Council bid to improve transport in Cambridgeshire

Transport

links for Wisbech Bus Station could be improved after council chiefs agreed a

bid which could see nearly £5 million ploughed into improving transport.

Cambridgeshire

County Council has agreed to back the £4.981million bid for the Local

Sustainable Transport Fund.

If

successful the money would be spent on a range of projects over the next four

years, to improve transport choice. It would include improving cycling in the

whole of the county and just over £2.6 million on community transport schemes.

As

well as the bus station here Fenland would also see major investment in

improving transport links in places such as Chatteris town centre, March

Whittlesey and Manea stations as well as Doddington Hospital.

Schemes

to encourage car sharing or alternatives to the car for commuters will also be

funded.

As

part of improvements to community transport the bid includes setting up rail

partnerships to help provide better facilities at stations that have been asked

for and delivered locally.

There

will also be a major investment in cycling and walking in Cambridge and across

the county, with new links and parking for cycles. In Cambridge the bid will

look at helping to deliver the Chisholm trail as asked for by the cycling

campaign as well as improving junctions and areas that currently put people off

from cycling.

The

proposals have been put together by Cambridgeshire County Council, the

ditstrict and city councils and Cambridgeshire Horizons.

Cambridgeshire

County Councillor Roy Pegram, Cabinet Member for Growth, Infrastructure and

Strategic Planning, said: “We have worked closely with partner councils and

Cambridgeshire Horizons as well as listening to local residents to come up with

these schemes. In particular we want to boost transport in rural areas and give

residents more choice and more chance to influence what is happening locally

for them. These proposals offer a range of transport improvements and we hope

the Government will look at them very closely and back our bid.”