Highways Agency

• 1. introduction
• 2. scheme proposals
• 3. engineering assessment
• 4. environmental assessment
• 4. environmental assessment (continued)
• 4. environmental assessment (continued)
• 4. environmental assessment (continued)
• 4. environmental assessment (continued)
• 4. environmental assessment (continued)
• 4. environmental assessment (continued)
• 4. environmental assessment (continued)
• 4. environmental assessment (continued)
• 4. environmental assessment (continued)
• 4. environmental assessment (continued)
• 5. traffic and economic assessment

4. environmental assessment (continued)

4. Environmental Assessment (continued)

4.10 Pedestrians, Cyclists, Equestrians and Community Effects

4.10.1 Introduction

The Government's Transport White Paper sets the framework for a number of issues in relation to health and transport. This refers mainly to the encouragement of physical fitness by reducing reliance on private cars and making it easier to cycle and walk in safety.

The Highways Agency's 'Encouraging Sustainable Travel - Strategic Plan for Accessibility' aims to improve access to everyday facilities for those without access to a car, thereby realising one of the governments key transport objectives. It aims to ensure that the needs of disabled people are met, ensure the severance effect which strategic roads can have on communities is reduced and improve access to public transport.

With reference to community severance, the Strategic Plan for Accessibility states that objectives will include measures to enable disabled people, pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians to cross busy trunk roads with improved safety and personal security. It further states that links for these users to key destinations will be improved.

This chapter considers the potential effects of the Alternative Proposal on local journeys made by modes of transport other than the car, thereby assessing the impacts of the scheme on personal activity. The potential for community severance is also considered.

4.10.2 Method of Assessment

The approach to this assessment is predominantly qualitative. The methodology is based on the from TAG. A pedestrian survey has not been carried out at this stage of the scheme development. The following maps were consulted at Cambridgeshire County Council:

• The Definitive Map and Statement of Public Rights of Way for the former County of Cambridgeshire 1952 (amended 1957 and 1962);
• The Definitive Map and Statement of Public Rights of Way for the former County of Huntingdonshire 1953 (amended 1961).

4.10.3 Existing Conditions

PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY

Access to the countryside via Public Rights of Way (PROW) provide important recreational interests for local residents. PROW are made up of footpaths, bridleways (which may be used by cyclists) and byways. These are illustrated in the Planning Constraints Map. Each PROW has a reference number which was retrieved from the Definitive Rights of Way Map at Cambridgeshire County Council. The reference number for each PROW changes as it traverses parish boundaries.

The route corridor predominately runs through rural countryside, impacting on a range of PROW. National Trails, as shown on Ordnance Survey Maps (225 and 209, Scale 1:25000) have been referred to as they are important local attractions. These include the Ouse Valley Way and the Fen River Way.

In relation to the viaduct, a PROW commences from beneath the viaduct, running northwards, which eventually joins up with FP6.

SETTLEMENTS

The A14 links the major urban settlements in the study area, Cambridge and Huntingdon. Cambridge is a high level service centre, and attracts visitors from the whole of the study area, principally for work, but also for comparison shopping. A number of smaller settlements are found in a corridor approximately 5 km either side of the road. Many people living in those communities work in Cambridge, and to a lesser extent Huntingdon, and need to use the A14 for this purpose. There is also interaction between the remaining settlements, with those offering a greater range of services, such as schools, shops and other community facilities, exerting a pull on their smaller neighbours.

In addition, there are a number of businesses and facilities in the study area which serve the local and wider communities. This is particularly true for strategic traffic. These facilities include:

• The Trinity Foot public house and the Buckingway Industrial Park are located on the northern side of the A14. A service station, including restaurant and motel, is located on the south side of the existing A14.
• Hemingford Abbots Golf Complex is located south of the A14, between the A1198 and B1040. Brampton Park Golf Course is located west of the River Great Ouse, south east of Brampton. Cambridgeshire Moat House Golf Club is located south of the A14 and east of Bar Hill.
• Buckden Marina is located west of Offord Cluny and south of the orange route. It occupies 92 acres of Cambridgeshire countryside, with the River Great Ouse skirting its eastern boundaries.
• Hinchingbrooke County Park is located south west of Huntingdon and extends to over 170 acres of meadows, grassland, woodlands and lakes. Milton Country Park comprises a mixture of woodland and water areas. Both country parks are popular local attractions. Brampton Wood is located southeast of Huntingdon. It is a popular area for walking, bird watching and nature appreciation.
• There are a number of rural enterprises located throughout the study area. These include a number of equestrian centres which utilise the local bridleway network as part of their business. There is a wide range of former gravel pits throughout the area, many of which are currently used for leisure activities such as fishing, bird watching etc. An area of land located at High Harthay farm, to the south of the A14 and west of the A1, is used for paintballing.

4.10.4 Potential Impacts and Mitigation

SCHEME PROPOSALS

At present, where a local access road is proposed, full details have not yet been developed. However, to satisfy the planning policies, it will be necessary to incorporate in the final design, detailed design measures to encourage and facilitate walking, cycling, equestrian activities and public transport. These can involve the physical separation of roads, footpaths, cycle routes and bridleways; measures to make public transport more attractive such as bus lanes and lay-bys; use of landscaping measures to make roads more attractive and protection from the noise of the motorway.

