'Bitter' court case against bus gate dismissed

A court challenge against traffic restrictions being introduced to a busy city centre road has been dismissed.

A legal case was launched at the High Court in November against a motor vehicle ban on part of Mill Road in Cambridge, exempting buses, cyclists, emergency services, taxis and blue badge holders.

Cambridgeshire County Council said the restrictions, which were reintroduced in March, would remain in place after its decision was upheld.

The Friends of Mill Road Bridge 2, the campaign group that brought forward the case, said in a post on social media it had been a "long and bitter struggle".

The post said the group was not currently considering an appeal due to the "significant sums" involved in pursuing the case.

"A legal challenge was our only option once it became clear that the voices of the majority were not being heard.

"To give up and do nothing would have been too difficult to live with."

According to the council, the case against it argued the traffic restrictions were unsupported by evidence and that a consultation on the plans was unfair.

The group also claimed there was a failure to provide legally adequate reasons for the restrictions and that the council had failed to take into account "material considerations" in relation to petitions.

Cambridgeshire County Council previously said the restrictions on Mill Road, which were introduced on a temporary basis in 2020 to 2021 before being made permanent, would make the area a "more enjoyable, safe place to visit".

It is the second legal challenge the authority has faced against the bus gate, with a previous case being dropped last summer.

Since introducing the restrictions in March, the council has issued on average 100 fines a day to drivers illegally using the bridge.

Anyone caught can be issued a Penalty Charge Notice of £70, discounted to £35 if paid within 21 days.

Mill Road 4 People, a campaign group that believes the bus gate brings "huge benefits" to the area, welcomed the outcome of the case.

"This decision has shown definitively that the installation of the bus gate on Mill Road was neither undemocratic nor illegal in any way," a spokesperson said.

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.