Part of the Smart Cambridge project, the proposals include: research into why people make specific transport choices, establishing how to improve online ticketing in the area and a study to explore the potential for the Greater Cambridge area to participate in future transport innovation centred on driverless vehicles.
The proposals aim to support City Deal objectives by encouraging more people to use sustainable transport and therefore cutting congestion. They aim to do this by making it more attractive to use sustainable transport options for an entire door to door journey.
The agenda also contains important progress updates on other Smart Cambridge plans. In 2017, Smart Cambridge will launch a free mobile app (also available online) to give real time information to bus and other transport users. The purpose of the app is to make travelling easier and should boost non- car travel, thereby making an important contribution to reducing congestion in Cambridge.
Executive Board Vice-Chair Francis Burkitt said: ‘We all agree that we can use technology to give more transport information to residents. It’s a complex and leading-edge IT project, and I’m delighted that it’s moving forward so well. The app next year will be very useful, as it will give bus passengers real-time information on where each bus is, and I hope that extra convenience will encourage more people to use buses’.
These proposals build on work already underway to improve the real-time information at bus stops in Greater Cambridge by using the GPS trackers on buses, use of blue-tooth technologies to count traffic and monitor congestion and the use of sensors to capture data on air quality.
Housing Development Agency Progress
The Executive Board will also take stock of progress on the Housing Development Agency, one year after deciding to invest in it. The Housing Development Agency is building homes in greater Cambridge on Cambridge City Council; South Cambridgeshire District Council; and Cambridgeshire County Council land.
The HDA has been set up to provide the right type of new housing in the right place at the right time.
It operates using a model whereby each of the partner authorities’ collective resource of land, finance and staff skills is put to best use to help meet the Greater Cambridge City Deal objectives.
Board Chair Lewis Herbert said: ‘Homes people can afford are vital to the economic future of this area. We need to ensure there is enough housing, including affordable housing and the HAD has a big contribution to make here.’
The Board will review the HDA’s progress and consider its plans to deliver 827 new homes in its first three years, including 441 affordable and 68 intermediate homes (e.g. shared ownership).
The Greater Cambridge City Deal Partnership includes Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council as well as the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership and Cambridge University. The partners are working closely together to bring forward projects that improve the economic success of the area.
The Greater Cambridge City Deal aims to secure hundreds of millions of pounds of additional funding for investment in transport infrastructure to support high quality economic and housing growth over the coming decades. £100m of funding will be made available in the five years from April 2015. If certain conditions are met, a further £200m will be available from April 2020 onwards and up to a final £200m from April 2025 onwards.
Smart Cambridge has been set up to harness emerging technologies to find innovative ways to improve the economic strength and sustainability of the area. The work is supported by the Connecting Cambridgeshire programme which is improving the county’s digital infrastructure with better broadband, free public Wi-Fi and wider mobile coverage. Find out more at www.connectingcambridgeshire.co.uk