Response to Highways Agency A14 Consultation October 2013 and Request to Become Formal

3 October 2013

62 Boxworth End

Swavesey

Cambs CB24 4RA

01223 748434

Dear Sirs/Madam,

Response to Highways Agency A14 consultation October 2013 and request to become formal consultees

A14NMU is a campaign group set up by Swavesey Bridleways, Cyclists Touring Club (Cambridge), Cambridge Cycle Campaign, Ramblers Association (Cambridge) and Sustrans (Cambridge) to ensure that Non-Motorised User (NMU) provision is included in the A14 Improvement Plans, in order to help create a positive legacy that enhances the reputation and attractiveness of Cambridgeshire.

We request to join the consultation process as formal consultees please and we look forward to working with the Highways Authority, consultees and other local authorities over the coming months and years to progress this.

Our website is: http://www.a14nmu.co.uk

We welcome other NMU groups and interested parties to join our campaign.

Below is our briefing document, which forms our response to the current Highways Agency A14 consultation process. We are circulating it widely in order to inform and accommodate our campaign progress.

Other recipients of our briefing document are invited to use our document’s contents when facilitating their own responses throughout the consultation process too.

Yours faithfully,

Sue Rogers on behalf of A14NMU team:

Jim Chisholm (Cambridge Cycle Campaign),

Rupert Goode (Cyclists Touring Club Cambridge),

Robin Heydon (Cambridge Cycle Campaign),

Avril Monmont (British Horse Society Cambridge),

Sue Rogers (Swavesey Bridleways), , 01223 748434

Rohan Wilson (Sustrans Cambridge),

Lisa Woodburn (Ramblers Association Cambridge),

(Responses/queries can be sent to all of us, or just to Sue who will circulate to all team members).

GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR NMU PROVISIONAS PART OF THE A14 IMPROVEMENT SCHEME (Sept 2013)

Introduction

The network of footpaths, bridleways, byways and other Rights of Way (RoW) is one of the most treasured features of Britain. These routes are well used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders - collectively known as “Non-Motorised Users” (NMUs).

Inevitably, major road developments have to cut across existing RoW and historically many of the cut routes have either been effectively extinguished or subject to long diversions. The existing A14 is a typical example, where only a minority of these routes were fully preserved with a desire-line crossing via bridges or underpasses. And as traffic volumes have increased, the disruption to RoWs has increased as the road crossing points have also become difficult to use safely.

Our aim is to help the A14 improvement scheme to avoid repeating this historic disregard for the needs of NMUs. This is good for our health, good for the environment and good economics. And it is far more cost effective to include good quality NMU facilities as part of the original design.

We will be working with the Highways Authority through the consultation and design process to ensure that high quality, segregated NMU routes both parallel to the A14 and permeating across it safely are included in the design. This means preserving all existing RoW, restoring lost RoW and creating new attractive and safe NMU routes.

We will be pressing the Highways Agency to deliver all of these NMU routes in order to fully achieve their positive statements in the A14/2013 consultation brochure:

[page 8] The scheme will improve connections between people and communities and create a safer road network. It will also provide a positive legacy for the region.

[page 9] connecting communities by keeping heavy through-traffic out of villages, by reducing community severance, and by de-trunking the former A14 through Huntingdon to prioritise local needs.

[page 9] creating a positive legacy that enhances the reputation and attractiveness of Cambridgeshire and which establishes a distinctive gateway to a region known for excellence in science and learning.

NMU General Principles

This document sets out four general “NMU principles” that should apply to all elements of this development. All of these NMU principles are needed.

NMU PRINCIPLE 1: CREATE SEGREGATED MULTI-USE PATHS ALONGSIDE ALL NEW ROADS

High quality segregated NMU paths to be provided alongside all the new local roads and alongside the detrunked sections of the A14. The expected standard is a segregated wide path suitable for all NMUs (i.e. walkers, cyclists and horse riders) on one or both sides of the roadway of comparable quality to the busway bridleway.

The suggested layout should have both a tarmac portion and an adjacent grass strip for equestrian use and with the whole path separated from the main carriageway with a wide verge that includes a hedge (or other barrier) to mitigate night time dazzle. An example layout is shown below.

The full NMU path (both grass and tarmac sections) should be formally designated as a public bridleway and added to the definitive map to establish a permanent RoW along these routes. 4m tarmac (cycles and pedestrian)3m grass (horses & pedestrian)Carriagewaygrass verge with hedge or fence3m grass verge (3 cuts/year)4m tarmac (similar to busway)sound and light barrier(as wide as possible)

Examples of this principle:

Example 1: The three new local access roads (Girton Interchange to Dry Drayton on SW side) (Dry Drayton to Bar Hill on NE side) AND (Bar Hill to Fen Drayton on NE side) should be designed to incorporate high quality NMU provision (as above) on at least one side. In other words we can accept unidirectional paths on both sides or a bidirectional path on one side if the quality is good enough.

