Please be aware some of the road numbers, junction numbers and descriptions of diversion routes have been updated ready for the new Huntingdon Southern Bypass opening on Monday.
Author: Clerk
Newsletter November 2019
New Councillors
Three casual vacancies arising from the resignations of previous councillors were filled at the November meeting. As there were more applicants than positions, there was a rather complicated voting procedure but eventually Kay Cook, Valerie McKee and Barry Todd were selected to join the council. Our thanks to all who volunteered and a warm welcome to the new councillors.
Northstowe Governance Review Drop-In
As the community at Northstowe grows, so South Cambridgeshire District Council is required to carry out a Governance Review to consider future governance arrangements. The Civic Affairs Committee has now commenced the Northstowe boundary review. A drop-in session has been arranged on Saturday 30 November, 11 am to 1 pm in the Ploughman Hall. Liz Davey, the Development Officer, and your District Councillors will be on hand to help residents understand the review process and timescale and to answer any questions you may have.
Christmas Tree
For the last two years the Christmas tree on the Green has been kindly donated by Mr A Coe. Unfortunately, this year the uncertainty over Brexit has meant that large trees are in short supply and Mr Coe has been unable to obtain one. We are aware how much villagers appreciate having a tree and the council decided to purchase one for installation on the Green this season which will be decorated once more with the new lights.
Orchard Dog Walking
A new fence has been installed alongside the B1050 to make the Community Orchard secure for dogs. We are investigating whether we can have a new dog bin installed by the Orchard but until then would ask dog owners to be considerate of others sharing the area when walking their animals. Flat Road bridle path is adjacent to the Orchard and provides over a kilometre of safe grassland where dogs can run, should more vigorous exercise be required.
Willingham Youth Trust
After the conversion of a storage area and unused upper floor of the Ploughman Hall into a Youth Centre, the Youth Trust took over the building and now runs an extremely successful Youth Club on Wednesday evenings open to all and free to children. This has been a tremendous effort by the Trustees and has been entirely self-funded for the last four years, but they now feel that to keep the sessions sustainable into the future, they need support from the Parish Council. We agreed that this is a worthwhile expenditure and will provide £6,000 for 2020/2021 for the Connections Bus Project staff. This and the lease would be reviewed annually.
BT Phone Box
The phone box on Station Road by the Willingham Wing bus stop has not been operational for some time and, even before it fell into disrepair, had only made a single call in over a year. Under a BT scheme, local authorities can adopt unwanted phone boxes and convert them for new uses. The Council had already decided to provide a third defibrillator for this area of the village and has now agreed to adopt the phone box, refurbish it and use it to house the defibrillator.
Bus Survey
We wrote to our MP (Lucy Frazer at the time) in response to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s strategic bus review. Ms Frazer has replied that the Authority has now commissioned a six week survey which can be accessed at www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/FutureBus/ or over the phone on 07377 001512 (9 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday). ‘Have your say on our future public transport network. Tell us what matters to you about improving local bus services.’
Huntingdon Southern Bypass opens on Monday 9 December
Huntingdon Southern Bypass opens on Monday 9 December, we will close the old A14 between Godmanchester and Spittals in both directions.
This is to allow us to start work on the removal of Huntingdon viaduct and to build new link roads in Huntingdon town centre.
During the closure, which will last until 2022, road users who would normally have used this section of road to access or leave Huntingdon will need to travel as follows instead (please see attached map for details):
- To travel from Huntingdon towards Cambridge: Use the A141 (old A14) westbound to Spittals roundabout and continue to Brampton Hut. Access the A1 southbound then use the new A14 eastbound free flow link at Brampton interchange. Traffic wishing to access towns and villages along the A1307 (old A14) between Godmanchester and Swavesey can do so by exiting the new A14 at its A1198, Ermine Street junction (J23).
- To travel from Cambridge towards Huntingdon: Travel westbound on the new A14 to Brampton Interchange. Use the free flow link to access the A1 northbound. Exit at Brampton Hut and travel east on the A141 (old A14) to Spittals roundabout and onwards to enter Huntingdon.
All roads into and out of Huntingdon will remain open, although there will be a requirement for some overnight closures to allow us to carry out work safely.
