Cambridge railway station’s Cycle Point bike parking facility to get £530,000 upgrade and better CCTV
A £530,000 grant will fund an upgrade by Greater Anglia of Cambridge railway station’s Cycle Point bicycle parking facility.
The money will pay for improved security, including an upgraded CCTV system, along with better signage and accessibility at the site, which cyclists have long complained has been blighted by thefts.
It is part of a partnership project to upgrade cycle parking arrangements at the station.
Sustrans, in partnership with Brookgate, Cambridge City Council and the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) awarded the grant.
The train operator is now due to start work on improvements developed in consultation with the Cambridge Cycle Point task group – a sub-group of the Cambridge Cycle Crime Prevention Group.
Greater Anglia said the changes will involve:
a CCTV upgrade, linking it to Greater Anglia’s new system which records much higher definition images, is more reliable and allows for remote viewing. Phase two of the CCTV upgrade will see the cameras linked to the Cambridge City public camera network that can be monitored by Cambridgeshire Constabulary and other police networks;
- modifying the Cycle Point’s current 24-hour open access arrangement to help reduce cycle theft. Greater Anglia will explore the opportunity to install access controls in consultation with Cycle Point customers;
- the installation of a speaker system to provide security announcements and warnings to would-be thieves or vandals;
- improvements to signage to help customers find their way around the facility and find and use the secure cycle parking;
- and accessibility improvements for those using cargo bikes, tricycles or adapted bikes, as well as those with disabilities, carrying small children in bike seats or who do not have the strength to push bikes up a slope or cannot use the ramps. This will include increasing the number of accessible spaces on the ground floor and ensuring adequate directional signage to this area.
Simone Bailey, Greater Anglia director of asset management, said: “We’re delighted to have received this funding to improve security and accessibility at Cycle Point.
“We take our customers’ security very seriously and have worked closely with our partners to identify the necessary enhancements which will help to increase customer and stakeholder confidence in the facility.”
Cllr Elisa Meschini, chair of the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s executive board, said: “These upgrades will not only help to provide greater security at Cycle Point, but they will help to encourage more people to travel more sustainably by bike and public transport to help improve congestion on our roads and the quality of the air we breathe.”
Cllr Katie Thornburrow, executive councillor for planning policy and transport at Cambridge City Council, said, “This is excellent news for everyone using the rail station and will do a lot to encourage cycling in Cambridge, which is a priority for the city council.
“There has already been significant work to make cycling a first choice for active travel at the station and elsewhere in the cty, and this additional government funding will make a big difference.
“We look forward to working with Greater Anglia and other partners to deliver more secure and accessible cycle parking, making the best possible use of this very welcome investment.”
And Cambridgeshire’s police and crime commissioner Darryl Preston added: “This is welcome news for people living and working in Cambridge. I set out my commitment to listening and acting on the concerns of local people in my Police and Crime Plan and one of the issues regularly highlighted was cycle crime. Today’s announcement is the result of some excellent partnership work and the dedicated resources this funding will bring should help reassure local people that their concerns about security are being addressed.”
Meanwhile, the mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, said: “This is very good news. Investing in safer cycling routes and more secure bike parking is an important way to help people feel confident about pedalling to public transport hubs, where they can jump on a train or a bus, instead of using the car.
“Cambridge has always been celebrated as a cycling city and we need to make it easier for more people to leave the car behind. We must invest more in active travel, whether cycling or walking, and link it into good public transport.
“It’s better in every way - for health, for air quality and for pushing back against climate change.”
The award is part of a broader £3million package of funding from Active Travel England, the government’s new cycling and walking executive agency, which is aimed at improving cycling infrastructure around train stations across the country.
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