Homeowner stunned as driveway blocked with crossing by Milton Road upgrade in Cambridge

A homeowner has demanded to know why the Greater Cambridge Partnership is proposing to plant a call-button post for a cycle crossing directly in front of his driveway.

Stewart Abrey was “astonished” when he discovered workmen marking out the place for the post which will partially block the entrance to Seeley’s Court off Milton Road.

The crossing is being installed as part of the £24m Milton Road upgrade project that has seen a new bus lane and cycle paths created.

The situation is complicated by the fact that the dropped kerb entrance to the complex had been widened before works started on Milton Road, but Mr Abrey had not yet applied for the widened access because the build at the site was incomplete.

However, the GCP has been working from previous Land Registry records and nothing was said to the homeowners before the crossing work was started.

Mr Abrey, who owns three of the six properties at the cul-de-sac – two of which are for his grown-up children –- said he would “physically” stop the work from happening if the GCP did not move the crossing after he had twice written to the authority.

He said: “I am absolutely astonished by what the GCP has done. I’ve found out that not only has the entrance to Seeley’s Court been substantially reduced from the original dropped kerb, I have been informed that there are two posts going in the ground, approximately quarter of the way across the entrance which will impede vehicles getting in and out of the driveway.

“The two proposed posts that are meant to go in the ground are in such a place that they are going to get knocked over by either cars coming in and out of the complex or by delivery vans and lorries trying to get in and out.

“At no point have we been made aware that the GCP would be reducing the access to the complex and I do not think it reasonable that this has been done without full consultation.”

He points out that the “obvious thing to do” would be to relocate the posts to the left-hand side of the cycle crossing point, which would then put the posts in line with where they are going to be on the opposite side of the road. However, after writing to the GCP twice the situation has not been resolved.

The multi-million pound scheme on Milton Road aims to provide faster, safer, and more reliable bus and active travel journeys between Cambridge and communities to the north of the city to help cut congestion and improve air quality.

A GCP spokesperson said: “We are delivering a new pedestrian crossing as part of our Milton Road project, which has been developed over many years and subject to extensive public consultation.

“The developer is now seeking to widen the access to the property which is not possible as the developer does not have permission to do so.

“The signal pole is necessary to support the delivery of the new crossing.”