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Anti-terrorism barriers for one of UK’s busiest streets for cycling

Cambridge City Council trial at King's Parade goes live next month - but concerns have been expressed on effect on cyclists...

One of the UK’s busiest streets for cycling – King’s Parade in Cambridge – is set to have anti-terrorism barriers installed to prevent motor vehicles from accessing it during the daytime despite concerns about their impact on cyclists.

The barrier and other safety measures will become operational from 13 January under an 18 month trial being conducted by Cambridge City Council in partnership with the Greater Cambridge Partnership and Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

The street is home to shops and restaurants as well as Cambridge’s most famous building, King’s College Chapel, and is busy with locals and tourists throughout the year, as well as students heading to and from the nearby colleges.

Cambridge City Council says that the first phase of the security measures, drawn up following consultation with Cambridge University, local businesses and other stakeholders, will involve a temporary motor vehicle barrier being installed across King’s Parade, just north of the junction with Bene’t Street.

The three-metre-wide, swing-gate barrier will be flanked either side by a pair of weighted security barges, similar to those now in place on a number of bridges in London. There will be a gap on the King’s College side for cyclists to pass through.

While motor vehicles will be prevented from access to King’s Parade while the barrier is in place from 9.30am-7pm each day, there will be access for pedestrians, cyclists, emergency services and for special events. 

Measures will also be introduced to slow motor vehicles on the approach to King’s Parade, such as narrowing the road on Trumpington Street.

The trial will be assessed before proposals for a permanent barrier or method of closing the street are drawn up.

Councillor Lewis Herbert, the Labour leader of Cambridge City Council, said: “As most people would agree, Cambridge is a special place, but sadly, in a time when the UK terror threat level is substantial, the benefits of its global profile are not without risks.

“The tragic loss of innocent lives in the London Bridge attacks serves as a further reminder of the need to take appropriate measures to protect people.

“We have recognised this and that is why we sought police advice about King’s Parade, which is our busiest single visitor destination.

“Now that we have received that advice we must act on it in a proportionate way to do all we can to minimise the risks to public safety and help people to move around the city centre as easily as possible.

“We understand that some of the businesses on King’s Parade will feel inconvenienced, but this is a temporary solution and we will continue to discuss the scheme and any potential permanent measures with them.”

He added: “An added benefit of the temporary barrier will be that city residents and thousands of visitors attracted to King's Parade will have a more relaxed space to wander beside King's College, particularly at busy times.”

The proposals were approved by Cambridge City Council’s strategy and resources committee in early October, although some councillors expressed concerns about the impact on cyclists.

Nichola Harrison, Liberal Democrat councillor for Market ward, said at the time: “I have significant concerns that this barrier design is simply not suitable for a road like King’s Parade. Cyclists will not have sufficient space to travel safely and this will impact on pedestrians too.”

However, councillor Richard Robertson, executive councillor for finance and resources, said in response: “Cities across the UK with similarly busy pedestrian areas have already installed such barriers including Manchester and Birmingham.

“For cyclists there is one gap, just like there is already for cyclists wanting to enter Sidney Street from St Andrews Street

“Because of the University cycle traffic, particularly early morning, it is planned to keep the vehicle barrier open during the morning peak time for cyclists,” he added .”At this time the potential security risk is also much lower because there are far fewer pedestrians in the area then.”

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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10 comments

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Chris Hayes | 4 years ago
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King's Parade has retractable bollards at each end and has done for decades. I suspect the real motive is traffic rather than terrorism, which is a remote risk.    Pollution was the main concern in the mid-90s when Silver St was one of the most polluted streets in Britian, but  either way, it would be a relatively easy city centre to seal off altogether if the council were so minded:  retractable bollards on Silver St,  Bridge St, Trumpington St beyond the Eng Dept and then Regent St on the corner of Parkers. 

Avatar
HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
1 like

The London Bridge attack was very distressing, but as Kev mentions above, vehicles barriers would have had no effect because no vehicle was used by the attacker.

Maybe this is a response to a specific threat we don't know about. In general, you can't put barriers everywhere - you have to trust most people to be decent, and try to catch those with bad intentions.

Avatar
brooksby replied to HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
3 likes

HarrogateSpa wrote:

The London Bridge attack was very distressing, but as Kev mentions above, vehicles barriers would have had no effect because no vehicle was used by the attacker.

Maybe this is a response to a specific threat we don't know about. In general, you can't put barriers everywhere - you have to trust most people to be decent, and try to catch those with bad intentions.

It suits the authorities for the people to be afraid of potential terrorist attacks and for them to accept restrictions in light of those possible attacks. Ironic that the general unspecific state of fear is exactly what the terrorists want too.

Avatar
CyclingInBeastMode replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes

brooksby wrote:

HarrogateSpa wrote:

The London Bridge attack was very distressing, but as Kev mentions above, vehicles barriers would have had no effect because no vehicle was used by the attacker.

Maybe this is a response to a specific threat we don't know about. In general, you can't put barriers everywhere - you have to trust most people to be decent, and try to catch those with bad intentions.

It suits the authorities for the people to be afraid of potential terrorist attacks and for them to accept restrictions in light of those possible attacks. Ironic that the general unspecific state of fear is exactly what the terrorists want too.

ding ding ding ding , we have a winner, give that man a coconut!

Avatar
squired | 4 years ago
1 like

I just hope for the sake of Cambridge that they don't use those nasty looking concrete slabs we have on the bridges in London.  If you want to see how to do it properly, look at somewhere like Las Vegas, where the protection looks good.  Those slabs used in London take up road space and send you subliminal messages that you should be scared.

Avatar
werics | 4 years ago
1 like

https://www.army.mil/article-amp/19684/redstone_arsenal_gates_entering_m...

I strongly doubt these are cost-effective, but since dreaming is allowed, I figured I'd share.

Avatar
kevvjj | 4 years ago
3 likes

ahh, correct me if I'm wrong, Cambridge people, but wasn't the recent London Bridge terror attack perpetrated by a... pedestrian??

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CyclingInBeastMode | 4 years ago
3 likes

The chances of a 'terrorist' attack is infintessimally smaller than a terrorsit attack by a moton, which is worse by several orders. Barriers to prevent the classically accepted acts are backward and ineffective in what they are meant to do, they are unthinking and pander to the stupid and dimwitted who insist on something being done even if it actually poses more probability of actual harm to others.

Do these fools really think that a terrorist will target an area with a barrier in place, why not barrier everything ffsno!

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... replied to CyclingInBeastMode | 4 years ago
5 likes
CyclingInBeastMode wrote:

Do these fools really think that a terrorist will target an area with a barrier in place, why not barrier everything ffsno!

One big anti-car barrier around the entire city of Cambridge? Might be onto something there...

Avatar
roubaixcobbles | 4 years ago
1 like

Why on earth do they need a big swing gate there? Three or four bollards that retract into the ground would do the job just as well and leave ample room for cyclists.  One of the great joys of my student days in Cambridge was the fact that it was such a cycling city - would be sorry to see cyclists messed about for the sake of some "anti-terrorist" measures which, frankly, are entirely unnecessary.

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