Written 10/10/09

Stagecoach are making some major changes to the Citi 7 timetable (Adobe/PDF, 139KB) that are going to affect everyone who uses it.

These are timed to coincide with the introduction of the Guided Bus service and are:

- a reduction from 10 minute to 15 minute frequency (ie 4 buses an hour, not 6)

- no stops on Station Road/Cambridge Road (ie dropping Baptist Church, Vision Park/Whaling Commission, Station Stores, Coppice/Highfield Road)

The loss of capacity and these stops are going to affect a lot of people - getting to and from work, in and out of Cambridge and around the village (eg to Firs House or the Baptist Church, or to the shops/Library etc).

If you (or friends/relatives/neighbours) are going to be affected and want to have your voice heard then please:

• Fill in the County Council's Survey
• Email - Cabinet Member
• Email or fill in their (long) feedback form

On 12/10/09 at 2:45pm Marian Cleaver wrote: A reduction in frequency will be inconvenient and unwelcome. The changes,however. to the stops in Station Road and Cambridge Road will be disastrous for a great many people - both workers in that part of the village and local residents - particularly the elderly. The distance to either of the nearest stops is well outside the expected range that people will walk to get a bus. This will mean increased use of cars and hardship for those with limited mobility.

On 13/10/09 at 6:43pm Vanessa Kelly wrote: At a time when traffic levels are noticeably increasing and we are all being encouraged to travel sustainably, this is a real step backwards. The nearest Citi 7 bus stop, for residents & employees in the Station Rd/Cambridge Rd area, will be beyond the BUPA hospital in New Rd. One thought: perhaps Whippet's Guided buses could turn off the Guideway and use Cambridge Rd instead (at least the ones that are heading down Histon Rd).

On 14/10/09 at 6:16pm Dick Wilson wrote: The Director Transport Policy and Strategy Service Box CC1214 Shire Hall Cambridge CB3 0AP cc. Cambs: County Council - The Executive Member responsible for Transport Planning. Cllrs Jenkins and Gymer; the Leader of County Council. The Transport Commissioners Stagecoach. Histon and Impington Parish Councils. Dear Councillor As well as to the two parish councils I have sent the message to the above. The current proposals for Guided Bus timetables and new Citi 7 timetables service have the following effect on Histon and Impington - and on Cottenham as well. 1. A new ten minutes (perhaps slightly more often) service to the city centre by one or other of the two Guided Bus routes. 2. Each, on a 20 minute schedule, will stop at Histon station. The Histon Road leg will make two stops in Orchard Park , and then stop at the top of Castle Street, and on Park Street and terminate (for the time being) at Drummer Street. The Milton Road leg will stop at the Regional College, the Science Park, Elm Street (within easy walking distance of the Grafton Centre) and (for the time being) at Drummer St. The Milton Road leg only will go down St Andrew’s St and back round Parker’s Piece. It is not yet clear whether both will continue to the Railway station and Addenbrooke’s when this section is open. 3. The City 7 service will be reduced from a ten minute to a fifteen minute service. 4. The loop north from the end of New Road to Water lane and back down station Road and Cambridge Road (stops opposite the Baptist Church, at Chequers Road, at the Guided Bus station and Highfield Rd), will be cut out. 5. It is not clear how frequent the evening service will be but it should supplement the hourly Citi 7 bus. For people in the south end of the two villages, Histon and Impingham, within reasonable distance of the Guided Bus station, this will bring the advantage of a faster limited stop service to much of the City Centre, at the same frequency as now. At peak hours this will depend on the Guided Buses from St Ives and the nearer villages having places available. The Citi 7, though less frequent, is likely to be faster, except that journeys into the City will suffer more from the tail back on Bridge Road in the mornings. The will be more buses of one kind or another in the evenings. However, there are serious disadvantages to many as a result of the change in the City 7 route. The service from Cottenham will be reduced by a third – so buses will be more full at peak hours. At present there is a City 7 bus stop next to Histon station, a long way forim the nearent Citi 7 stop. It will not be easy for people from Cottenham or the top end of Histon to take advantage of the Guided Bus by taking a Citi 7 bus to join up with it. The Citi 7 remains the only stopping service. There will be a less frequent service to get people from Cottenham to Histon, from one end of the Histon and Impington complex to another, and from both to places on Histon Rd Cambridge. For many in the south of the two villages, the nearest Citi 7 service stop will be half a kilometre or more further away than now – in some cases over a kilometre altogether. It seems a great pity that what is being given with one hand is being taken away with another, the encouragement to the use of public transport through the Guided Bus being counteracted by discouraging the use of the Citi 7. It is an even greater pity that the decision can be made on entirely commercial grounds, with no public consultation, with the County Council powerless to intervene, only to complain, and public authorities being debarred from offering an alternative. I would nevertheless be grateful for anything you can do to maintain the level of the City 7 bus service. Yours sincerely Dick Wilson 18 Cambridge Road Impington CB24 9NU.

On 15/10/09 at 4:53pm Les Fry wrote: Why can't every other bus go through Station Road and Cambridge Road. So at least people living down these roads have the chance to catch a bus in to town.

On 16/10/09 at 10:03am Les Fry wrote: Further to my comment of buses alternately going down Cambridge and Station road under the new timetable. It could be the 7A to avoid confusion.

On 16/10/09 at 7:55pm Alan Winfield wrote: If Stagecoach insist on buses going along Bridge Road, an obvious solution for those of us living in the south of the village would seem to be a bus stop by the entrance to the Holiday Inn. I presume the council has control over the allocation of bus stops and not Stagecoach.

