Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance

ICYMI: "Tram-tastic! Cambs Sustainable Travel’s orbital tram proposal" cambridgetownowl.com/2025/10/30/t...

Guest post: Josh Grantham asks "Do we really want trams?" - Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance This article is an extended version of an opinion piece that was first published in the Cambridge Independent on 29 October 2025 (p.27). Josh Grantham is Infrastructure Campaigner at Camcycle, one of ...

What would it take to build a tram network in Cambridge without a tunnel?

Our new guest blog by Josh Grantham from considers this question.

cambstravelalliance.org/do-we-really-want-trams

A clip from a newspaper article. The author 'Josh Grantham, Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance' is credited at the top, then the title is A ring-and-spoke tram system for Cambridge. There are two columns of text on either side of an indistinct diagram with the caption 'Example of a ring-and-spoke tram system for Cambridge, integrated with rail and bus services'. The diagram has a purple outer ring with green hub and spokes indicating bus services and black hub and spokes indicating train services.

Do we really want a tram network in Cambridge? If we do, we'll have to make tough choices.

Our new opinion piece explores what these choices might be, and whether we’d be willing to make them.

Read it in this week's @cambridgeindy.bsky.social.

A white and orange minibus with a tiger graphic on the bonnet and the word TIGER written on the side drives over a pedestrian crossing as it leaves a bus station. There are two other buses in the background. The electronic display on the bus reads ‘26 Royston via Melbourn’

Passengers say that better information at bus stops makes them more likely to use the bus.

Our latest blog describes how one village created bespoke bus information to boost bus use.

cambstravelalliance.org/fowlmere-parish-council-creates-bespoke-bus-information-to-boost-bus-usage/

#FridayFacts. New housing developments can be designed so that it is not necessary to own a car to live a full life.

In Kungsängen and Rosendal districts in Uppsala (Sweden) the bus is what people use unless they cycle or walk. Trams are also planned.

@transportfornewhomes.org.uk

White text on a dark blue background: Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area. #6 All new developments must be designed so residents can travel into Cambridge without a car. The Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance logo is below.

Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area:

#6 All new developments must be designed so residents can travel into Cambridge without a car...

...if they wish. Residents should also be offered support to get started with sustainable transport.

tinyurl.com/sixstepsimprovetransport

Five grown-ups of varying ages, a toddler and a dog cross a road at a pedestrian crossing.

Would you like to see improvements for pedestrians along Mill Road?

Alliance members and friends have set up a petition calling for local politicians to commit to transforming the pedestrian experience along the whole of the street.

🖊️ Add your name at tinyurl.com/WalkMillRoad

A covered bus station with a see-through roof. There are blue and white buses on the right (one double-decker, one single-decker) and young passengers departing on foot on the left.

The long-term future of the Tiger Pass (£1 bus fares for under-25s) is uncertain.

A new, permanent Tiger Pass scheme might only be available to those aged 18 and under for term-time journeys.

We asked young people how this would impact them.

tinyurl.com/TigerPassVoices

Two elderly passengers seated inside a bus with a sign indicating the bus is stopping ahead. Text underneath image says: Better transport reduces isolation and boosts wellbeing.

Did you know, a 2019 study found older people with bus passes are likely to report better quality of life and fewer depressive symptoms?

This #WorldMentalHealthDay we're highlighting the links between better transport and mental health.

A black electric car with the logo ‘enterprise Car Club’ is parked in a car park. It is plugged into a charger. There are houses behind the car park.

#FridayFacts. Shared transport enables people to use vehicles without ownership.

On average, each UK car club car replaces 27 private cars, freeing up public space for other uses. UK shared cars already free up land almost the size of London's Hyde Park.

como.org.uk/#what-is-shared-transport

White text on a dark pink background: Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area. #5 Major interchanges should be upgraded to reduce cross-city travel. The Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance logo is below.

Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area:

#5 Major interchanges should be upgraded to reduce cross-city travel

More interchanges between the M11/A14 and urban roads should be ‘all-ways junctions’ so drivers can avoid cross-city journeys.

tinyurl.com/sixstepsimprovetransport

A street redesigned to give more space for walking, cycling and public transport using concrete blocks, red paint and road signs. Tram tracks run from one street into another.

#FridayFacts. Ghent's circulation plan transformed transport and improved liveability.

It was achieved in under three years and for less than €5 million.

Could a Cambridge circulation plan speed up buses and make more space for walking and cycling?

stad.gent/en/mobility-ghent/circulation-plan

St Neots survey shows over two thirds of passengers rely entirely on the bus for transport - Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance’s recent survey of bus passengers in St Neots suggests that they depend heavily on local bus services to make essential journeys. Nearly 7 in 10 bus users in...

Last month we asked bus users in St Neots why they used the bus and how they found it.

Read what they told us in our blog:

cambstravelalliance.org/st-neots-survey-shows-over-two-thirds-of-passengers-rely-entirely-on-the-bus-for-transport/

Five people sit around a desk with a screen containing the title slide from a presentation in the background. On the desk are papers, a ring-binder and a laptop computer.

Thanks to Mayor Paul Bristow for meeting representatives from Travel Alliance founders Cambridge Living Streets, @camcycle.bsky.social and Cambridge Area Bus Users last week.

We discussed the health benefits of walking, rural cycle routes and the importance of buses for connections to employment.

White text on a bright green background: Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area. #4 High quality pavements and cycle routes will only be feasible if sufficient space is made available. The Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance logo is below.

Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area:

#4 High quality pavements and cycle routes will only be feasible if sufficient space is made available.

