Mayor champions ‘Quick Wins’ funding for greener, safer March

Mayor champions ‘Quick Wins’ funding for greener, safer March

Mayor James Palmer will this week urge the transport committee of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority to back him in pushing forward to completion a raft of road improvements for the key Fenland market town of March.

The Mayor is asking the Transport and Infrastructure Committee of the Combined Authority to give the go-ahead for construction on the last few ‘Quick Wins’ for March – and to recommend that the Combined Authority board releases £900,000 of the budget to get construction going.

The mayoral Combined Authority’s programme of ‘Quick Wins’ is well under way, with many schemes already completed and in use by the people of March.  Others are progressing to construction, funded through an underspend from the previous stage of the March Area Transport Study.

Pedestrians, children, people with mobility issues, and cyclists moving around the town will all benefit from the active-travel and safety-first schemes. These include new zebra crossings, footpaths, traffic calming and speed controls plus signs discouraging heavy lorries from using inappropriate routes into March.

Children on their way to school will be the big winners if Mayor Palmer gets the thumbs-up for work to start immediately on the planned new zebra crossing in St Peter’s Road – with the aim of completing construction in December.

James Palmer, Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough:

“Greener and safer transport which puts people first is essential for March and all our market towns. I’m happy to say we’ve already delivered many of the ‘Quick Win’ projects identified as priorities and I’m determined to keep up the impetus. That means getting money for contracts to get boots on site. I’d like to see the children get their crossing for Christmas.

“Market towns like March have suffered decades of under-funding and bringing   transport across Fenland up to scratch is the key that will unlock the potential of this beautiful area, delivering the jobs, skills, housing and digital service that people need. That means getting March and other market towns the excellent road and rail links that will put them squarely on the map, help them to thrive and stay vibrant and connected far into the future.”

The Mayor’s emphasis on a greener, safer March continues with the HGV signage project, planned to start in December and complete in February, to help guide lorries  away from the town centre where they may cause traffic jams or create hazard and pollution for walkers and cyclists in narrow or residential streets of the market town..

Improving safety and access for pedestrians, a new zebra crossing in Station Road will also complement the work being funded by the Combined Authority on upgrading and revamping March’s historic railway station. Mayor Palmer plans for this work to begin in January if he gets the thumbs-up from the transport committee and the Board of the Combined Authority.

The Transport & Infrastructure Committee meets on November 4^th. If they approve the Mayor’s proposal, the Committee will recommend that the Combined Authority now agree for Cambridgeshire County Council to proceed to construction on the remaining March schemes.