It was only in 1951 that Cambridge was granted its city status, prior to then it was a town, albeit one with a very long history (artifacts dating from 1800BCE have been found within the city). Despite its history, it was only in the mid-20th century that Cambridge had its first major growth spurt, this is in contrast to the many cities in the UK that saw their growth in the Industrial Revolution of the 18th & 19th Centuries. This has left much of Cambridge unable to cope with traffic due to much of the city being built in a way that cannot accommodate motor vehicles.

Cars, and by extension all internal combustion engine vehicles, have become such an integral part of how we get around, that it can be hard to appreciate that they aren’t much more than 100 years old. Prior to this, walking would have been the primary method of getting around, and goods would have mostly been distributed locally with horse-drawn carriages. So when cities industrialised, they needed more space for horse-drawn carriages to allow the increasing volume of goods to be distributed, so they widened their streets. But Cambridge never really industrialised, therefore keeping its narrow streets. This has had the inadvertent side effect of making it much harder for the increasingly popular automobile to fit in, and this issue has only become more apparent as more people have started using them.

The rise of the car in Cambridge has resulted in many issues. Some apply to lots of cities, whilst others are quite specific to Cambridge. The first is emissions, these include the mixture of gasses expelled from the tailpipe, as well as the particulates that are worn off from the tyres and brakes. These cause multiple problems. Transport emissions are accountable for 34% of our country’s emissions, which makes a significant contribution to climate change. Many of a vehicle’s emissions are also toxic and this results in many illnesses including asthma and lung infections, with children generally being the most affected. Public health data indicated that the death of 48 Cambridge residents could be attributed to air pollution during 2020, although due to the lack of understanding of the impacts of poor air quality on health, the actual figure may be much higher.

Another problem of focussing on cars as a transport solution is that they have a negative impact on pretty much every other mode of transport. Walking is made unpleasant by the noise and pollution of cars, cycling is made impractical and dangerous due to the conflicting uses of road space and busses get stuck in traffic making them unreliable and slow. Roads also cost an enormous amount of money to maintain, with Swedish research estimating the societal cost of an individual’s lifetime of car use to be £500,000 when all factors are considered. This is especially detrimental for Cambridge, since the city has the highest level of inequality in the UK, the money spent subsidising drivers is diverted from other essential services including social care and education. But worst affected are the alternative means of transport. So much of the budget is taken up by cars, little is left to fund the alternative methods of transport, trapping our city in complete car dependency, the outcome of which – as seen in some North American cities such as Detroit & Jefferson - could be eventual bankruptcy for our city.

Congestion is probably the most visible problem caused by cars, and this is a problem that is especially challenging for Cambridge as the centuries old city centre struggles to cope with this 21st century trend. Especially at peak travel times, roads can become completely gridlocked. Whether it is traffic building up through junctions or larger vehicles unable to navigate the narrow streets, our current transport solution is not working. Congestion has many social issues associated with it as well. It is a waste of an individual’s time which could be spent being productive. Spending large amounts of time physically inactive leads to poor health and obesity, putting additional strain on the NHS. Driving in traffic has also been shown to lead to a continued state of stress, which over long periods of time can have a very detrimental effect on mental health.

To tackle these issues, the Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership proposed the Sustainable Travel Zone (STZ). This would have raised money for alternatives to driving, as well as reducing the number of vehicles on the road through a financial disincentive. Whilst the proposal had its flaws, it was arguably the best solution for our city. The road charging proved incredibly unpopular, which inevitably lead to the downfall of the scheme, with the benefits overlooked by many. This signals to a greater issue in society: though there exists an understanding of the issues caused by many of our 21st century habits, there appears to be little appetite for change.