Busway linking city with 11,000 new homes approved

A busway that will provide a city link for a planned development of 11,000 homes has been approved.

Cambridgeshire County Council agreed to progress the Waterbeach to Cambridge Transport Scheme at a meeting on Tuesday, moving it a step closer to construction.

The busway would link a new travel hub at Waterbeach with Milton Park and Ride before joining the existing guided busway between Cambridge and St Ives.

Critics said the buses would "hit the same traffic" as everyone else when they rejoined the road network in Cambridge, but supporters of the new scheme said it would help lower car use and reduce emissions.

The project will now be submitted for a Transport and Works Order, which is needed to build and maintain major transport infrastructure.

Up to 11,000 new homes are being built as part of the Waterbeach New Town development, north of Cambridge, on former barracks and airfield.

The new travel hub will have park-and-ride spaces for 1,600 cars.

A new railway station to serve this community is also set to open in 2028, with plans to close Waterbeach's existing station.

Alex Beckett, the Liberal Democrat chair of the Highways and Transport Committee, said residents needed a "real alternative to sitting in traffic".

He said: "The Waterbeach Busway means sustainable public transport, fewer cars on the road and lower emissions."

Darren Green, a Green Party councillor for Romsey in Cambridge, said: "I think now is the time to really question whether Cambridge deserves a better solution for its public transport issues than busways."

He said buses still faced the problem of going through rush-hour traffic in Cambridge when they turned off the busway to use city centre roads.

"Our busways will essentially just hit the same traffic that everyone else is stuck in as soon as they reach Cambridge," he said.

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