Date published: 2006/06/06
The Cambridge Evening News says:
The thoughts of Michael Wiseman certainly matter when it comes to the future of Cambridge's shops.
Mr Wiseman is the chairman of the Cambridge Retail and Commercial Association (CRACA) as well as director of The Grafton centre.
And according to Mr Wiseman a bypass - not congestion charging - would solve all of Cambridge's problems.
Mr Wiseman said: "If the Government wants to improve access to Cambridge then it should speed up the improvements to the A14; provide the finance for the guided bus, without delay, and accept more radical solutions to the area's traffic problems like building a southern bypass for Cambridge - what's good enough for Baldock is good enough for Cambridge."
The debate over congestion charging has gathered momentum since Cambridgeshire County Council looked into charging motorists £4 a day to enter the city.
Mr Wiseman said: "CRACA accepts that with projected growth 'to do nothing is not an option' but we must see improvements to the speed and quality of bus services before we look at more radical solutions like congestion charging.
Without this, congestion charging will merely send more of our customers to competing towns and cities, causing local independent businesses to fail and even more cars blocking up the A14 and other trunk routes, increasing damage to the environment.
"CRACA is keen to work with Cambridgeshire County Council to find ways of overcoming the increased access problems that the planned growth will bring to Cambridge but does not believe that congestion charging is the right solution at this time."
Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce is also concerned by a possible introduction of congestion charging.
John Bridge, chamber chief executive, is planning to stage meetings of city businesses to collectively oppose any potential change.
He said: "This is an indication of how seriously we see the challenge of congestion charging to the prosperity of business in Cambridge.
"In London, there is a proper public transport system in place. There is nothing of the sort in Cambridge. Surrounding cities are rubbing their hands with glee because they know people will just not go to Cambridge."
Wiseman must be an optimist. You can name several sensible road projects but most of them will never get built because the Cambridge ruling elite hate cars. The "NIAB" site bordered by Histon Road and Huntingdon Road and the Cambridge city boundary is soon to get between a thousand and two thousand homes dumped on it. (So the current land owners will become instant millionaires, and the lead developer as well.) One logical piece of infrastructure would be a road along the edge of the development connecting Histon Road to Hungtingdon Road. But that is the one thing that is not going to happen.
The last major road built in Cambridge was Elizabeth Way, around 35 years ago. We will allegedly soon get a link road from the M11/A10 to Addenbrookes, but no doubt that will be badly designed and implemented because the Cambridge ruling elite hate cars.
If Bar Hill had a decent exit off the A14 (instead of the laughable road junction that now exists) and if they expanded their shopping area to have more than just Tesco, then they would clean up. Lots of Cambridge people who live on the west/north side of town would just get in their cars and drive out of town up the A14 to go shopping. (This already happens to some extent but Tesco is but one shop.)
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