Cambridge congestion charge plans revised after consultation

The congestion charge plans - which could be introduced in 2026 - have divided Cambridge residents

Revised and slightly watered-down plans for a congestion charge and expanded bus network in Cambridge have been published.

Car users would still pay £5 per day to drive in the city under the proposed Sustainable Travel Zone (STZ).

However, planners say charges will only apply during peak hours and drivers will be given 50 "free days".

More than half of people said they opposed the STZ as part of a consultation.

The proposals to try to limit vehicle travel in the city and cut emissions have proved controversial with demonstrations and rallies being held in support of and in opposition to the idea.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), a body of councils, businesses and academia, said the scheme could be in place by 2026.

A spokesman said the scaled-back plans would raise £26m per year - rather than £50m - but would still fund a cheaper new bus network.

Greater Cambridge Partnership chief executive Rachel Stopard said the "updated measures are not the preferred option" but that "we have listened" to feedback.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to future-proof our public transport network and reduce our dependency on the car by creating a low cost, secure, reliable and viable option for residents, workers, students and visitors," she said.

"We simply cannot afford to do nothing - the growth of our city's economy means that we need to urgently solve the problem of congestion that blights our roads."

Conservative transport secretary Mark Harper previously asked planners to go "back to the drawing board"

The GCP originally proposed a £5 charge for drivers between 07:00 and 19:00 on weekdays.

More than 24,000 people responded to a public consultation and government's Transport Secretary Mark Harper said planners needed to go "back to the drawing board".

The reviewed plan for the STZ includes:

• Weekday charging 07:00-10:00 and 15:00-18:00, at £5 for cars, £10 for vans and £50 for HGVs

• 50 free days per year for drivers travelling into the STZ

• A 50% discount for locally-owned small-to-medium sized enterprises using HGVs and vans

• A 50% discount for people on low incomes

• Exemptions for most people who needed to travel to hospital by car, or those in receipt of carer benefits and mobility personal independent payments

• No charges for motorbikes

The GCP hopes the charges will fund its overhaul of public transport, which it says will start with more frequent buses and 30 electric buses which have already been introduced.

Flat-rate £1 bus fares, larger park and ride sites and increased electric vehicle charging points were also planned.

Some 58% of people who responded to the consultation said they opposed the initial STZ proposals, although 70% were in favour of an expanded transport network.

The GCP is made up of people from Cambridge City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council - run by a mixture of Labour, Liberal Democrat and independents - as well as the University of Cambridge and the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority Business Board.

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