Cambridge 1950 home page | legal notice
What amazing proposals for transport development in central Cambridge (further details). The Lion Yard car park (in the middle of the map) was eventually built in the suggested location on Corn Exchange Street but none of the accompanying road upgrades ever happened and access both to and from the car park is awful (and made even worse now that Silver Street is closed during the day). Indeed, the current government strategy seems to be to make the car park as undesirable as possible for both access and cost reasons while at the same time claiming to the relevant commercial interests that enough central parking is being provided.
The suggestion for the Drummer Street bus station was that it should be extended south onto land which eventually became the Bradwell Court shopping area (in 1962). This extension was a good idea and unfortunately it never happened so the main traffic problem in the Drummer Street area today is bus congestion. In more recent times it has been suggested that the bus station should instead be extended north onto Christ's Pieces. This has been vociferously opposed by the chattering classes because of the loss of some magnificent old trees. So what the chattering classes of the 1950s made of the proposal to put a road smack across the middle of Christ's Pieces can only be imagined.
The suggested upgrade to the Four Lamps roundabout (at the top right of the map) also never happened, in particular the proposal to close off King Street at that roundabout (it is closed in one direction). In 1950 Victoria Avenue was the busiest road in Cambridge so upgrading the roundabout made some sense, but after the Elizabeth Way Bridge was built it became less important.
The small spur seen at the top left is the end of the proposed spine road.
Cambridge 1950 home page | legal notice