Francesca Re Manning said she has struggled to navigate the ‘dangerous’ roads and pavements in the city.
A Cambridge resident has called on Cambridgeshire County Council to find longer term solutions to ‘dangerous’ roads and pavements around the city. Francesca Re Manning, who works at Cambridge University, shared her concerns about how difficult it is to get around the city owing to the current state of the roads and pavements.
Mrs Re Manning said: “When I had surgery, I had to have crutches for a while and it was tricky to get around. I also struggled with a pushchair with my children. I had to navigate around and sometimes ended up walking in the street, which is not very safe, but it’s inevitable because the pavements can be so bad.”
While trying to get around Cambridge, Mrs Re Manning said the potholes on the roads are ‘huge’. She said it is dangerous for cyclists, who could easily fall off their bikes, and drivers, who often swerve to avoid the potholes and could crash into other vehicles.
She added: “I know somebody who fell off her bike because of a pothole and she broke her hip. They are even more dangerous when it rains, because you don’t know how deep the hole is, as it gets hidden by the water.”
As well as the issue of potholes, Mrs Re Manning said some pavements are just as damaged. She said the pavements down Sidney Street, St Andrew’s Street, and Downing Street were some of the worst.
Mrs Re Manning mentioned how many of the paving slabs are “loose and cracked” with “bits missing” or have not been “glued together and so are super wobbly”. She added that elderly people might ‘avoid’ certain streets, as they are “scared of falling over”, or how you might “trip without realising”.
She continued: “I hear many people complaining. I hear lots of people saying it’s a bit of a disgrace. It’s really disgraceful that Cambridge has such a bad problem when it comes to roads and pavements.”
When asked about what needs to be done to solve the issue, Mrs Re Manning believes Cambridgeshire County Council needs to focus on a “long-term plan” rather than “patching up” the problem.
She said: “The same problem comes up again and again. The streets need to be repaved with something that will last. I understand it’s difficult because they have to close the road but they need to resurface the areas properly and that’s not what is going on at the moment.”
Cambridgeshire County Council has said it is a “key priority” that people are able to travel safely around the city. The council confirmed its highways team inspects roads regularly and encourages residents to report any issues on the roads or pavements online.
A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “Ensuring safe travel is a key priority for us. Over the past two years, the council has made the biggest investment in the highways network in over a decade, providing £43 million of additional funding for highways maintenance since 2023.
“Cambridge city’s roads and footpaths have exceptionally high usage. Our highways teams regularly inspect all our roads, including any reports of potholes they receive.
“Residents can help us keep our roads and footpaths safe for all users, by reporting the issues they find online via our website: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/travel-roads-and-parking/roads-and-pathways/roadworks-and-faults.”
