Congestion In Cambridge

Written By

Alexander Purvis

Log Line - What is happening to Cambridge and the congestion?

Synopsis - Have you been though Cambridge on the bus, car or by bike? And have you notised the congestion that is in

Cambridge and what is the best solution to solve this issue? Well we talk to the people of Cambridge and how they feel its like and what they think should happen to solve this

issue.

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1 EXT - SHOTS OF DIFFRENT PARTS OF CAMBRIDGE

V.O: Everyday people enter the city canters by cars, buses bikes and even just walking. People go in to work, school, collage and uni. But with more and more people entering the city centre of cambridge its causing more and more traffic in the city. Causing people to be stuck in traffic and taking longer to get to their destination.a busy junction, lots of traffic moving though. Bikes, cars, taxies, buses and pedestrians. Its very stop start.

CUT IN - TIME LAPS OF CATHLIC CHURCH JUNCTION.

V.O: (CONT'D)One of the main ways that Cambridge has put into place to ease congestion is the use of a park and ride.

CUT TO - SHOTS OF THE PARK AND RIDE BUS IN CAMBRIDGE OR SIGN SHOWING A PARK AND RIDE SITE MONTARGE.

V.O: (CONT'D)They introduced this many years ago. Just like they did in Oxford where the first ever park and ride site in the country was. They introduced it in the 1960's to Cambridge.

ARCIVE FOOTAGE OF OXFORDS PARK AND RIDE SITE. SHOTS WILL INCLUDE BUS PULLING INTO BUS STOP. PHOTOS OF PARK AND RIDE BUS.

V.O: (CONT'D)ease congestion in and out of the historic city as the roads couldn't be widened. The adoption of this method was adopted all over the country since the 1980's and there are now over 92 park and ride sites across 40 locations. And cambridge have 5 of the sites.

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V.O: Three park and ride sites were built. One in Newmarket,

MEDIUM SHOT - SHOT OF EACH PARK AND RIDE SITE AS THEY ARE SAID. EACH PARK AND RISE SITE IS SHOWN

Trumpington, Babraham Road, Madingley Road, and one in Milton. These five bus routes all go into the city centre and around the city at various stops.

MONTARGE - AGAIN MORE SHOTS OF CAMBRIDGE AND DIFFRENT PUBLIC ATTRACTIONS. SUCH AS KINGS COLLAGE, MATH MATICAL BRIDGE AND FITS WILLIAM MUEASUM.

V.O: Since the park and ride sites were introduced in the city, the traffic in cambridge hasn't been reduced but has stayed relatively flat for the last two decades, with 190,000 cars entering and leaving the city in 2013. This shows that the sceams that have been put into place have had realy no effect of the congestion in Cambridg.

FADE TO - SHOTS OF VOICE OVER TALKING WITH SHOTS OF PEOPLE USING DIFFRENT TYPES OF TRANSPORT ROUND CAMBRIDGE. BIKES, WALKING, BUS, TAXIE

V.O: (CONT'D)And now by making people pay at the park and ride sites in Cambridge has seen a 14% drop in people parking and people bussing into Cambridge instead they are driving cars in and increasing the congestion. This drop was larger then expected as the fall was estimated at 5%. This cost was introduced early in the summer to make people who abused the free parking. People would use the car park for free and then either walk or bike to their final destination.

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CUT TO - SHOTS OF MILTON PARK AND RIDE. PEOPLE GETTING ON AND OFF BUS, BUS LEAVEING, SHOTS OF TICKET MACHIEN AND SHOTS OF THE SITE.

V.O: (CONT'D)We hopped on the Milton park and ride the goes though the whole city and talked to some of the people that get it each day and asked their opinion on the situation and if they have seen any change.

V.O:This is (interviewees name) and they get the bus (how may times a week) to get to (say where they get to)

DURING INTERVIEW - SHOTS OF THEM TALKING FROM DIFFRENT ANGLES AND SHOTS OF THE ENVIROMENT OF WHERE THEY ARE BEING INTERVIEWED.

CUT TO - SHOTS OF BUSSES AND TAXIES AROUND CAMBRIDGE WITH CYCLEISTS. (THIS WILL BE MIXED IN WITH SHOTS OF THEM TALKING)

INTERVIEWER:So why is it that you bus to where ever you are going rather than getting a bike or taxi?

PERSON 1:Its easyer for me to get to the bus stop and less hassle to get a bus.

FADE TO - CUTAWAY SHOT TO NEW LOCATION OF NEXT PERSON

PERSON 2:It seems to be one on the cheapest ways to get arround cambridge. As if i taxied it would gost £11 a day rather than £3.

Fade to - cutaway shot to new location of next person

PERSON 3Its just a simple way to get around. And as i get a meggerrider i can use all the busses in town so i can go all round cambridge. And i

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don't bike as there's so much PERSON 3 (CONT'D)

traffic in town i'm worried that i will get hit at some point.

CUT TO - SHOT OF PERSON LISTING TO QUESTION BEING ASKED

INTERVIEWER: What's your opinion on congestion in cambridge? Do you feel that something needs to be done about it?

PERSON 1:I think its quite bad, normally it takes an hour to get to one side of town to the other how ever in rush hour when people don't use public transport it adds an extra 40 minuets to the trip as there's so may cars on the road.

PERSON 2:Its not too bad. I don't use the bus during rush hour so its fairly smooth ride and seems to be ok.

PERSON 3Its awful! If your try and travel round cambridge in a car or bus it takes forever! I do think that something needs to be done about it but dont know what!

INTERVIEWER:Why do you think that there is so much congestion in cambridge?

