East Cambridgeshire
East Cambridgeshire is mainly rural, with about 81,000 people living in the district. Around 45 per cent of those people live in either Ely, Soham or Littleport, with the rest living in the many villages in the district.
The draft LTCP details challenges and solutions for transport in the region. The following is a short summary. You can read the full strategy for East Cambridgeshire
Key transport challenges
Car use
Most people rely on cars to travel. The last census said nearly 80 per cent of people’s trips to work were made by car or van, leading to congestion. Rural roads have a poor safety record.
Rail
Ely is well served by rail services, but there is overcrowding at times.
Cycling
Not enough infrastructure including paths and lanes, especially outside of Ely.
Commuting
Only 40 per cent of people who live in East Cambridgeshire also work there. The last census found that 21 per cent of people in East Cambridgeshire commute to Cambridge for work.
Busses
Regular services are limited to the main routes, from Ely to Cambridge via Stretham and Waterbeach, to Newmarket via Soham and to March via Chatteris. These services are also limited at evenings and weekends.
How the draft LTCP aims to make transport in East Cambridgeshire better
The proposed improvements to transport in East Cambridgeshire are shown here:
Our approach to better transport in East Cambridgeshire is summarised below. You can view the full strategy for East Cambridgeshire here.
Our approach
Better journeys to Cambridge
Improving the A10 and supporting more rail services and passenger capacity to reduce car use and congestion. A new Park and Ride at Waterbeach and a relocated Newmarket Road Park and Ride site will also improve journeys to Cambridge.
More cycling and walking
A new strategy to create cycling and walking routes that better link places of work, learning, healthcare, shopping, leisure facilities. Networks of routes around public transport hubs and town centres. The aim is to make cycling and walking the first choice for many for shorter journeys or as part of a longer journey. This would reduce car use and pollution, and help people get more active.
Improved rail
There will be more focus on increasing rail capacity around the bottleneck of Ely. The Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE) scheme would allow more rail services to Cambridge, Peterborough, Ipswich and Norwich. It will also improve services to the newly opened Soham Station.
Buses
More regular, reliable services between key places like Cambridge, Ely, Soham, Newmarket, March and Chatteris. Bus services will be more joined up with other public transport like rail and busways, places of work, shops and services. More demand-responsive transport (Uber style services) will support more rural communities.