A report to be presented to the council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee outlines several potential cycling improvements which could be funded by the Cycleways Capital Programme, originally funded by both the city council and Cambridgeshire County Council, but by the city council alone since 2015-16.
- Improvements to Maids Causeway and the ‘Four Lamps’ roundabout adjacent to Midsummer Common, to improve crossing points, reduce traffic speeds and improve safety;
- Managing parking in the Davy Road area to make conditions better on this busy route for cyclists;
- Widening some areas of ‘Snakey Path’, the cycle and pedestrian route from Burnside to Cherry Hinton Hall, as well as work on surfacing, lighting and fencing there;
- Installation of additional cycle parking at locations including the city centre, other shopping areas, recreational facilities, community buildings and residential areas.
The proposed improvements build on the work already completed by the city council and Cambridgeshire County Council since a joint funding programme began in 2002.
Since then £1.8m has been invested by the city and county councils in cycling infrastructure in Cambridge, including major improvements on Newmarket Road, Madingley Road, Coe Fen, Jesus Green, the Perne Road/Radegund Road roundabout and many others.
The county council separately invests in supporting cycling in Cambridge through various programmes including the Greater Cambridge Partnership (formerly City Deal) which is improving transport infrastructure, including improved cycle routes for Hills Road and Huntingdon Road, and the Chisholm Trail cycle and pedestrian route.
Cllr Kevin Blencowe, Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport, said: “Cambridge is rightly known to many as the UK’s capital of cycling, and the council has long been committed to improving facilities for the many thousands of people who cycle in Cambridge every day.
“We hope that the improvements we are proposing for various cycling routes and facilities will encourage even more people onto two wheels – with all the benefits that means for the environment in terms of less motorised traffic and associated emissions, and for people’s health and wellbeing.”
Councillors will discuss the report at Environment Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 3 October.