The Alternative Proposal would result in a majority of strategic traffic leaving the existing A14 either east of Fenstanton or west of Hemingford Grey. This diversion of traffic would make journeys along the existing A14 up to Ellington safer and more pleasant for pedestrians and local vehicular traffic. The scheme proposal would facilitate an accessible route for strategic traffic, encouraging people to walk and cycle along the existing A14 in safety, thus improving physical fitness. The existing A14 would be principally used for local vehicle and NMU traffic.

Hinchingbrooke Country Park is currently severed from Huntingdon by the existing Huntingdon Viaduct. The reduction in traffic along this route could encourage a greater use of this area by the local population, improving access for cyclists and pedestrians. The diversion of traffic from the vicinity of this park would help to encourage passive recreation.

Non-Motorised User (NMU) Routes

Criteria for Significance

The significance of the impacts of the route options on PROW is assessed as follows:

• Substantial Adverse - The option impacts on PROW resulting in a substantial loss of amenity and use for NMU;
• Moderate Adverse - Existing public right of way would now cross the proposed route, would not incorporate a significant diversion, loss in amenity would result;
• Slight Adverse - no impact, minor loss in amenity;
• Neutral - no impact, no loss in amenity;
• Beneficial - no impact, opportunity for NMU to access proposed LAR.

The following table outlines the physical impact of the Alternative Proposal on the range of Public Rights of Way. During the construction phase of the viaduct the impact is assessed as slight adverse since the adjacent footpath would be temporarily affected.

4.10.5 Junctions

It is anticipated that the reconfiguration of the Ellington junction would not impact any PROW Routes. Fen Drayton interchange would not impact any PROW routes.

4.10.6 Community Severance

CRITERIA FOR SIGNIFICANCE

The significance of community severance is assessed as follows:

• Beneficial - Proposed route would reduce necessity to travel on A14 to access local settlements, community facilities etc and make it easier for community residents to move within the study corridor;
• Neutral - no significant change;
• Adverse - significant barrier to movement such as long diversions etc.

Offline widening could increase the severance between villages on opposite sides of the A14 by increasing the length of journey between them. However, at present traffic on the A14 is so heavy that the road acts as a very sever barrier to people using cars or non-motorised transport. The table below seeks to summarise the severance effect on individual villages. On balance, a significant reduction in community severance could result. This is particularly true where there is daily movement of school children to other villages.

Diversions resulting from replacement of the viaduct, during construction, would result in a short term adverse impact.

4.10.7 Access to recreational Activities

There are a number of equestrian centres located in the area of which rely on local bridleways as part of their enterprise. The route option runs in close proximity of these bridleway, impacting significantly on the tranquillity of these paths which are used by local equestrians.

The Alternative Proposal would traverse Buckden Gravel Pits, adversely impacting on local wildlife. Buckden Gravel Pits provides water sports and other leisure activities.

The route would also run in close proximity to an area of water located between the A1 and Brampton Park residential estate. It would adversely impact on this resource which is used by locals for fishing etc.

An area of land used for paintballing activities is located south of the A14 at High Harthay farm. The Alternative Proposal would run in close proximity to this area adversely impacting on this leisure activity.

4.10.8 Mitigation Measures

Detailed scheme design proposals will incorporate provision for public rights of way. This would most likely involve diversions to the existing public rights of way or the use of over/under bridges if appropriate. Therefore, people still wishing to make pedestrian movements would be able to do so with no hindrance to movement.

The option would affect the usability of these paths, significantly reducing their amenity value. This would be due, not only to the physical impact on these PROW, but also to the increase in noise levels and car vehicle exhaust fumes, adversely impacting on local air quality. The general rural ambience of the area and amenity value of the PROW would be adversely affected.

In many cases as outlined above, the option either traverses or truncates a PROW, necessitating some form of appropriate mitigation measure. The scheme could provide opportunities to enhance and improve the existing network of PROW within the study through the mitigation measures. In addition, linkages between existing PROW to provide longer networks which could be used for recreational purposes and also as a means to reach employment and shopping facilities could also be seen as appropriate forms of mitigation.

4.10.9 Summary

The study area is served by an extensive network of public rights of way, which would be traversed or impacted by the route. In addition, it would traverse the Ouse Valley Way and Fen River Way both of which are important amenity resources and local attractions. In most cases their continuity would be maintained by the provision of overbridges or short diversions.

The existing level of community severance would not be increased, although this would be affected during the construction phase as a result of the viaduct replacement. It is anticipated that journey time for residents located along the A1198 would be increased with the construction of the new junctions and associated local access roads as part of both the Alternative Proposal. This impact would not be significant but the journey would be safer.

The route would traverse Brampton Flood Meadows and Buckden Gravel Pits, adversely impacting on the amenity of both these areas. It would run in close proximity to Fenstanton Pits which is a local fishery. This area would not be directly impacted by the either of these routes. The option run to the north of Brampton Wood, traversing a number of public rights of way. It is anticipated that appropriate mitigation measures will alleviate the impact of the option on PROW. In some cases, short diversions could facilitate linkages within the network, thereby improving the networks overall attractiveness and usage.

With appropriate mitigation measures, the proposal is assessed as neutral in terms of impact on existing PROW, local rural enterprises and community severance.

4.10.10 Comparison with CHUMMS Strategy

This proposal is assessed as having a neutral impact in terms of impact on existing PROW, local rural enterprises and community severance - the same score as for the CHUMMS Strategy. However, there would be an adverse impact on community severance during the construction phase as a result of works to the viaduct. Opportunities for crossing the road by NMU traffic would be slightly safer by the Alternative Proposal due to there being a dual lane in place, rather than three lanes. For this reason, journey times of such users would also be marginally increased.