Highways schemes in Girton – October ’24 update
Girton Parish Council have been working with Cambridgeshire County Council’s Highways department to try and deliver improvements to the safety of the roads within Girton. There are 4 schemes that were scheduled to take place in 2024, plus a further 1 planned for 2025-26
- Wands on Huntingdon Road cycle lane
- Pedestrian/cycle crossing at southern end of Girton Road
- Extension of 20mph to built-up area between Huntingdon Road and A14 bridge
- Lowering of speed limit on Oakington Road to 30 mph
- Double Yellow Lines around key junctions
Further details on all of these below, including the latest planned dates for works to take place.
Huntingdon Road wands
This scheme is in response to several near misses, where drivers ignoring the solid white line of the cycle lane have nearly knocked cyclists including children off. A short stretch of flexible bollards (“wands”) will be installed along the cycle path of the southbound side of Huntingdon Road. They will start at the bus stop island at Thornton Road and continue until approx 20m before the junction with Eddington Avenue.
Delivery date: Autumn half term (week commencing 28th Oct)
Girton Road Crossing
Residents and previous Parish councillors, as well as Girton College, have requested a safe crossing of Girton Road near to Girton Corner for a number of years. A joint pedestrian/cycle crossing will be installed approximately 50m from the junction with Huntingdon Road. This will be accompanied by a narrowing of the main highway at the corner itself (tightening the junction) and a short cycle slip lane (similar to that on Oxford Rd where it meets Huntingdon Rd in Cambridge). This should allow a better linkup with the Huntingdon Road crossing and a safer way for pedestrians and cyclists to access The Ridgeway into Eddington.
Delivery date: Jan-Feb 2025.
20mph Zone extension
Extension of the existing 20mph zone to everywhere between the A14 bridge and Huntingdon Road. Many residents were very disappointed that the original 20mph zone only covered the north side of the A14. This was because of self-imposed rules from the County Council. Those rules have since changed, the Parish Council surveyed residents, and there was overwhelming support for this extension. The application to the County Council for this extension was approved in Oct 2023.
Delivery date: Currently unclear. Mandatory consultation period finished Sep ’24, waiting for next steps from CCC.
30mph on Oakington Road
A joint application between Girton and Oakington & Westwick Parish Councils to lower the speed limit on a stretch of road that has seen a number of dangerous incidents over recent years. The speed between Girton and Oakington will be reduced to 30mph, with a number of speed cushions to help enforce. The whole of Gatehouse Road will be reduced to 40mph and there will be additional lighting at the Oakington Road / Gatehouse Road junction. This scheme was also put forward to residents in a consultation, and a clear majority were in favour of the proposal. The application to the County Council for this scheme was approved in July 2023.
Delivery date: First half of 2025
Double Yellow Lines
Residents and previous Parish councillors have raised concerns about cars parking too close to various junctions in Girton, obstructing visibility, making manoeuvres joining and leaving the main road through the village dangerous for all road users. To keep clear, Double Yellow Lines will be painted around the following junctions: Thornton Rd & Huntingdon Rd, Thornton Rd & Girton Rd, St Margaret’s Rd & Girton Rd, Weaver’s Field & Girton Rd, Pepys Way & Girton Rd. Additionally, the existing lines on High St will be extended further southwards. The scheme was approved by the County Council in Oct 2024.
Delivery date: To be determined.
Funding for the first three schemes comes directly from the County Council. The fourth scheme is funding jointly by the County Council, Oakington & Westwick Parish Council and Girton Parish Council. Girton’s contribution will come from money allocated to the Parish under a Section 106 agreement as part of the development of Northstowe. One of the conditions of this money is that it can only be spent on traffic calming measures. The fifth scheme will be jointly funded by Girton Parish Council and the County Council.