It’s official: Cambridge has transport problems

People power was on display today as Waipā District Council approved the transport problems for Cambridge, reflecting extensive community feedback.

At today’s Strategic Planning and Policy Committee meeting, members approved the project’s ‘problem statements’, completing stage one of the 30-year transport plan.

Defining transport problems is the first step required by the NZ Transport Agency in building a business case for future funding. The ‘problem statements’ distil the town’s key transport challenges into clear summaries, backed by extensive evidence in the draft strategic case – which was also received by Elected Members today.

Committee chair Mike Montgomerie said getting this early step right is crucial: “It’s important that Cambridge Connections clearly defines our transport problems before turning to possible solutions. Everyone has their own ideas on what Cambridge’s transport future should look like. By agreeing on the problems we are seeking to resolve, we have taken an important step on the path to designing an optimal set of solutions.”

In October, Council asked the community what the biggest transport issues were for Cambridge, receiving 254 responses. Executive director Katie Mayes was pleased to see these views closely reflected in the problem statements: “We made a commitment to put community feedback at the heart of Cambridge Connections. We saw this in action here today. The biggest concerns from the community were the need for better river crossings, easing congestion as the town grows, and freight pressure, and you can see that really reflected in how the problem statements came together.

“This is just the start, we can now move on to the exciting stage, which is coming up with a long list of transport options for Cambridge. We’ll be coming back to the community to ask for your ideas early next year,” added Mayes.

These are the problem statements approved by Elected Members:

1. High growth and impacts on transport network. Rapid population and economic growth and development in and around Cambridge, coupled with high reliance on private vehicles and limited transport choices, is placing increasing pressure on the town’s transport network and wider network connections. This is increasing congestion, delays and safety risks, increasing emissions and negatively impacting on accessibility for the community.
2. Through and across town traffic and heavy vehicles accessing through residential areas and the town centre. Reliance on a small number of key connections, including only one bridge able to carry heavy traffic over the Waikato River in Cambridge, means all heavy and through traffic travelling east–west or north–south must pass through residential areas and the town centre. This increases crash risk for road users, increasing congestion, and diminishing the town’s amenity and character.
3. Limitations and resilience of river crossings. The ageing and limited capacity of bridge infrastructure, exacerbated by the lack of schools and essential services on the Leamington side of town is constraining reliable and resilient transport links between Cambridge and Leamington and the wider network. These limitations reduce network resilience, disrupt connectivity during emergencies and temporary closures, and compromise the safety and efficiency of the transport system.

For more information go to: haveyoursay.waipadc.govt.nz/cambridge-connections