Battle for car ban on bridge costs council £26,800

Tony and Julie use Mill Road bridge to get to local shops and cafes

A council's legal fight to ban most cars from a city bridge has cost it nearly £27,000.

Cambridgeshire County Council wanted to introduce traffic restrictions on Mill Road bridge in Cambridge, but its proposals were challenged by a local campaign group.

Court documents show it now has to pay costs to the claimant, Friends of Mill Road Bridge, after agreeing to quash the case.

The authority has now launched a consultation to get people's views on a bus gate, which some people welcome but others argue could "ruin" local business.

'It's very difficult'

Tony and Julie use Mill Road Bridge to get to local shops and cafes and welcome the idea of restricting vehicles there.

"I would prefer it," said Julie, a cyclist. "I usually walk up [the bridge] and bike down."

Tony, who uses a mobility scooter, said: "There's not a lot of room on the paths for me and people walking by, it's very difficult."

John Bull said his carpet shop relied on through-traffic on Mill Road

However, many businesses are worried about the prospect of introducing a bus gate.

John Ball, who runs Cut Price Carpets, said he would have "no option but to close" if restrictions went ahead.

"There are rolls of carpet here you can't take on a bicycle, it physically needs to be transported by car," he said.

Ezzedine Ben-Hafsia said he would move to another location if the bus gate was reintroduced

Ezzedine Ben-Hafsia, who runs Cambridge Phone Hub, said it would "not be good" if restrictions returned to Mill Road.

In June 2020, the council temporarily introduced a bus gate, which lasted for 11 months.

"It didn't help us at all, it just ruined our business to be honest," he said.

A florist on Mill Road, Tanya, said restrictions on the bridge should only be allowed at certain times.

"So, it's open to the general public, until four or five o'clock," she suggested.

"Then we can have deliveries, businesses don't suffer and the public still get their nice pedestrianised area for restaurants and cafes later on in the day."

Mill Road in Cambridge was temporarily closed to most cars in 2020

The consultation lasts until midnight on 13 September - a longer timeframe than usual to account for the summer holidays.

In a statement, Cambridgeshire County Council said the consultation was an alternative to spending "money and time" on continuing the court case.

"We'd like to apologise for the time this has taken thus far and recognise the frustration people have expressed locally," it said.