Published January 28th, 2012
Liberal Democrats launch petition against Tory bus cuts
Why are we waiting?
Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats have launched a petition to reverse the Tories’ 100 per cent cuts to rural bus services.
The petition, started by Liberal Democrat county councillor Susan van der Ven, “Stopping the cuts to bus services in Cambridgeshire” reads:
“We the people of Cambridgeshire are opposed to the Conservative County Council’s decision to scrap 100% of funding for subsidised buses, which led to an application for Judicial Review.
“Socially necessary bus services are vital to the whole of Cambridgeshire, especially for young people who need to access to centres of employment, those with mobility issues who wish to access the wider community and its resources, and for tackling the root problem of ‘rural isolation’.
“We also believe that the “Cambridgeshire Future Transport” project, to which half of bus funding has been transferred, is fundamentally flawed and not capable of delivering an adequate replacement for the existing public transport network, never mind the improved system that has been promised.
“We call on the Conservative administration to reinstate 100% of the cuts to bus funding and to conduct a systematic view of Cambridgeshire residents’ transport needs before making any changes to it.”
The petition can be found here: http://epetition.cambridgeshire.public-i.tv/epetition_core/view/Buses
Published January 25th, 2012
How would you improve transport in the south of Cambridge?
Transport and traffic are two of the hottest topics of debate in Cambridge. So I know there are lots of ideas for improving transport. Now it looks as though we may be able to put some of them into practice.
By law (Town & Country Planning Act 1990), councils may require money from developers to offset the impact of their developments. As this is laid out in Section 106 of the Act, the contribution is dubbed ‘Section 106 money’ by councillors. I do not know what the developers call it.
Cambridgeshire County Council is asking us for our ideas on how this money should be spent in the south of Cambridge. Projects should ‘mitigate the effect of the additional transport-related movements from new development’. The officers have come up with two proposals already:
- a link between the Hills Road Bridge and the Guided Busway cycle route
- a clean-up of signage on the ring road
They are asking us for further suggestions, and we shall be discussing proposals at the next South Area Committee on 5th March (Cherry Hinton Village Centre). So please let me have your brilliant ideas – come to the meeting too, if you can, as it is open to everyone. If you’d like to join in the discussion, why not post a comment here?
OK, I’ll get things started: My idea is signage and low-level lighting on the Guided Bus cycleway. What’s yours?
Published January 24th, 2012
Diamond Jubilee/ Olympics Street Parties
Are you considering a street party to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee or the Olympics this summer?
Cambridge City Council is waiving its usual road closure fees for parties in Cambridgeshire marking the Diamond Jubilee or the Olympic Games. The application process has been simplified too, to make it easier for people to mark the two big events. Anyone who would like to hold a party can contact the City Council on 507176, or visit the Council’s website on this topic.
People putting on the party as part of a group might also want to consider applying for a grant to help pay for it. The South Area Committee has funding for community events, and should contact the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation to find out how to apply – telephone 41535, or email info@cambscf.org.uk.
50 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT JUBILEES
The Queen is the oldest monarch to celebrate a Jubilee. But who was the youngest? Find out here:
