Histon Road Scheme delayed

The Greater Cambridge Partnership‘s controversial ‘improvement’ scheme for Histon Road, which will see this key bus route disrupted by the road’s southbound closure for up to a year have been suspended. Works, which were scheduled to start in November 2019, are now expected to commence in April/May 2020.

Computer generated visualisation of the Histon Road scheme
[Image on Greater Cambridge Partnership website]

During the road closure traffic will be diverted from A14 junction 32 (Histon Road) to junction 33 (Milton Road). All city-bound buses will run via via Milton Road.

However, A14 upgrade works are currently affecting both these junctions.

The delay to the controversial ‘improvement’ scheme for Histon Road will allow the A14 works on these junctions to be completed before the Greater Cambridge Partnership scheme commences.

The decision was announced at the Greater Cambridge Partnership Executive Board meeting on Thursday 3^rd October 2019.

See Local Democracy Reporter Ben Hatton’s report Year-long closure of southbound Histon Road delayed so A14 junction work can be completed in the Cambridge Independent for more details.

Whilst this will be of benefit to all traffic and is, in our view, a sensible postponement, neither Cambridge Area Bus Users nor Histon Road Area Residents Association are happy about the major disruption these works will bring to their (already inadequate) bus services.

It has also been suggested that simple removal of on-street parking might provide most of the benefits for bus users, for little of the expense or disruption.

Would a simple removal of on-street parking give most of the benefits, for little of the expense or disruption?
[Image on Greater Cambridge Partnership website]

How much time will be saved on bus journeys – and how long the deficit of a year’s disruption will take to be recouped in a few minutes per bus journey – is a moot point.

Moreover, there is no guarantee that local residents will benefit from improved timings on Busway route B. Histon Road Area Residents Association‘s members are merely entitled to wave to lucky passengers on the B, but not to board the service, which currently runs non-stop along Histon Road. It is, explains Stagecoach East, ‘an express service’.

Excuse our loud ‘harrumph’ – route B is ‘express’ in Cambridge and on the Busway but, beyond there, gives ‘express’ passengers a scenic tour of Huntingdon’s Oxmoor Estate, stopping frequently…