The ‘western orbital’ scheme, led by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), aims to provide new and fast links between key housing and employment centres to the west and south of Cambridge and are set to move forward in mid-September.
It would mean thousands of people who currently have travel through the city to get to work, schools or the main hospitals at Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC), would instead be able to travel around the city on new bus services, by bike or on foot. With expected growth at the CBC site and the introduction of any measures to manage congestion, it’s estimated additional P&R spaces in the south west of the city will be needed in the coming years.
Intermediate steps which will be presented to the Partnership’s Joint Assembly and Executive Board include:
- Park & Ride capacity: A proposal to create more ground-level spaces at Trumpington Road Park & Ride.
- ‘Smart motorway’: A proposal to ask (in conjunction with other local stakeholders) Highways England to consider turning the M11 hard shoulder into a ‘smart motorway’ between junctions 10-14. This would increase capacity and make traffic flow smoother and more safely, with less stop-starts, with the potential to improve bus journeys.
- Junction 11 slip road/s: An update on recent discussions with Highways England to improve the sliproad(s) at Junction 11, with a focus on bus movements.
- Girton Interchange: An update on recent discussions with Highways England for a potential upgrade to the Girton Interchange.
For more information, please visit the Western Orbital project page