FAQs

We are taking a fresh look at how people currently use Mill Road and how it could be improved in the future, both as a place to be and in terms of how people move around.

We want to hear from a wide range of people, including residents, traders, stakeholders and anyone who uses Mill Road.

This consultation is being carried out by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) as part of the City Access project.

This initial consultation starts the conversation on what might be the best options to improve Mill Road that could be put in place in the short to medium-term. It also seeks your views on medium and long-term traffic management measures. 

We will use your comments to help us draw up a long-term plan for the area which we would consult on, on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council, later in 2022.

From summer 2020 to 2021, Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) put in place experimental measures at a number of places in Cambridge to help people walking and cycling to social distance during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

On Mill Road these measures prevented private motor traffic from crossing the railway bridge and included measures to help maintain social distancing around sections of narrow pavement. 

Following a public consultation, councillors on the CCC Highways and Transport Committee voted to reopen Mill Road bridge to general traffic and asked the GCP to undertake a further consultation.

This consultation is a fresh look at how Mill Road could be improved. We are asking the public for their views on the road and on a range of broad options for the road. No decisions have been made as yet. 

The previous Bus Gate was installed using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, which has now expired and any future changes to the legal function of the street would require a further legal process called a Traffic Regulation Order. 

As part of this consultation we are seeking early feedback on changes to traffic and access in the medium and longer term. A Bus Gate cannot be reinstalled without a Traffic Regulation Order which would include another consultation prior to installation.

This six week consultation will close at midday on Monday 21 March 2022. 

CCC’s Highways and Transport Committee is due to consider the feedback from the consultation in the summer and will decide how to move forward then. 

Subject to the Highways and Transport Committee decision, a further consultation on specific proposals would take place in the autumn of 2022.

There are as yet no specific proposals for Mill Road but we want to hear from all users of the road. 

We want to know more about how you use the road: what you like and dislike as well as how you feel about Mill Road today and how you felt about it when the Bus Gate was on the bridge. 

We welcome responses from anyone who uses Mill Road, including disabled and older people and those with additional mobility needs, as well as the parents/carers of disabled people. 

If you would prefer a copy of the consultation leaflet in large print, Braille, audio tape or in another language please email consultations@greatercambridge.org.uk or telephone 01223 699906.

We are primarily focusing on the Mill Road environment in this consultation and any proposed changes to Mill Road that may result from this consultation will carefully consider any impacts on surrounding streets. We anticipate that a further consultation would take place in the autumn.

We are working with our partners to improve a variety of streets in Cambridge and how we can improve access to the city overall. 

Part of this work includes identifying the functions of different roads in the city and which roads need further investment to help them deliver those functions better. This is called the Joint Road Network Hierarchy Review. This consultation will inform that project and Mill Road’s role within it. 

Find out more about the City Access Project.

Places at the workshops are limited. We’d love for everyone to be able to take part but it is not possible for everyone who registered to attend. 

There will be GCP-run public meetings as part of the consultation and they will be open to the public. 

Involve has invited a group of people to participate who represent the variety of those who have an interest in Mill Road, including residents, businesses, representatives of walking, cycling and disabled people’s organisations. Flyers have also been hand distributed to residential and business addresses on Mill Road and surrounding streets.

There are a number of ways people can respond. We would encourage a response to the online survey but you can also provide your feedback by: 

• Emailing consultations@greatercambridge.org.uk
• Phone on 01223 699906
• Social media @GreaterCambs on Facebook and Twitter #MillRdSpring22
• Registering to attend a public consultation event. Details can be found in the Key Dates section.