County Cllr Fiona Whelan has arranged a public meeting re A1303 to be held in Madingley Village Hall on Weds 9th June at 7.30pm. County Council Officers will attend. The suggestion is that the meeting would be
* To discuss local residents concerns
* Hear suggestions from local residents re possible solutions / changes
* Detail what the County can and can not provide (and within what timetable)
see the Parish Council website www.cotonparish.org.uk
Several Coton residents attended this meeting, including 3 parish councillors. In total, there were around 30 members of the public present. Cambridgeshire County Council was represented by two elected members (Fiona Whelan and Mac McGuire) along with officers from the Council Road Safety Department. There were two representatives from the Police.
Several people described problems in the area around the crossroads between Madlingley and Coton leading up Madlingely Rise away from Cambridge. In addition to the recent deaths, there have been many minor accidents and even more near misses. The issues for car drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians were raised. The County council agreed and are looking into what should be done and what can be done within time and financial constraints. In the short term (this financial year) this might include new-style chevrons, and improved road marking. There was a lot of discussion about removing the climber lane to reduce overtaking before the bend. Fixed safety cameras are not a current option owing to central Government policy. Reactive road signs will be considered but the policy is to use these sparingly to maintain their effectiveness. In the longer term a roundabout is a possibility. The Council are keen to hear the views of local residents, and to avoid taking action to fix one problem only to find this has caused a new problem elsewhere e.g. removing the climber lane on Madlingley Road (A1303) could making turning left out of Coton more difficult.
We expect to hear back from the Council on their deliberations in mid-July via Fiona Whelan. In the mean time, contact Fiona if you would like to put your view forward.