Melbourn Greenway is one of twelve Greater Cambridge greenways being constructed in South Cambridgeshire to provide better and safer walking and cycling routes into the city of Cambridge.

This greenway starts at Royston and links to the villages of Meldreth, Melbourn, Shepreth, Foxton and Harston before connecting into Cambridge through Trumpington meadows and the guided busway.

The Melbourn Greenway will make it easier for people to walk, wheel or cycle between the villages and Cambridge, with provision for horse riding wherever possible. The length of the greenway is approximately 10.5km and it consists of new routes and enhancements to the existing network to create an end-to-end walking and cycling route.

A flat top speed hump is a flat-topped hump that extends the width of the carriageway. Flat top speed humps provide a smoother crossing for larger vehicles like buses and emergency vehicles while still being effective at slowing down traffic. Sinusoidal rounded ramps will reduce road noise and make transitions for all traffic smoother.

As part of the engagement with residents, we discussed a 20mph zone.

A 20mph zone or limit with traffic calming provides the safest possible streets, while still allowing people to drive through and around the village at safer speeds. This will help more people to feel more comfortable walking or cycling in the village and to access the existing walking and cycling path on the A10 for longer journeys. It will significantly reduce the chances of collisions in Melbourn.

Speed humps are proven to more successfully self-enforce speed limits, whereas psychological features, such as red surfacing, can have varying degrees of speed reduction and cannot provided compliance to the speed limit.

Please see research attached: Lustre-Report-2023-Funded-by-the-RST.pdf

In terms of red surfacing, Cambridgeshire County Council now only use red surfacing for segregated cycle tracks and some shared use paths. This is due to the need for creating uniformity with the application of highway infrastructure and reducing costs to the public purse. Coloured surfaces will also require more maintenance, and it’s unlikely that it will always be repaired with the same colour material.

Our assessments have led to proposals for 12 speed humps in key locations along Melbourn High Street would be the best option for local people, ensuring that 20mph speeds are consistently maintained throughout the village and that safe space is provided for pedestrians and cyclists to comfortably cross or share the carriageway. It also provides a more pleasant space for pedestrians to use the high street, especially in places where footways are narrow. The speed humps are in addition to raised crossing areas to provide safe crossing areas for pedestrians and cyclists.

Four flat top speed humps would also be installed on Station Road between Meldreth and Melbourn – the speed humps will ensure a consistent 20mph speed limit is maintained, this is particularly important on the railway bridge that forms part of Station Road, where cyclists and motor vehicles share a narrow carriageway, and a narrow footpath exists for pedestrians. It will also help to reduce accidents at key hot spots. In addition, the speed humps will act as a gateway into Meldreth and Melbourn, demonstrating a safer shared use space for all road users.

• On the High Street specifically, our technical work has led to proposals for:
  • seven speed humps and one raised table on Melbourn High Street between Mortlock Street and Back Lane.
  • three speed humps and two raised crossings between Hale Close and The Moor.
  • one speed hump on Cambridge Road northeast of Portway and one speed hump at the entrance of Portway.
  • Side road treatments into residential areas

The proposals for the greenway have been developed in close collaboration with residents, the parish council and other stakeholders. This previous engagement has helped us shape the proposals and finalise detailed designs. We’re now engaging on the speed humps in a way that we hope is inclusive, whilst further opportunities to feed back on the proposals will be provided through the TRO process.

The speed humps will ensure that motor vehicles will travel at slower speeds, which will help disincentivise using the villages as rat runs and reduce noise from anti-social driving.

If you’ve ever driven over different types of speed humps, you’ll know that some can be quite abrupt. After careful consideration, our proposed designs recommend installing flat top speed humps, which provide a smoother crossing for larger vehicles like buses and emergency vehicles while still being effective at slowing down traffic.

The following measures were proposed as part of the original designs for Melbourn village:​

• Shared-use paths to the north of Melbourn village, connecting with the existing shared use path​.
• Raised table crossings (continuous footways) across side road junctions along High Street​.
• Red coloured road surfacing - at junctions along High Street and Station Road​
• On-road cycle markings - along High Street and Station Road​.
• A series of parallel crossings (for pedestrians and cyclists) across High Street​
• Footway widening.

The following measures were proposed as part of the original designs for Meldreth:​

• Red coloured road surfacing at the Station Road junction as well as the Railway Close/High Street/Whitecroft Road junction.​
• On-road cycle markings along Station Road.​
• Footway enhancement around the war memorial area, opposite Railway Close​.
• Parallel crossing (for pedestrians and cyclists) – at Station Road, south of the A10​.
• Shared use path at the Station Road junction​.

Construction in Melbourn is predicted to commence in 2026.

Construction timelines are still being finalised and plans for these will be shared with local residents, communities, parish councils and other stakeholders as soon as they’re available.

Three consultations have taken place with residents and people will be able to make representations to the county council when we advertise the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO).

Public responses to each consultation have helped to shape the proposals for Melbourn. The designs have also been developed in line with the government’s guidance for walking and cycling programmes and they have undergone two independent road safety audits, which assess the safety of the proposed scheme.

Previous consultation and engagement have included:

• 2017-18
  During the development of the Melbourn Greenway route, we conducted a consultation to gauge public opinion.
• 2019
  During the development of the proposals for the Melbourn Greenway, a consultation on key elements of the Melbourn Greenway was undertaken.
• 2022
  During the early design stage of the scheme, we shared proposals for the scheme, which showed traffic calming measures through the village.

More information about the findings from this engagement is available on the GCP website here: https://www.greatercambridge.org.uk/melbourn-greenway

People will be able to give their views to Cambridgeshire County Council through the advertised Traffic Regulation Order. These are legal documents that regulate how parking and movement is managed on the public highway.

Traffic Regulation Orders are legal documents that regulate how parking and movement is managed on the public highways, including changes to yellow lines, speed limits and traffic calming.

Before they are advertised to the public we consult in detail with the emergency services. Once advertised, anyone can make a representation to the county council about the proposals. They will then be considered and responded to when a decision is reached.