to
…focus on modal shift to encourage more residents out of their cars, along with infrastructure development, the encouragement of sustainable travel, and securing safe routes and connections for pedestrians and cyclists.”
Petersfield also returned 3 Labour city councillors who supported traffic reduction on Mill Road and took nearly half the vote between them; Romsey repeated the trick returning 3 Labour councillors with over half the vote.
July 2021 – Results of Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) consultation
The County Council restricted Mill Road bridge to traffic between June 2020 and August 2021 using an ETRO. A consultation was held as part of the Order which, despite attempts by opponents to subvert the result by actively encouraging individuals to make serial duplicate responses, and despite the fact that the consultation only called for objections not support, still showed a majority in favour of the restrictions.
5 May 2022 – City Council Elections
In Romsey, the Labour candidate who explicitly supported traffic restrictions on Mill Road was elected with 58% of the vote. In Petersfield, a similarly supportive candidate was elected with 56% of the vote.
May 2022: Formal Public Consultation findings
Cambridgeshire County Council commissioned the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) to carry out a thorough public consultation on the future of Mill Road. The consultation was well publicised and the subject of much lively debate in the local press and social media. It included 4 public meetings, 2 on zoom and 2 in person, one of which was in the evening to help as many people as possible to participate. Formal responses to the consultation were received from many interested groups, including Mill Road 4 People and the Mill Road Traders Association. People were able to give their views online, by email and by phone.
4 May 2023 – City and County Council Elections
Exactly the same story in City elections as in previous years – candidates explicitly endorsing traffic reduction were elected with 50% (Petersfield) and 46% (Romsey) of the vote. The Conservative candidate standing in Romsey rejected measures to reduce traffic and was defeated with 19% of the vote. A County Council byelection was held on the same day in Arbury and the Labour candidate was elected with 43% of the vote.
2 May 2024 – City Council Elections
More of the same: both the elected candidates had promised to reduce traffic on Mill Road and both received 52% of the vote. Other candidates stood on a platform of stopping any kind of restriction to traffic on Mill Road – and got 2% (Petersfield) and 10% (Romsey) of the vote.
In Conclusion…
It’s clear that it’s not the work of the County Council which is anti-democratic, it’s the interventions of the small minority of people who oppose any restrictions to traffic. And they are not only subverting democracy – they are also causing delays:
Pro-traffic campaigners worked to invalidate a previous consultation by encouraging people to make multiple submissions from different email addresses (https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/new-controversy-over-data-on-mill-road-bridge-consultation-9222742/). They did the same during the current consultation. They published a map allegedly showing that the local authority was planning to install many bus gates in Cambridge. The map was a fabrication.
They took legal action against a democratic Council decision with the sole purpose of delaying the implementation of restrictions and costing hard working taxpayers even more money.
Don’t let the few subvert the democratic wishes of the many – support the TRO consultation for a better Mill Road for everyone!