The Busway
The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) proposes to build a 14 metre wide, tarmac and concrete "guided busway", cutting across the fields from Babraham, Sawston, Shelford & Stapleford to Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC).
There would also be a giant car park built South of Babraham.
GCP states the purpose of the busway is "to prevent congestion on the A1307". But the GCP’s busway doesn't prevent congestion, it only takes some buses off the A1307 by carving a new route through the greenbelt.
The route proposed for the busway will include bus stops on the edges of the villages. However, these are far from village centres and won’t have any car parking, so they will provide little benefit to residents.
GCP's proposed route will result in blocks of uneconomic farmland, creating an opportunity for developers to infill with new houses. This will mean even greater pressure on our countryside and green belt.
The GCP’s busways will also cut across roads on the edge of villages, requiring level-crossings which will disrupt traffic on all East-West roads.
Is this a success story or a misguided concept?
The original idea was for all bus solutions to travel on a tram track and on roads (the Cambridge Autonomous Metro) – but this ambition was shelved. We believe that the political decision makers have ‘morphed’ the issue of providing transport to support economic growth on the biomedical corridor, with other needs; reduced congestion, lower emission levels and improved city-village transport choices for residents.
Q&A
Will the busway reduce carbon emissions?
No because commuters must drive to the new park & ride south of Babraham before they get on public transport. The construction of such a large infrastructure project will use huge amounts of carbon.
Will the busway improve transport for the villages?
No because the bus stops are on the edge of the villages and Stapleford and Shelford can use existing transport provision, such as trains and cycle paths. For residents there is risk that the busway results in a reduction in other bus services through the villages.
Will the busway reduce congestion?
Not really because motorists are encouraged to drive to the new park & ride south Babraham, so only on the A1307 between Addenbrookes roundabout and Hinton Way will have some benefit.
BW4B! questions the cost, environmental damage and benefits of GCP's ‘guided’ busways.