Once work is completed in 2022, the road between Spittals and Godmanchester will reopen with links into and out of Huntingdon instead of over the train station via a viaduct as it is currently. For more information about the work we are doing in Huntingdon, visit https://highwaysengland.co.uk/a14-cambridge-to-huntingdon-improvement-scheme-huntingdon/.
You can sign up for the latest information about the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme on our website at https://highwaysengland.co.uk/a14-cambridge-to-huntingdon-improvement-scheme-home, or by following @A14C2H on Twitter at http://twitter.com/A14C2H and liking the scheme Facebook page at www.facebook.com/A14C2H/.
Venues support drink drive crackdown
More than 45 pubs and venues across Cambridgeshire have signed up to support our campaign to crackdown on drink drivers this month.
As part of the campaign we’re promoting the ‘I’m DES’ scheme where participating venues give free draught soft drinks to designated drivers.
The initiative, led by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership (CPRSP), will aim to reduce the number of road traffic collisions caused by drink driving during the festive period.
A total of 46 venues have signed up to the scheme this year – more than triple the number of venues compared to last year.
To participate in the scheme, which runs throughout December, people need to let staff in participating venues know they are the designated driver and ask for an ‘I’m DES’ wristband from a member of staff.
Jon Morris, casualty reduction officer at Cambridgeshire Constabulary, said: “We’re pleased to see so many pubs and venues supporting the ‘I’m DES’ campaign this year.
“We would encourage people to take advantage of the scheme and help us make the roads of Cambridgeshire safer for everyone.
“Even a small amount of alcohol can affect your driving ability. We advise if you’re drinking, even if you have just one drink, arrange another way of getting home.”
Jon added that it takes a lot longer than most people think for alcohol to pass through the body and because of this, there is a real risk people who would not dream of driving after drinking may still be unknowingly over the limit the morning after.
He said: “This includes people going about their everyday activities such as driving to work, doing the school run, popping to the shops or going to see friends.
“Please do not gamble with your life and be aware of the danger you pose by getting behind the wheel while under the influence. It’s really not worth the risk.”
To enforce the campaign, officers across the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit (RPU) will be conducting additional stop-checks throughout December to combat drink and drug drivers.
Ray Bisby, acting Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and chair of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership, said: “Christmas is a very important and busy time of year where we all get together to catch up and celebrate the festive season.
“We want to ensure people across the county are able to enjoy their festive celebrations safely and think about how they are getting home without putting themselves or others at risk.
“Be sure to choose a designated driver and, if you are that designated driver, let the bar staff know to claim a wristband and free draught soft drinks.
“These simple actions can help keep Cambridgeshire’s roads safe during the festive season.”
Officers are also urging members of the public to report drink or drug driving via the dedicated, confidential hotline.
The hotline: 0800 032 0845 is available 24/7, and gives people the chance to supply the police with information to help reduce the number of drink or drug drivers on our roads.
For more information about drink or drug driving, the law and the dangers it can cause, visit www.cambs.police.uk/drinkdrugdriving
A full list of participating venues is below:
Cambridge
• Ballare, Cambridge
• Hidden Rooms, Cambridge
• La Raza, Cambridge
• Tabouche, Cambridge
• Revolution, Cambridge
• Lola Lo, Cambridge
• The Anchor, Cambridge
• The Granta, Cambridge
• Fez Club, Cambridge
• Vinyl, Cambridge
• Novi, Cambridge
• Sir Isaac Newton, Cambridge
• The Alexandra Arms, Cambridge
• The Portland Arms, Cambridge
South Cambridgeshire
• The Hub Community Centre, Great Cambourne
• Willingham Social Club, Willingham
• The Chequers, Pampisford
East Cambridgeshire
• The Fox, Burwell
• The Shed, Lode
• The Beeches Community Centre, Isleham, Ely
• Habis Café Bar and Restaurant, Littleport
• Ely City Golf Club, Ely
• Ye Olde School Bell, Little Downham
• The Bell, Kennett, Newmarket
Huntingdonshire
• The Greystones, Sawtry, Huntingdon
• The Pig N Falcon, St Neots
• The Eltisley, Eltisley, St Neots
• The Axe and Compass, Hemingford Abbots, Huntingdon
• Samuel Pepys pub, Huntingdon
• The Lounge, St Ives
• Cromwells, Huntingdon
Fenland
• GER Sports Club, March
• The Angel Inn, Wisbech
• The King’s Head, Wisbech
• The Three Tuns, Wisbech
• The Red Lion, March
• The Ship Inn, March
• Cassanos, March
Peterborough
• The Admiral Wells, Peterborough
• The Solstice, Peterborough
• Embassy Flares Red Room, Peterborough
• Great Northern Hotel, Peterborough
• Samms, Peterborough
• Lightbox, Peterborough
• Brewery Tap, Peterborough
• Angels, Peterborough
Thank you,
Corporate Communications
A14 C 2 H Road Closures week commencing 2 December 2019
There have been some changes to the planned closures for the coming weekend:
*Cancelled*
*Fri 29 9pm – Mon 1 5am*
- A14 westbound Milton junction 33 entry slip
*Sat 30* 1 night
- A1307 Huntingdon Road outbound and A14 westbound entry slip
- A14 westbound between Six Mile Bottom junction 36 and Girton junction 31
*Additional*
*Fri 9pm – Sat 7pm & Sun 6am to Mon 5am*
- Local access road between Bar Hill and Oakington roundabout
Traffic wishing to access Bar Hill and Longstanton from the westbound carriageway will need to travel to Swavesey and return on the eastbound carriageway.
