The County Council’s proposals for parking management in the south of Cambridge (from Mill Road down to Queen Edith’s and over to Trumpington) are being revealed at some public exhibitions this month (November). The first of these exhibitions is in Queen Edith’s, at the Wulfstan Way Chapel, on 14 November, in the afternoon and evening. The Council also promises that the plans will be on its website.
This is a really serious and possibly far-reaching plan, which has been several years in the making. It’s important that as residents, we study the plan and provide as much feedback as possible. If we find ourselves next year with roads jammed or unwanted parking charges, it’ll be no use saying: “I wish I’d made my views known at the time”.
I’m not sure there’s a single Council-managed activity which gets people in this area more agitated than parking. Whether it’s having nowhere to park ourselves, or having our driveways (and roads!) blocked by inconsiderate parking, the topic affects the majority of people in Queen Edith’s, especially with the impact of Addenbrooke’s staff and the Sixth Form College students. The Council has to try to balance the needs and wants of many different people, and I doubt if it can come up with a plan which will be acceptable to everyone. Politically, the ruling group on the County Council will be more sympathetic to the commuters from the villages than they will be to the residents of the city, which is why it’s important that we make our views known. I have heard council staff describe on-street parking in Cambridge as “an asset”, which in council-speak means it’s something which should be exploited and possibly even monetised. For those of us who would rather see our streets completely clear, that’s a scary concept.
The Queen Edith’s Labour survey had an overwhelming response from residents – parking being the issue of main concern. I produced a report on the responses that we had and fed it back to the County Council Officer in charge of the South Area Parking review. The issue has been ongoing in Queen Edith’s [and other wards] for far too long and we need to keep pressure up on the County, and make sure that we get the restrictions that we want.