Tram plans slammed as ‘scandalous waste of money’

A study which could suggest introducing trams or a light rail network to combat Cambridge’s congestion could be released later this year, as readers remain divided over the city’s transport strategy

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Residents and CambridgeshireLive readers have been sharing their views on the prospect of introducing trams to Cambridge.

A study examining whether trams or a light rail system could help alleviate the city’s traffic problems may be published later this year. Officials from the Cambridge Development Corporation attended a meeting of South Cambridgeshire District Council’s scrutiny and overview committee to answer questions from councillors.

The development organisation was formed earlier this year to speed up the construction of new housing and infrastructure across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, though concerns have been raised that it could remove planning authority from local councils.

One of our commenters, Freddly, said: “If trams are to be introduced, it’s important that the space comes from cars and vans, that is, from the motor vehicle carriageway. If there is to be ‘a squeeze’ on another mode, that mode needs to be cars and vans. They are the least efficient way of moving people around (increasingly 1 person in an SUV the size of a small tank), and they do not remotely pay for their current dominance of space in our cities.”

Whynot2 retorts: “Trams by their very nature are not designed to run along a footpath; they will be built using the road. More importantly, if they ever build a tramway, is it going to be overhead or underground power supply? No city or borough that has installed a tramway has done it anywhere near the proposed budget, and you won’t like that, would you? One last question: what happened to the metro system that they proposed?”

Brexit498 asks: “Have you done another of your cost-benefit analyses? If you are in a Mini or a Range Rover, you make no difference to congestion. The University wants to rent land, and the council wants the tax: the result is a city that cannot accommodate the people who pay for this greed.”

Rootintootinredux says: “Remember when the guided bus was their solution to the tram system? That sure worked, didn’t it?”

Scuba99 writes: “I’m holding out for a monorail above the colleges.”

Oopsiblewoff feels: “They should start by cancelling the new busway and ripping up the current one. The whole of Cambridge must become pedestrian and cycle-only. Cyclists should also be allowed to freely connect to the tram network for additional energy. Free of charge.”

Brexit498 agrees: “Agree, the busway is rarely used.”

Reece48 says: “A light rail network is the answer; more buses were never a good idea to deal with the projected growth in and around the city.”

Time4change27 thinks: “A scandalous waste of money! The corporation and the cost of the Mayor are unnecessary. Scrap the lot, including the GCP, and fix the existing roads with the money saved from employing consultants. Expanding bus services would cost less than a light rail system and actually work.”

Campete2 writes: “For buses to work requires eradicating congestion, which means getting cars off the roads they use. Which means either a congestion charge or more roads prohibited to cars entirely. Sadly, many of what the various authorities are doing (including the GCP) is pushing ahead with car-dependent development and encouraging more car use.”

Reece48 adds: “We are in the here and now; in fact, they are behind the curve. House building in and around Cambridge is growing at a very fast rate. If they don’t agree soon on a modern transport system for the city, it will become like London, a congested nightmare.”

Over on our Facebook page, Susan D comments: “Why not consider giving us something to come into Cambridge for…very few shops to choose from, but coffee places galore. Surely the only people excited about visiting Cambridge are the foreign tourists. Nothing much there for the rest of us.”

Steve B says: “There are two hopes in getting trams. Bob Hope and No Hope. The roads are too narrow to have dedicated tram lines. With the high amount of cyclists, there would be a higher incidence of collisions. Trams can’t dodge around a cyclist who obstructs their route as they’re on rails. With the incidents of fatalities on the Cambridge Busway, can you imagine the chaos with trams? Trams are nearly as wide as a bus, but as said, they have to follow the tram lines; they can’t pull close to the kerb, just sit in the middle of the road. If you check out Manchester’s tram system, it runs on multi-lane roads, cuts through the countryside on the outskirts, and bypasses some areas. Cambridge City is too enclosed, and are they being powered by overhead pantographs or batteries?”

Are you for or against trams in Cambridge? Comment below or HERE to have your say.