Traffic wishing to access the A14 westbound from Dry Drayton and Oakington will need to travel on the local road past the Crematorium and use the new westbound entry slip.
Traffic wishing to access the A14 eastbound from Dry Drayton and Oakington will need to do the above and then access the A14 eastbound at Swavesey.
*Sat 30* 1 night
- A14 eastbound St Ives junction 26 to Lolworth junction 28a
- A14 westbound Swavesey junction 28 between exit and entry slips
December Highways Event Diary
Welcome to December’s Highway Events Diary which highlights all known events that will have an impact or take place upon the public highway. The diary features events across Cambridgeshire and you are able to sort and filter the diary to show events in your immediate area by using the down arrow in the title bar.
December’s Highlights
7th, Mill Road Cambridge Winter Fair. The annual winter fair returns with a theme of ‘Nature’. Mill Road is transformed with stalls selling gifts, crafts and refreshments and offering entertainment throughout the day. Mill Road will be closed between 9am and 5.30pm so please bear this in mind if you are travelling to Cambridge.
Looking ahead to 2020
8th March, Cambridge Half Marathon. The popular running event returns, taking in the scenery of central Cambridge. Road closures will be in place for the event, so please bear this in mind if you are planning on visiting Cambridge.
3rd May, Sawston Fun Run returns following its best attended run last year. The 2020 Fun Run will be celebrating the VE Day anniversary, and will be raising money for charity. Road closures and restrictions will be in place throughout the event.
23rd & 24th May, Duxford Air Festival returns for the Battle of Britain. With the event being so popular, the routes around the event location will be busier than normal.
*Please remember details of all highway events can be found on https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/travel-roads-and-parking/roads-and-pathways/highway-events/
Roadworks and events in and around Willingham 1 – 15 December 2019
Just a reminder that this only includes works that are due to start between 1st – 15th December and longer term works that are still in progress will have been included on previous reports. Alternatively please refer to http://www.roadworks.org which will include details on emergency roadworks.
A14 Bypass opens Monday 9 December
The new 12-mile bypass to the south of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire – part of the UK’s biggest road upgrade – will open to traffic a full year ahead of schedule.
The new bypass will run between Ellington and Swavesey and is part of a £1.5 billion project to upgrade 21 miles of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon.
Like any new road, it may take some time to get used to driving on it. Below is some essential information to help you drive safely and enjoy your new journey.
Know your road – what to expect
- The enclosed map shows how you can join and leave the new bypass, and which junctions have been renumbered.
- At junctions, it is not always possible to join or leave the new road in all directions. This is to help discourage long distance traffic from using smaller, unsuitable roads through local communities. More details are on the map.
- All A14 junctions east of and including Girton, as well as the A1 junctions, will maintain their existing junction numbers.
- Drivers travelling eastbound on the new bypass will still have to join a section of 40mph, narrow lanes roadworks from the Swavesey junction. Please look out for the signs as you approach.
- Slow moving vehicles are prohibited from using the new bypass and will be directed to alternative local access roads.
- Variable speed limits displayed on overhead gantries will help to reduce congestion and ensure safety. Please remember that a red roundel around a speed limit means it is mandatory.
