[Discuss] Backs

[Anne Marie Garvey]

I meant vrooming - grooming sounds very dodgy, cruising at King's? It's the officious new computer


On 19 Oct 2011, at 10:00, Anne Marie Garvey wrote:

> Thanks Simon,. I did mean taking private cars ( who insist on speeding there) out of the Backs altogether along with private buses. There is a University bus which runs down Grange Road at the moment ( I was at its instigation in 2002) and it connects people with all parts of the town and eventually Addenbrookes. Surely it would not be wildly radical to have such a bus down the Backs and let the rest of it be traffic free - the through traffic can make its way down Grange Road ( yes bumps and all) . In the future I am convinced that private motoring will be regarded as a real privilege rather than a right as it is today.
> 
> And incidentally,  I think there is far too much grooming up and down the College grounds through the gates, scattering tourists and students as these vehicles make their speedy way.
> 
> Now he has raised it, I think Simon is completely right in calling for the walkway along the Cam ( have I got this right?) A fellow of Magdalene, Professor Robin Spence, once told me that the College was planning such a walkway and that is why they acquired Wentworth House at the bottom of Hertford Street and went ahead and cleared a walkway through the College. Strangely this turned into just a path for College people which is quite a different matter. Yes, wouldn't it be great if citizens could walk along the river instead of having to negotiate the ever more alarming traffic on Chesterton Lane and the nightmare that is Magdalene street with its outsize buses and terrifying speeds -? this a really good idea and one we could raise with the Colleges and Council - and one which wouldn't cost anything much and would not be very intrusive - the Colleges could shut it off whenever they wanted after all.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 18 Oct 2011, at 21:17, Simon Norton wrote:
> 
>> I'm not quite sure what Anne means by making the backs traffic free. If that
>> means removing traffic from Queens Road, the colleges have no jurisdiction there
>> and it's unlikely that the County Council would accept it as this would
>> substantially reduce Cambridge's traffic capacity (though we might disagree with
>> them about whether this was a good thing).
>> 
>> If on the other hand Anne is referring to traffic within the college gates, I
>> certainly agree that the regular parking on the back access to Trinity College,
>> a route I use not infrequently, is an irritation. But this isn't the sort of
>> route on which one ever sees any type of bus (I assume that Anne is referring
>> primarily to private tour buses).
>> 
>> Incidentally, I remember some years ago walking on the path up from the Mill and
>> noticing a stream of cars on the opposite side accessing the Garden House Hotel
>> car park. I think it was a disgrace that this ever got planning permission.
>> 
>> My dearest wish regarding the Backs is that we should be able to walk along the
>> river between Magdalene Bridge and the Mill. This would provide a useful traffic
>> free walk for many journeys within Cambridge; and it would surely not cause
>> significantly more disturbance to the colleges than is now caused by punting.
>> There may be problems with St Johns but I'm sure that with a will these could be
>> solved.
>> 
>> Simon Norton
>> 
>> 
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> 
> 
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