INTERVIEWER: Do you think that the new cost of parking at the park and ride site now contributes to the congestion?

PERSON 1:I think that there is ao much congestion in cambridge because sometimes its cheaper for some peopel to use their cars than the bus.And yes i think that the cost of parking at the par and ride contributes to the congestion as its not appealing to people.

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PERSON 2:I think that the cost of parking contributes to the congestion as i read that there was a fall in number on the park and ride after the cost was implemented. And i think that people don't use the bus because of this and this contributes to the congestion and the fact that the cost of bus tickets sometimes puts people off as some live in the city and its easier for them to drive then bus or taxi.

PERSON 3:Um..i think that the congestion is bad but i don't think that anything can be done to stop it or that anything is making it worse.

INTERVIEWRE: Did you know that since the new cost of parking has been put in place it has decreased passengers on the park and ride by 14%? Why do you think that this has happened?

PERSON 1:Again i think that its all to do with the cost and that yeah its put them off as its an extra £1 on top and sometimes its cheaper to pay for parking in town and drive in than bus.

PERSON 2:That's a big loss of passengers. I think that yeah its to do with the cost of paring.

PERSON 3I sont blame the pople that stopped as its normaly cheaper just to use your own car. But the busses are allready to exspencive so yeah its easyer to use other forms of transport.

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INTERVIEWER:Are there any examples of congestion effecting your jerony on the bus? and how often does this happen? and why do you think that this has happened?

PERSON 1:Normally in the evening or at rush hour its just really bad so it takes for ever to get around.

PERSON 2:Every thursday and friday it seems to be that the bus is over 20 mins late and i don't understand how it can be so late!

PERSON 3Um...I don't think that there have been realy any times that i have had any problems with the park and ride. It seems to be ok for me and the traffic isnt to bad whn i bus.

INTERVIEWER:Do you think that lowering the prices of bus tickets that more people will bus rather than drive? And how do you think that this will lower congestion?

PERSON 1:This will help alot! The prices are way over priced at the moment and seem to keep going up and up! Lowering them would make it more appealing and would make the congestion better as there will be less cars on the road making the travel quicker.

PERSON 2:Yeah! I speak to loads of people and they say that they would buss to town but the cost is just to much. So i think that lowering it will be more appealing.

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PERSON 3Yeah i guess that peopl will bus more than use their cars. But then i dont think that you can lower it much as then the bus company wont beable to make much profit.

V.O:I also stopped and had a chat with some people that bike into cambridge and asked them a few questions as well.

INTERVIEWER:So why is it that you have decided to bike round cambridge rather than any other mode of transport.

PERSON 1:Its health for me and its just easier to get from A to B

PERSON 2:Um. I guess its just because its more convienent for me to get around and alot cheaper.

PERSON 3Wel i was out wiyh freinds and we all cycled in and i needed to do some other work and i needed to use my bike to get there.

INTERVIEWER:Do you feel that by biking that you are beating the congestion in cambridge? and why do you think that there is so much congestion in cambridge?

PERSON 1:Yeah when im cycleing down the roads i just zip past the busses and i can leave alot later than most people. And theres so much congestion as peopel dont want to use their bodys to get from home to wokr. They would rather just sit and let someone else do the work for them.

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PERSON 2:Yea, its so much quicker on a bike and good for me aswell. I think that people use cars as it more convienent as they may live all the way out of town.

PERSON 3Definitly you can go though the back streets and cut off loads of the root and time that a bus would take! I dont realy know why there is much congestion. It seems to allways be there so i dont know.

V.O:Do you think that installing more cycle lanes into cambridge will decrease the congestion? Why?

PERSON 1:No, i think that it will be safer for cycleists but woulnt make less congestion.

PERSON 2:It may look more appealing for people to cycle but wether they chose to is a nother question.

PERSON 3No. There will be the same amount of peopl and making more cycle lanes will make trafffic worse in town.

V.O:Now that we have found out some of the publics views about congestion in cambridge here are a few ways that cambridge are trying to stop congestion by proposing ideas and their views on the ideas.

V.O:What do you think about an underground system that flows under the city and having stations all over the place in key areas.

PERSON 1:I think that its a realy cool idea!

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Its neet and would fit in weel PERSON 1: (CONT'D)

round the city.

PERSON 2:Nice idea but think it will take to long and to much effort to build in such a small city.

PERSON 3Thinks its a good idea. I would defentaly use it and would like to see it in Cambrigde!

V.O:A congestion charge in the city making people pay to get in and out by car.

PERSON 1:Think this will make less people visit the city and ruin the economy.

PERSON 2:This will defently help with congestion and make traviling alot easyer.

PERSON 3Yeah think that we should have it and put it in place! But dont know how it will work.

V.O:They could introduce a no car ban! This ban would only allow public transport around the city centre. Forcing people to either get the bus, taxi bike or park outside of the city center. They have done this in Oxford they have made most of the city a bus zone only allowing busses in the city center and then have a restricted car access in the city as well.

PERSON 1:No, this is lessapealing then the congestion charge

PERSON 2:Um. Think this will cause alot of

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arguments and doesent give people PERSON 2: (CONT'D)

an option.

PERSON 3I think that again its a good idea but i dont think that people will agree with it and those who live in the city center who need to drive out, it wont be fair on them.

V.O:We also asked the people we interviewed about what they think could be introduced into cambridge and why they think so.

PERSON 1:More raising bolard, cycle friendly traffic lights

PERSON 2:More or less the same as above

PERSON 3More or less the same as above

V.O:Well that's the view of the people but who knows what cambridge will do to stop congestion? But all we know for now is that we will still be healed up in traffic for the time being.