Date: 05 September 2007 17:35

PUBLIC TRANSPORT IMPROVEMENT WORKS SET FOR CITY CENTRE

Works are set to start in the Drummer Street area of Cambridge to improve 
bus services, reduce congestion, improve safety and enhance the environment.

The works follows an extensive public consultation where the majority of bus 
passengers, cyclists and pedestrians agreed that a scheme to improve the 
look and feel of the whole area would make things better and safer for them.

 The work in Drummer Street, St. Andrew's Street and Emmanuel Street is due 
to start on September 10 and is phase four of a wider programme, known as 
the Core Traffic Scheme, to improve the historic city centre of Cambridge. 
Phase four includes over £1.5 million worth of improvements in the central 
bus area.

Phase four in particular will ease bus congestion along Emmanuel Street by 
making the street one way from Drummer Street towards St. Andrew's Street 
and having bus stops only on one side. This provides much better separation 
between passengers boarding and alighting buses and other pedestrians in the
areas.

Between now and Christmas we will be working primarily in Drummer Street and 
St. Andrew's Street. In Drummer Street our work focuses on replacing the 
current taxi rank with three new bus stops. The new rank will be on the 
northern side of Drummer Street but will need to be relocated to a temporary 
position in Emmanuel Road during some phases of construction. We will also 
be reconstructing some areas of the road that are in very poor condition.

In St. Andrew's Street we will be working on the section between Emmanuel 
Street and Hobson Street to put in an extra bus stop, change the kerb on the 
west side to a saw-tooth arrangement and realign the kerb outside the new 
Christ's Lane development.

During construction we will be working very hard to minimise disruption, but 
in such a busy area there will inevitably be some inconvenience and we 
apologise for this in advance.

 Work begun on implementing the scheme last year with the construction of 
the northbound closure point to all except buses, taxis and cyclists, in 
St.Andrew's Street at the junction with Park Terrace. When operational this 
will be a key part of proposals that are designed to improve the environment 
for bus passengers, pedestrians and cyclists and improve bus services.

The Drummer Street, Emmanuel Street and St. Andrew's Street area is one of 
the busiest parts of central Cambridge for buses and pedestrians and with 
the opening of John Lewis and Christ's Lane shopping development this Autumn 
and then Grand Arcade next Spring the number of people coming into the area
is set to increase.

Work is also currently being undertaken by the Grand Arcade developer to 
repave the frontage of the new John Lewis store in St. Andrew's Street and 
Downing Street. Cambridgeshire County Council has taken this opportunity to 
co-ordinate replacing the signals at the St. Andrew's Street / Downing 
Street junction. Part of this upgrade will include providing pedestrian 
crossing facilities, which will help to cater for the expected increase in 
pedestrians when the new developments open.

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/core4

John Reynolds