Green Transport Policy
The Cambridge Research Park has recently developed a green transport policy for the project. While the development provides a high level of car parking in keeping with the needs of business park occupiers, we aim to offer everyone that works or visits the park an option of how they get there. Ideally, we are going to provide enough on-site facilities to reduce traffic movements on and off the park during the working day. These include; a hotel with bars, restaurants, health club, sandwich shop and ATM's. However, for those wanting to get to the park on public transport, a new bus service was introduced to the park in mid-September. The service, opened by Stage Coach Cam Bus Ltd., runs between Cambridge and Ely and now stops at the park 24 times a day. Nic Rumsey, the developer of the park, says, "Our tenant research confirms that if a bus service is available they will use it, and as the park attracts further tenants, demand for the bus service will increase." The service is already available to Diomed, the first occupier on the site, which moved to the park in October and employs more than 55 people. In addition, construction is already taking place on the 63,000 sq ft building for ntl, which is expected to raise demand for the bus service with 400 employees moving onto the site in 2000. We are currently in detailed discussions with local railway company WAGN to create a link up with Waterbeach Station, which provides excellent, regular train services to Cambridge, London and Kings Lynn. Research is being carried out as to how the two-mile distance to the station can be made less of a barrier to both commuters and visitors. We are considering a tie-up with a local taxi service, Pantha Taxi's, with whom we already have an informal agreement The park will also be sponsoring improvements to Waterbeach Station including better security, a public telephone and redecoration. In addition, the Cambridge Research Park on-site management team are looking into a car sharing scheme within the park, as well as a system of direct delivery of weekly groceries to the occupier. A commitment has also been made by the research park to invest in a new cycle path, connecting the park with the proposed Cambridge to Ely cycle path. The Cambridge end currently terminates at the Slap Up Pub on the A10 at Waterbeach turn-off. This scheme has already been designed and the Highways Agency expect to start on-site and complete work during 2000. In order to cater for this, all of the buildings at the park have secure cycle stores and the on-site infrastructure has been designed to incorporate cycle paths. Rumsey, says, "We are not interested in paying lip service to 'green trends' and we are determined that the Cambridge Research Park will have a genuine sustainable transport plan that will be implemented in full as more tenants enter onto the park."
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