- As with any major road, please remember:
– keep left unless overtaking
– don’t drive under a Red X
– stick within the speed limit
– know what to do if you breakdown.
What happens next?
The upgraded section of the A1 between Alconbury and Buckden opened earlier this year, which means that the western section of the upgraded A14 is now complete.
Work on the rest of the project, between Swavesey and Milton, continues and is on schedule to completed as planned by December 2020. The work we are carrying out at Huntingdon including the removal of the old viaduct over the railway line, will complete after this.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and patience while we build your new A14. Please feel free to share this email with your work colleagues and relevant contacts more widely.
Roadworks and Events in and around Willingham 16th – 30th November
Just a reminder that this only includes works that are due to start between 16th – 30th November and longer term works that are still in progress will have been included on previous reports. Alternatively please refer to http://www.roadworks.org which will include details on emergency roadworks.
A14 C2H road Closures, week commencing 18th November 2019
Please note, there will be an extended closure of the A14 Bar Hill J29 eastbound entry slip this weekend. Once the main eastbound carriageway closure is removed, this slip road will remain closed until 12pm on both Saturday & Sunday. Access to the A14 eastbound will remain via the Dry Drayton J30 entry slip.There will also be a slow moving, abnormal load moving along the new local access road (between Oakington & Bar Hill) and around the ‘jug handle’ to the south side of Bar Hill junction between 00:01 & 03:00 on Sunday 17th. Please be aware should you be travelling along this section, as you may experience some delay
A14 C2H Road Closures week commencing 11th November 2019
A14 Monthly Parish Newsletter, October to November 2019
Northstowe Community Governance Review – Drop in Session 30th November 2019 – 11am at the Ploughman Hall, Willingham
South Cambridgeshire District Council will be available to answer your questions. Further details about the Governance Review can be found here
A14 Bypass Opening Date
A14 bypass opening date revealedNOVEMBER 5, 2019
A 12-mile bypass to the south of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire – part of the UK’s biggest road upgrade – will open to traffic on Monday 9 December.
The new bypass will run between Ellington and Swavesey and is part of a £1.5 billion project to upgrade 21 miles of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon.
Last month, the Government announced that the bypass would open to traffic in December, a full year ahead of schedule. Now Highways England is setting out how the road layout will change, and what drivers can expect on the new road.
Highways England project director David Bray said:
“Opening the Huntingdon Southern Bypass is a huge achievement in the delivery of this major road upgrade and I’d like to thank road users, residents and stakeholders for their patience and support during construction. Opening the new bypass will start to unlock many of the project’s benefits and, together with the upgraded section of the A1 between Alconbury and Buckden which opened earlier this year, means that the western section of the transformed A14 is essentially complete. Like any new road, it will take some time for drivers to get used to driving on it, especially when the junctions have a new layout, and some have been renumbered. Please drive safely and enjoy the new road.”
From 9 December, when the new bypass opens to traffic, drivers travelling eastbound on the new bypass will still have to join a section of 40mph narrow lanes roadworks from the Swavesey junction, so should look out for the signs when they approach the area.
The new A14 was designed with safety as the number one priority and its design is simple and intuitive. Variable mandatory speed limits will help to manage traffic to reduce congestion and ensure safety. As with any major road, the main things to remember are to keep left unless overtaking, not to drive under a Red X, stick within the speed limit and know what to do if you breakdown. A red roundel around a speed limit mean it is mandatory.
Slow moving vehicles will be prohibited from the new bypass and will be directed to use alternative local access roads. Each junction has specific possible vehicle movements and it is not always possible to join or leave the new road in all directions, to ensure that A14 traffic uses the most appropriate junction for its destination, avoiding smaller roads through local communities.
The junction numbers on the A14 between Ellington and Bar Hill will change when the bypass opens, as there will be fewer junctions than on the old A14. New A14 junction numbers will be as follows:
- • New Ellington, junction 21
- • Brampton interchange, junction 22
- • Godmanchester and A1198, junction 23
- • Swavesey, junction 24
- • Bar Hill, junction 25
All A14 junctions east of and including Girton, as well as the A1 junctions, will maintain their existing junction numbers.
You can view a map of the new bypass here.
Work on the rest of the project, between Swavesey and Milton, continues and is on schedule to completed as planned by December 2020.