New petition from Mill Road Traders’ Association
Mill Road Traders’ Association have launched a petition against the restrictions on Mill Road bridge.
Piero d’Angelico writes:
For the last few days we watched more and more people concerned about the future of Mill Road bridge, our petition clearly its an evident fact that many locals wants the bridge reopened, for us is very important to know what residents and traders want. Can you please post this link on your website we will appreciate it so much.
Piero d’Angelico, Ambassador of Mill Road Traders’ Association
Cambridgeshire County Council are using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order to impose the closing of Mill Road Bridge except for buses and cyclists for up to 18 months. They are using funding provided by the Govt under the pretence of COVID and social distancing needs. Traders will be affected.
This has been done with NO consultation at all from local/county councillors. Local traders have suffered significantly over the last year with a previous bridge closure and with COVID-19, this will now have a significant impact causing many shops to close. The traders are more than happy to work with the council to find the right measures as opposed to implement now consult later. Please sign this petition to help businesses ‘stay open’ whilst a proper dialogue can be had about ‘staying safe’.
Mill Road Traders’ Association
Mill Road Bridges Web-Editor adds…
This is the latest in a number of petitions, including:
- James Youd’s petition: Stop Road Closures – Cut Cambridge congestion through action
- Ruth Greene’s Blue Badge petition
- Rashel Mohammed’s petition: Allow taxis to go, where buses go
The publication of this post by Mill Road Bridges should not be considered an endorsement of the views of the Mill Road Traders’ Association, James Youd, Ruth Greene, or Rashel Mohammed, nor of the objections to the Mill Road traffic-reduction measures and associated restrictions on the railway bridge. Neither should this statement be read as one of opposition to their views.
You can participate in the Cambridgeshire County Council Mill Road Consultation, online, through clicking this link.
If you, or someone you know, would like a paper copy of the Cambridgeshire County Council consultation document telephone 0345 0455212 to have paper copies posted to you.
Survey participants often complain that the questions asked do not enable them to fully express their views. If you feel that way, you could set your views out clearly in an email to policyandregulation@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
Once again, for those without an internet connection or email account, you can communicate in the traditional way, by writing to:
Policy and Regulation Team
Highways Depot
Stanton Way
HUNTINGDON
PE29 6PY
Mark your letter “Mill Road railway bridge ETRO consultation.”
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There seems to be some very odd linking system going on, as the tweets you are showing also demonstrate:
You can see the real numbers if you open the petitions and just leave the page open. A popup comes up after a bit. I have captured screenshots. These currently show:
The tweets from the pro-car lobby have not given an explanation. They are still claiming the higher numbers. I hope the traders’ association will disassociate themselves from any claim of higher numbers.
The numbers have been trickling up pretty slowly in recent weeks.
The petition page texts don’t say this is happening, which is pretty dodgy.
I think it’s likely there will also be double-counting going on when people sign more than one.
The taxi one really cannot claim more than the 707 that actually signed. It contains comments (see the comments page) like this:
“I support the bridge closure in every respect, except for taxis being included the in the ban.” (24th July).
“I’m in foavour of closing the bridge to general traffic – but not taxis, buses, disabled vehicles” (6th August)
“I 100% support the bridge closure to private cars and vehicles but it should remain open to taxis.” (26th October)
These indicate that they would not support the other petitions. Those other petitions have objectives which clearly conflict with the above opinions.
Something odd is going on.
I filled in a petition about mill road bridge last night but I’m pretty certain that my signature has been automatically copied to two other petitions without my knowledge.
There seem to be three petitions about mill road and I noticed just before I signed it that the numbers of all three were exactly the same. I assumed this was a co-incidence.
I filled in this one: https://www.change.org/p/cambridgeshire-county-council-stop-the-undemocratic-rushed-closure-of-cambridge-s-roads?redirect=false
Just after I signed it I noticed the other two petitions have also gone up by one, so again they all have the same number.
Here are the other two – https://www.change.org/p/cambridgeshire-county-council-stop-mill-road-bridge-closure-forced-by-county-council-without-consultation and the other one at https://www.change.org/p/cambridgeshire-county-council-allow-taxis-to-go-where-buses-go?redirect=false
I just logged in and again and the numbers have gone up but they are still all exactly the same number. Somehow people are being copied from one to the other. That surely means if someone signs all three then the count goes up by three times as many even though that is only one person.
You can see this yourself, if you create an account in change.org, search for mill road bridge and make sure you can see all three petitions, then make a note of the number that have signed (it is the same). Then sign it and click on the link that comes to your email which means they confirm your signature (I see there is a link that you can remove it after). Then go back to change.org and I am almost certain you will find the number has gone up after a minute or two like clockwork and will be the same for all three.
Just because I agree with one petition doesn’t mean I agree to the others. I think that disabled drivers should be allowed over the bridge ideally which was the one I signed. But I don’t agree with the one about taxis being able to go everywhere because mill road has had a real problem with traffic and illegal speeding and children shouldn’t be run over.