Return to restrictions on Mill Road take step forward

Plans that could see the return of access restrictions to Mill Road in Cambridge have taken a step forward.

Cambridgeshire County Council has agreed to consult on whether to reinstate a modal filter in the road that would restrict access to some vehicles.

The decision comes after an “extensive consultation” by the Greater Cambridge Partnership found that the majority of people who responded supported motor vehicles being restricted from crossing the Mill Road bridge.

In June 2020, the county council closed the bridge to traffic, except buses, pedestrians and cyclists.

The bridge was reopened in summer 2021, but the county council tasked the GCP with asking people for their views on what the future of Mill Road should look like.

A report presented at a meeting of the highways and transport committee yesterday (Tuesday) said the consultation “clearly supported” reintroducing some access restrictions, but with “some important caveats”.

The committee unanimously agreed that it should consult on putting a Traffic Regulation Order in place to reinstate the modal filter in Mill Road.

It was also agreed that the county council should also consult on exemptions to this order, including for people with disabilities and taxis.

Some public speakers spoke at the meeting in support of the plans, including representatives from groups such as Mill Road for People, who said the consultation had “proved conclusively what they had always known”.

They also said they could see “no reason to delay” the bridge closure following the support shown in the consultation.

A representative from Camcycle urged the committee to move forward with the plans.

However, some still had concerns, including a representative from Mill Road Traders’ Association, who said the closure had created conflict between people in the area. He said everyone supported creating a better life and cleaner air, but added that any new plans should be something everyone was happy with.

Cllr Mac McGuire (Con, Yaxley and Farcet) said he had been one of the councillors who supported the reopening of the bridge, but now supported the plans to consult on reintroducing the restrictions.

He said: “I hope in due course we will arrive at a decision that suits the majority of people and will result in proper discussion amongst the different groups, and result in a solution that actually benefits the whole of Cambridge.”

Cllr Peter McDonald (Lib Dem, Duxford) said the situation was different to 12 months ago, highlighting the GCP’s consultation on a new road classification for Cambridge.

He added: “The consultation responses are pretty clear that the community are looking for, if not exactly the situation that existed with the bridge closure, then something close to it, and I think we can not ignore that.”

Cllr Gerri Bird (Lab, Chesterton), who cast the deciding vote at a previous meeting to allow the bridge to reopen, said it was good the consultation had taken place, so that “people had a voice”.

Committee chair Cllr Alex Beckett (Lib Dem, Queen Edith’s) stressed that the decision to consult on reintroducing restrictions was not a final decision on the issue.

Cllr Beckett added that looking at the responses he believed through traffic to be the main issue, not access.

He said he hoped the county council would get to the point where it could prevent through traffic, but still allow access, in particular he highlighted for businesses ‘to allow them to thrive’.