Petition calls for rejection of Cambridge Metro report

A group of Cambridge residents are calling the £150,000 report 'flawed' and 'incomplete'.

A petition is calling for a report about the options for a mass transit system in Cambridge to be rejected on the grounds that it is ‘flawed’ and ‘incomplete’.

The report, which will be presented to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority today (Wednesday), was to evaluate and recommend the most appropriate mass transport solution for the city.

The report recommends a Cambridgeshire Metro system. But Smarter Cambridge Transport chair Edward Leigh says the report has “not followed the brief”.

He continued: “For instance, the authors have evaluated conceptual schemes such as Cambridge Connect and AVRT, rather than evaluating mass transit technologies on a like-for-like basis. The report does little more than collate information that is already in the public domain.

“It lacks the detail, depth and critical analysis we should expect from a consultancy of Steer Davies Gleave’s standing.

“The budget for this report was £150,000. In our view, if the report cost anything close to that figure, it represents extraordinarily poor value for money.”

The Combined Authority will be asked to approve £600,000 to develop a business case.