On 19/10/09 at 10:20pm Gordon Ross wrote: Bad News: Citi 7 will be reduced in service and missing the southerly stops in Impington. Good news: The busway will cost the same as the existing Citi 7 service & you can use the existing Megarider tickets. (www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/transport/thebusway/tickets/) Indifferent News: The Citi 7 is (currently) supposed to be every ten minutes, whereas the busway is supposed to be every 20. But the Citi 7 rarely runs to that schedule: I've waited 45 minutes at times for the "every 10 minutes" service - both from Impington *AND* the City Centre. We can speculate all we want. We just have to wait to see how it really works.

On 20/10/09 at 5:13pm Jenny Phillipps wrote: I am concerned about the proposed routing of buses so they miss out Station Road and Cambridge Road, Impington. Our Post Office was removed and we were told to use the one in Histon. How are people without cars supposed to get there? Many people are unable to walk as far as New Road to catch the Citi 7. Why can't alternate buses (2 per hour) keep to the present route. Already a number go over the bridge, by-passing Cambridge Road so I have often had to wait nearly an hour for the '10 minute' service. If the bus must miss out Cambridge Road, surely a stop can be created at the entrance to (and opposite)the Holiday Inn. Also, how are infirm people without a car going to get to see their doctor? More home visits?

On 21/10/09 at 9:18pm Sue Gymer wrote: *********************************************** CCC have had a relatively small number of hits regarding the Citi7 and only a handful have been negative. This is not representative of the anger that I have heard expressed by bus users and villagers. They have only received a few phone calls - most of them from me! Their number is 08450450675 Can I urge people to make their views on this service known to CCC and Stagecoach. At the moment they only have evidence that the changes are generally supported. For clarity: the "Histon Road" guided bus will only stop at Orchard Park and Shire Hall (express service) ***********************************************************

On 22/10/09 at 10:13am Alan Browning wrote: There a number of concerns about the new C7: 1) The first bus from Histon/Cottenham is later and reaches the railway station too late for the 2 busiest commuter trains of the morning (at 0715/0718). 2) Impington PO was closed partly because of the good links to Histon PO; now an impossible journey for many elderly people. 3) Access to The Firs surgery, Vision Park and many residents is beyond reasonable walking distance. There are good reasons why Stagecoach should wish to avoid the current time consuming and dangerous right turns onto the B1049. There is a solution: cast your mind back to the days of the 104/105 (or 84/85) timetable where the services ran alternately via the New Road or Station Road loops. The running time for each loop version is the same and all areas would be served every half an hour. Surely a fairer and more profitable prospect for Stagecoach?

On 22/10/09 at 7:24pm Sue Gymer wrote: Please be polite and civil to the people at both CCC and Stagecoach. It devalues our point if we are rude. Thank you for efforts in speaking to them. :)

On 23/10/09 at 1:01pm Colin & Wendy Toates wrote: New route effectively isolates the southern end of the villages - and particularly the elderly - from public transport access. For access to Cambridge the nearest points are either the old Histon Station for the Guided Bus (whenever that might be) or (after having to cross the B1049 Bridge Road) the Citi7 stops at Macfarlane Close. Access into the village shops, Doctors, Chemists, Post Office, Banks etc. will be non existent. We are supposedly moving to greater use of public transport,-- this appears to be a denial of that option.

On 27/10/09 at 1:06pm Neal Sanders wrote: As a family living on Station Road Histon we rely heavily on the Citi 7 (avg 15 journeys per week) which has to date been a reasonably good service. However, these changes represent a significant backward step. It has been poorly publicised and I still haven't been able to find a map of the new route and stops. It appears we now have to cross the B1049, opposite School lane (hazardous), to get to and from the Macfarlane Close stop. Fortunately we are all able bodied, I cannot imagine that these changes are accessible for the very young or elderly. The Guided bus alternative does not go to the right places for all of us and in any case is scheduled to take longer. Just where is the progress in all of this? Frankly infra-structure planning in Cambridge for the last 15 years is at best oximoronic at worst down right incompetent.

On 05/02/10 at 2:28pm Mel Lerway wrote: I am pleased there are less buses through Cottenham - I live at the end of the line, and we have a surplus of empty buses going through Cottenham all day, every day. Many times a day we have two or even three buses sitting idling (because they don't turn their engines off). I've seen drivers reading documents whilst they are driving, driving really close (and fast) to small children and dropping their fag ends at the bus stop. It was never economic to have so many buses this far down the line - Histon, yes; Cottenham, no. I also think it would be more sensible to divert the Citi7 so it goes further up Cottenham for the other end of the village to access. I am a great believer in public transport where it is economic to do (I also value having public transport nearby) - however for me the prices from Cottenham to town is too expensive. It is cheaper to drive in.

On 22/02/10 at 11:09pm Chris Carey wrote: The Citi7 from my experience has been good reliable and most of all good value for money and the truth is cheap. However a faster service is needed and perhaps some services could terminate in Histon and then return to town. The buses are always clean and compared to comparable sized cities the fleet must be one of the newest as we are about to get 50 brand new Envirio 400s double deckers.The timetable comes down to CCC roads. One has to remember that this Council has shut thru roads put up traffic lights all designed to stop, disrupt the flow of traffic. When the lights fail the traffic flows. The traffic lights on East Rd, Mill Rd are far worse than the old roundabout as traffic in both directions East Rd to the Catholic park in the Yellow box right out side the biggest police station in Cambridge never once during the peak hour or any other time have I seen a policeman pull a driver over. Try that in Dublin you only do it once. This Council should listen to the people that pay there wages some do have very good ideas

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