Graphic representation of the soon-to-be-built 'Cycle Street' on Adams Road in Cambridge. (Greater Cambridge Partnership via SWNS)
By Faye Mayern
The first official 'Cycle Street' will be built along a city center road giving cyclists priority over cars.
Adams Road in Cambridge is used by 3,000 cyclists at peak times of the day and will be redesigned mainly for cycle traffic.
The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) scheme will see on-road parking removed, redesigned junctions to slow vehicle speed and wider footpaths.
Motorists will still be able to access the road - which will be painted red - but cyclists and pedestrians will have priority.
Cambridge has a reputation as a cyclist-friendly city and has one of the highest levels of cycling in the country.
Adams Road in Cambridge, before it becomes the planned Cycle Street. (Greater Cambridge Partnership via SWNS)
The city is already home to a Dutch-style roundabout - in which drivers must give priority to pedestrians, then cyclists - which opened in 2020.
Cllr Brian Milnes, Chair of the GCP, said: "We’ve heard too many stories of cyclists being knocked off their bikes and car doors suddenly opening into their path, while elderly and vulnerable residents have to step into the road just to get around bins or parked cars.
"That shouldn’t be the reality on one of Cambridge’s busiest cycling routes.
"This project is about putting people first — making everyday journeys safer and easier for everyone."
Dan Strauss, representing Adams Road residents, said: “Change is so needed.
"Adams Road is a cycling success story but as it’s got busier, hundreds of parked cars are creating blind spots for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.
Google Street View of Adams Road in Cambridge. (Google via SWNS)
"Fast moving traffic, crowded pavements and constant near misses have turned one of the busiest cycle routes in Cambridge into an unsafe cycling experience.
"As well as this, parents worry about letting children ride bikes or scooters, and families have watched loved ones using mobility aids forced to navigate one obstacle after another on narrow pavements.
"We’re a cycling city and we’re proud to be leading the way in showing how we can better share our roads to provide safe travel for all.”
Construction on the GCP project will start on 13 October and is expected to last about 30 weeks.