Waterbeach greenway: Milton residents voice safety fears over cycling ‘superhighway’ past their front doors

Residents fear that a ‘cycling superhighway’ that would run past people’s front doors could be dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists alike.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership is consulting on a new route for the Waterbeach Greenway, which is now proposed to slice directly through the centre of Milton.

A previous plan involved the greenway running along the railway line from Waterbeach to end up at Cambridge North. Officers at the GCP now believe that plan would be too expensive due to its flood risk.

But villagers have expressed concerns and cycling campaign group Camcycle is also unconvinced.

The cycling charity has suggested three options. The first is installing a modal filter bus gate on Milton High Street to prevent private cars from driving through and to make more space for pedestrians and cyclists, they say this would be the “most transformative choice. Alternatively, the group suggests making the High Street one-way or, a third option would be reducing speed limits to ensure safety.

Cllr Jane Coston, the vice chair of Milton Parish Council, said: “The council was so concerned about the proposals that the GCP were suggesting for the roads and cycleways in Milton that we organised a public meeting.”

That meeting, on November 2 at All Saints Church, was packed with around 175 people attending.

Speaking on a personal basis after the meeting, Paul Ellwood, who is also a parish councillor, said: “This is yet another GCP project which divides communities, pitching pedestrians, cyclists and motorists against each other and failing to please anyone.”

Hazel Smith, chair of the parish council, also speaking in a personal capacity, said: “Milton Parish Council has been aware of these proposals for a couple of months, and at every new presentation we've identified more issues that we are concerned about.

“Taking this cycle superhighway through Milton village, directly outside people's front doors, with no safe defended space for pedestrians is doing nothing for safety in the village. The current situation with cycles on the road through the middle of the village is safer.

“We can see that more cyclists may use this route in the future and we welcome more zebra or parallel crossings.”

Meanwhile, Don Wildman, a nother parish councillor speaking in a personal capacity, said that residents “deserve a better solution to provide greenway connectivity from the large developments of Waterbeach and North East Cambridge that does not drive an inadequate cycling commuter route through the heart of the village.” He argued: “Neither the GCP or Camcycle suggestions meet that critical need.”

Concerns were heard in the public meeting from residents about the proposed shared path of pedestrians and cyclists through Milton. One said: “Do we want to ruin the High Street? The route could go by the dualling of the A10. This is an opportunity to make Milton safer.”

Another attendee rraised the question of why five cycle routes from Waterbeach were needed, citing Mere Way, the guided bus cycle path, the dualling of the A10 to provide a cycle path, the towpath and current route through Milton.

The Waterbeach Greenway is proposed by the GCP to “provide a safer and better route for people walking, cycling and, where appropriate, horse-riding, between Waterbeach, Milton village and Cambridge North Railway Station,” officers say.

Subject to a public consultation, which will run until December 8, the revised 5.5-km greenway would start on Cambridge Road in Waterbeach before using a new, off-road path along land behind Car Dyke Road. It would then continue along a new, off-road bridleway, through fields behind the A10 as far as Ely Road, where it would then continue through Milton village. From here it would use the Jane Coston Bridge over the A14 and join upgraded paths and cycle-tracks on Cowley Road on to Cambridge North railway station and the Chisholm Trail.

Thomas Fitzpatrick, head of the GCP programme, said: “The previous route – which ran alongside the railway line – is no longer feasible due to the cost required to create an embankment due to the risk of flooding in the area. The significant additional costs would mean the scheme would be undeliverable and, as our region grows, it is vital we put better infrastructure in place to help people travel to where they need to go.”

He added: “As these revised plans are still at an early stage of development, we encourage everyone to help shape the proposals by sharing their views before the public consultation closes on 8 December.”

Camcycle welcomes the idea of the Waterbeach Greenway but believes the new plans are “not good enough”.

It said: “This route needs to be a lot better for pedestrians, with separate space for people walking and cycling wherever possible. This route does not align with national guidance on cycle infrastructure design, which does not recommend shared-use paths in busy pedestrian areas. On some narrow sections of the proposed route, people walking, cycling and wheeling will be squeezed onto a path with an effective width below two metres.”

Referring to the narrow point of Milton High Street, north of Coles Road, Camcycle added: "The GCP proposes to continue a shared-use path and where the highway narrows, to simply narrow the path. It also highlights Coles Road as an alternative route, but without enough improvements to make this street a safe and enjoyable route. Their proposal along the High Street shows it is only possible in places to deliver a 2.5-metre wide path, because the path is next to the road with a wall on the other side. Its effective width - the width that is actually possible for people to use - will be 1.5 metres.”

To allow the cycling and pedestrian area to be widened, Camcycle suggests installing a modal filter bus gate on the high street, explaining: “This would be the most transformative intervention, creating a low-car environment within Milton and allowing people to cycle safely on the road and to walk safely on the pavements.”

Alternatively, it suggests the GCP should make the High Street a northbound one-way street, suggesting: “This option would provide space for the cycle path to continue along the full length of the High Street.”.

To complete the consultation, visit https://consultcambs.uk.engagementhq.com/gcp-waterbeach-greenway