Opinion: Let’s not forget bus benefits in Mill Road bus gate debate, says Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance

Opinion | Sarah Hughes, of Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance

You’d be forgiven over the past few weeks for thinking people had all but forgotten the ‘bus’ in ‘bus gate’. The benefits of a bus gate on Mill Road for bus services are significant and should be more prominent in the debate.

Firstly, buses often cannot run freely along Mill Road due to queuing traffic and illegally or inconsiderately parked vehicles, especially in peak hours. A bus gate would reduce the number of motor vehicles on the street, making bus services in the area faster and more punctual, improving journey times and reliability for passengers.

Secondly, pavements in many places on Mill Road are so narrow that people are often obliged to walk or wheel very near – or even on – Mill Road’s busy carriageway to get to the bus. Lower motor traffic levels would make accessing the bus much safer and more pleasant. This is especially important for families travelling with children, older people, and disabled people and their carers.

Thirdly, the number of buses running on the Route 2 (citi 2) bus route along Mill Road has been cut severely in recent years, from six buses an hour to three. These cuts are much more likely to be reversed with a bus gate in place.

If you are unmoved by the benefits of the proposed bus gate for bus users, consider instead that better bus services would benefit everyone travelling in the city. Solutions need to be found so more people can move freely on space-constrained roads at once. Buses can have a large impact as they are ‘crowd-shifters’ (a full double-decker bus is able to transport around 75 people). If more people choose to travel by bus instead of by car, congestion will reduce and getting around the city will be easier however you opt to make your journey. The impacts would be even greater if the bus gate were part of a wider scheme of bus priority infrastructure across the Cambridge area.

Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance recommends you respond in favour of the new Mill Road bridge TRO, considering the bus benefits as you do so.

The alliance is a coalition of 31 transport, health and environmental organisations – see a full list of members at cambstravelalliance.org/members.