One of the busiest cycle routes in Cambridge, used by 3,000 cyclists at peak times, will be redesigned into a “Cycle Street” to prioritise cyclists and pedestrians over motorists.
As part of the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Comberton Greenway, the changes will include the removal of much of the on-road parking, wider footpaths and redesigned junctions.
“This project is about putting people first – making every day journeys safer and easier for everyone,” said Cllr Brian Milnes, the chair of the Greater Cambridge Partnership.
“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.”
Most of the on-road parking will be removed to eliminate blind spots for drivers exiting driveways and reduce the risk of car doors opening into the path of cyclists. The junctions will be redesigned to slow vehicle speeds.
For pedestrians, the raised crossings and wider footpaths will improve safety and accessibility.
These changes will also feature rain gardens and green plants to help reduce flooding, support pollinators, and boost biodiversity.
> New cycle paths “like putting a motorway down the high street”, say residents
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.
“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.”
Anna Williams, Head of Campaigns and Engagement at Camcycle, said: “Adams Road is one of the busiest cycle routes in Cambridge, with many times more people cycling than driving.
“We’re pleased to see work starting on the new cycle street and hope this is just the first of many in the city. Providing more space for people walking, wheeling and cycling will improve safety, encourage more people to choose active travel for their everyday journeys and create a nicer street for everyone who uses it.”
Adams Road will be part of the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Comberton Greenway, one of twelve new greenways, covering 150km.
16 thoughts on “England’s first “Cycle Street” will give priority to cyclists and pedestrians over motorists”
Is it April the first?
Is it April the first?
Really no different from
Really no different from anywhere in the UK, according to what i read of the “Hierarchy of Road Users”… 😉
I regularly walk down this
I regularly walk down this road.
Like much of Cambridge, the pavement is a bit narrow. However, it is not particularly busy and the problems with close passes could be reduced very quickly by only allowing parking on one side.
I am pleased that this is happening, but other, much busier roads that are far more dangerous really need to be looked at.
Sedis wrote:
So often if it happens with active travel provision it’s “where we can” – meaning places that don’t see a lot of motor traffic / where there is little “conflict over space”. Which means that it most often ends up in the places which need it least.
chrisonabike wrote:
Absolutely, this is clearly a case of cycling infrastructure going where it will meet the least opposition, not where it is needed most.
“We’ve heard too many stories
“We’ve heard too many stories of cyclists being knocked off their bikes and car doors suddenly opening into their path”
I know it’s a direct quote, but paging Mitsky…
My guess is KITT from
My guess is KITT from KnightRider is involved…
Or Benny the cab from “Who
Or Benny the cab from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”?
There is literally a car
There is literally a car parked on the cycle path in the rendering of this new car-free path?
That would be realistic!
That would be realistic!
I don’t know the area but would *hope* the vehicles are stopped to be in Dutch-style marked parking bays (where the tarmac widens)… although there don’t seem to be markings in the render.
leisurist wrote:
The road is not going to be car free, they are making the majority of the road no parking in order to widen the pavement and they are improving the junctions to give better visibility and slow vehicle speeds.
The car in the mock-up image is in one of the few parking bays.
Although this will indirectly improve the road for cyclists, it is a bit of a stretch to call it cycling infrastructure.
Fixing things for pedestrians
Fixing things for pedestrians (at a very slight but non-zero cost to motorists) is probably the least contentious way forward in most places. Once the idea of “mild restrictions on driving convenience to make nice places” is less of an atrocity in public discourse, perhaps we can start to shift things for cycling with slightly less opposition?
On the junctions – did you see the post elsewhere on this site about a project about new minor road junction designs?
https://therantyhighwayman.blogspot.com/2025/10/what-makes-side-road-junctions.html
I had a look at that. I think
I had a look at that. I think they could be effective, but it’s very difficult to say how much until there are a reasonable amount installed.
I agree about “Fixing things for pedestrians”, judging by the reaction in the Cambridge Evening News comments, they would have been much better framing this project as for pedestrians, as the mention of cyclists brings out the usual anti-cycling rhetoric.
Sedis wrote:
Yes. Though I’m still a bit mixed on this. Part of me says we can’t get changes good enough to bring about mass cycling by not mentioning the “c” word. And that mass cycling should be the goal; as reality (NL, parts of Scandinavia, Seville …) shows that properly fixing it for cyclists also makes it safer and more pleasant for pedestrians. And actually for those who then really *have to drive* …
BUT I guess to get to that point takes longer than most politicians care about. Even in NL, starting from a very high base of cycling infra / numbers cycling / support for changing the roads, it sounds like getting less bikelash took around a decade.
And people like Chris Boardman have shown it *is* possible to get buy-in for change even in the UK by engaging with a “fix it for parents with kids and OAPs to get about the streets without cars” line.
It’s not a cycle path. It’s a
It’s not a cycle path. It’s a cycle street – cars can still drive on it. The car is parked in a parking bay.
Now work in underway it is a
Now work in underway it is a bit easier to see how this is going to end up.
The footpath is going to be a very smooth surface, which providing it is robust will be an improvement. It is also substantially wider in places, however the benefits of this are somewhat nullified as where the parking bays and ‘rain gardens’ will be, it is just as narrow as before. Some of the rain gardens and bays are adjacent to lamp posts, which seems like poor planning.
They haven’t started work at the junctions yet, so too early to tell what these will be like.
I was also very surprised to see how much of the road was already no parking, I had not noticed before as the double yellow lines were constantly obscured by parked cars and not in a very good state. This was clearly never enforced.
This will be better for pedestrians, although it could have been even better with just a bit more thought put into the design.
I don’t think it is going to be dramatically different for cyclists, however it is often easier to justify expanding cycling infrastructure where something is already in place, hopefully they might do something to improve and link up the nearby roads.