Roadspace reallocation is therefore vital, particularly in the historic city centre.

tinyurl.com/sixstepsimprovetransport

All bus stops should have current, accurate timetables Bus stops matter. As the start and end points of more than 10 million journeys every day, they should give travellers a positive experience. And printed information is central to that.

As the start & end points of more than 10 million journeys a day, bus stops matter.

All bus stops should have current, accurate timetables on display.

Our blog calls for a national standard for printed information at bus stops: bettertransport.org.uk/blog/all-bus...

#BetterBusStops @optibus.com

Portsmouth has seen a 41% increase in passengers after investment to make buses more useful and usable.

Its City Council expanded bus services, brought in bus priority corridors, upgraded bus stops and marketed its Park&Ride.

Can Cambridgeshire and Peterborough do the same?

White text on a blue background: Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area. #3 The Combined Authority should commit to delivering attractive public transport for all.

Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area:

#3 The Combined Authority should commit to delivering attractive public transport for all.

Buses should be the focus at first, as they can be improved rapidly and at low cost while other plans take shape.

tinyurl.com/sixstepsimprovetransport

More than a dozen people sit around a Boardroom table. In the foreground is a woman in a purple jumper asking a public question of the Mayor, who is seated opposite.

Today we're with the Combined Authority's Board asking about plans for a new Greater Cambridge Transport Strategy.

We urged the Board to ensure the Strategy addresses transport affordability, accessibility, air pollution and climate change, and gives people genuine choice over how they travel.

A bright red cycle lane with a bike symbol runs through the middle of the picture with a pavement to left and the carriageway for driving to the right. There is a bike in the cycle lane and queuing car traffic in the carriageway.

#FridayFacts. People walking, wheeling and cycling help keep Cambridge moving.

If all those who cycle daily in Greater Cambridge switched to driving, their cars would tailback 118 miles (Sustrans).

Making it easier to walk, wheel and cycle benefits all road users.

White text on a mustard yellow background: Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area. #2 Excellent walking, wheeling and cycling routes everywhere.

Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area:

#2 Excellent walking, wheeling and cycling routes everywhere.

Everyone should be able to access schools, jobs, shops, services and connections for onward journeys by walking, wheeling or cycling.

tinyurl.com/sixstepsimprovetransport

A group of smartly-dressed men and one woman sit around a boardroom table looking at their laptop computers

Today we're in Huntingdon at a meeting of the Combined Authority's Transport Committee.

The Mayor of Cambs & P'boro pledged in his manifesto to establish an independent review of the region's bus franchising plans.

Our public question asks how this review will benefit bus passengers.

A green, white and black tram runs down a street in front of a modern building. The text on the building reads ‘Central’.

#FridayFacts. Nottingham raises funds for public transport through its Workplace Parking Levy.

Established more than 10 years ago, the scheme has enabled a doubling of the city’s existing tram system.

Could Cambridge do the same?

transportactionnetwork.org.uk/nottingham-workplace-parking-levy/

Cambridge's first ever Kidical Mass is taking to the streets soon! Tell your friends, find your brightest clothes and join the call for safer streets for children
🚲🚸

SUNDAY 21 SEPTEMBER, gathering from 10 on Parker's Piece to roll-out at 10.30am.

Fun, free, all ages welcome!

White text on a teal background: Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area. #1 Transformational change requires long-term funding.

Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area:

#1 Transformational change requires long-term funding.

Schemes such as a workplace parking levy need to be implemented so there can be sustained investment over many years in our transport network.

tinyurl.com/sixstepsimprovetransport

Olympic transport boss to oversee Cambridgeshire bus franchising Leon Daniels will help bring bus services under public control, the combined authority says.

Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, has appointed two leading figures to support the Combined Authority's ambitions to improve public transport in the region.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A line graph on a white background. The blue line shows actual car use; the red line shows what car use would have been without mode shift away from driving. Text underneath the graph: 15.5% of commuters switched away from using the car between 2001 and 2017; 33% growth in jobs between 2001 and 2017. Actual growth of 14,000 two way car journeys against possible growth of 27,000 with no change in mode of transport.

#FridayFacts The overall number of jobs in the Cambridge area has grown, however the percentage requiring commuting by car has fallen (source @greatercambs.bsky.social).

It's crucial this trend continues. Our blog discusses next steps for transport in our area.

tinyurl.com/sixstepsbettertransport

To the left of a row of young trees are a footway and segregated cycleway. To the right of the trees are a bus lane and carriageway for motor vehicles. There is a double-decker bus in the bus lane.

Plans to turbocharge the growth of Cambridge increase the need for better transport options.

How can our area make travel work for everyone ahead of substantial population increases? Our new blog sets out some starting points.

cambstravelalliance.org/six-steps-to-improve-transport-cambridge-area/

A cutting from a newspaper. The text reads 'Sarah Hughes, Campaign Officer, Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance' Opinion. Six steps to improve transport in the Cambridge area. The image has the caption 'Seamless transport interchange at Driebergen-Zeist train station in the Netherlands. The image shows a train, bus, car drop-off zone, elevated cycle path and wide footway.

Can the Cambridge area capitalise on the investment coming with government-backed growth and make transport work for everyone?

Read what we think could be the starting points in our opinion piece on p27 of this week's @cambridgeindy.bsky.social.

On the left are two orange tickets ('Tiger cards'), each with a small picture of a young person on them and the logo of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority. The text on the tickets reads: Tiger; Mayor's £ fare; Under 25s; Name; Surname. On the right is a picture of the reverse of the Tiger Card.

The Combined Authority is proposing reducing eligibility for the Tiger Pass (£1 bus fares for U25s) to those in education only.

Our new blog explains why we urge Combined Authority Board members to resist this change.

tinyurl.com/bddrkh8n