Third time lucky for the Mayor’s plan to improve transport in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough?

Will the third attempt be the lucky one for the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, as he looks to get his plan to improve transport approved.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s proposed Local Transport and Connectivity Plan has faced months of setbacks.

Now a change in leadership at Peterborough City Council could potentially see the plan finally get approval.

The transport plan sets out the Combined Authority’s overall strategy to “deliver a modern, safe, and integrated transport system” across the region.

The Combined Authority hopes improvements to the transport network will support and create other benefits.

The plan sets out six main goals including helping to increase productivity; improving connectivity between communities; reducing emissions to net zero by 2050; protecting the environment with a “well-planned” transport network; helping people make “healthier journeys”; and improving safety.

A decision on whether to approve the plan was originally deferred at the request of the Mayor Dr Nik Johnson at a Combined Authority Board meeting in May.

The plans were then presented for approval at a Board meeting in September, but were vetoed by the then leader of Peterborough City Council, Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald.

However, Cllr Fitzgerald has now been removed as leader of the authority after he lost a vote of no confidence on November 1.

At the Combined Authority’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee this week (November 15) it appeared the city council had been brought on side after changes to the transport plan, as the authority’s representative on the committee said he supported the plan.

Councillor Anna Smith (Labour), chair of the committee, thanked the city council for “engaging positively in a short period of time”.

Councillor Gavin Elsey (Peterborough First) said he echoed these comments about the amount of work that had been undertaken in a short space of time to “get Peterborough to the point it can actually agree this and move this forward”.

He highlighted the recognition in the report of the “poor frequency” of buses in Peterborough, but said he would also like to see recognition of the “lack of connectivity between routes”.

Cllr Elsey said most services terminated at the Queensgate Bus Station and said many people could end up waiting 45 minutes to an hour for their next bus.

He said the bus station was not the best place to spend hours waiting in the evening and suggested this was having a “detrimental effect” on people wishing to use the buses.

He said this was a “serious issue” and asked for it to be looked at in more detail.

However, the revised plan still did not appease everyone on the committee, with Councillor Alan Sharp (Conservative) and Councillor Chris Seaton (Conservative) raising their concerns.

Cllr Sharp said the authority should not “just be relying on buses” suggesting that light rail needed to be looked at as well.

He also made reference to the previously proposed Cambridge congestion charge plans, which he said “seem parked for the moment until it is more convenient”.

Cllr Seaton said there were a lot of things in the plan that he did agree with, but said there were also things that gave him “great concern”, highlighting reference to the use of “fiscal powers” to shift people away from car use.

A majority of the committee members voted to recommend for the plan to be approved by the Board, including the representatives from Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council.

The plan is now expected to be presented to the Combined Authority Board once again for final approval. The Board is next scheduled to meet on November 29.