Example 2: The detrunked section of the A14 will provide ample width for NMU provision. Preferably, one of the two carriageways should be converted to NMU use with similar or better standard as above. The other carriageway could then be a normal A road, with 2 lanes. Alternatively, if a dual carriageway road is retained a significant portion of each carriageway should be converted into a wide segregated high quality NMU path (as above).

NMU PRINCIPLE 2: IMPROVE AND RESTORE RoW AND NMU PERMEABILITY ACROSS THE OLD A14 ROUTE

All RoW crossings of the existing A14 to be restored and improved. Specifically, any RoW routes that were closed or have been rendered unusable by traffic barriers and/or traffic volumes should be restored. General NMU permeability should be also be improved by providing high quality segregated routes and crossings alongside the side roads wherever NMU use is impractical because traffic speeds and/or volumes are too high.

Better use can be made of existing accommodation structures to improve RoW for NMUs.

Examples of this principle:

Example 1: The Swavesey to Boxworth connection should be improved with new segregated facilities that connect into the planned cyclepath between Swavesey and Buckingway Business Park. New segregated paths should be added to extend this segregated route over the new A14 crossing and continue onwards towards Boxworth with the path ending well beyond the Cambridge services (which will likely become larger and busier). It should also provide good connections into the NMU routes along the new local roads (i.e. link to the NMU routes described in Principle 1).

Example 2: The Bar Hill junction should be designed to have fully connected NMU routes: we assume this can use a new NMU bridge across the A14 that is shown on the indicative plans. It should connect into the planned cyclepath to Longstanton (alongside the B.1050) to the north and also provide good segregated connections into all parts of Bar Hill. It should also provide good connections into the NMU routes along the new local roads (i.e. link to the NMU routes described in Principle 1).

NMU PRINCIPLE 3 NO DETRIMENT TO NMU ROUTES ACROSS AND ADJACENT TO THE NEW A14 SOUTHERN BYPASS

The new Southern A14 bypass to not cause any detriment to existing NMU routes and RoW either directly or indirectly. Specifically the new road must not break or divert any existing RoW that cross the road: all existing RoW should have direct desire line crossing points of the new road either as bridges or underpasses: at-grade NMU crossings are completely unacceptable as this will be a major road. Equally, the expected increased traffic volumes on adjacent main roads will require additional NMU measures on these roads to maintain safe routes and safe crossing points for NMUs.

Examples of this principle:

Example 1: A new segregated NMU route and crossings must be added alongside the A1198 to main the NMU road connection between Hilton and Graveley. The A1198 will see much increased traffic volumes due to the new junction with the Southern bypass and the work must include additional NMU provision to mitigate this impact of the new bypass.

Example 2: A new safe crossing of the A428 will be needed to allow NMUs to continue to use the N-S road crossing at Croxton between Graveley and Abbotsley to mitigate the expected increase in traffic levels resulting from the new roads.

NMU PRINCIPLE 4 CREATE IMPROVED NMU PERMEABILITY AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF NEW JUNCTION DESIGNS

The new or modified junctions that will be built as part of the A14 improvements must include fully segregated NMU routes. At-grade NMU crossings of fast slip roads on the approach to roundabouts are unacceptable even if signal controlled crossings are fitted. Segregated NMU routes are needed to provide safe NMU permeability across these junctions and these NMU routes must form part of the initial design and construction. These routes should also be fully integrated into the wider NMU networks, including the new paths resulting from Principle 1.

Examples of this principle:

Example 1: The permeability of the Girton interchange should be radically improved for NMUs with new separate segregated NMU routes included as part of the redesign of this junction. Specifically NMU routes should be created to connect from Huntingdon Rd and Girton across the middle of this interchange to the local roads to Dry Drayton and Madingley. Effectively, the design should incorporate a segregated NMU interchange for all these routes that can be used by all NMUs. Due to the high traffic speeds and volumes, there must be no at-grade crossings of the M11, the A14 or the A428 roads: all crossings should be via underpasses or bridges. Existing accommodation bridges over the A428 and under the M11 could be used to provide some of these NMU connections.

The indicative plans show a new NMU route via an accommodation bridge near to Girton that connects via a new cyclepath to the road between Oakington and Dry Drayton. This is welcome and this must be built as a high quality surface routed as described in Principle 1. However, this route only provides a small part of the needed connectivity. There should also be alternative desire-line NMU connections alongside the A1307 into Huntingdon Road on both sides. Equally important the NMU connectivity needs to be expanded to provide desire-line connections north into Girton and desire-line connections south to Madingley and Dry Drayton as part of the wider NMU interchange detailed above.

Example 2: The permeability of the new A14 roundabouts and junctions in Huntingdon (where the ends of the detrunked A14 terminate) should be designed to include new segregated NMU routes to provide NMU connections into Huntingdon, to the railway station and to Godmanchester. Segregated routes are needed at these junctions because traffic speeds and volumes will be too high for safe traversal by NMUs.

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A14NMU: October 2013