On 18 May 10 a group of Gilbert Road residents, councillors, the MP for Cambridge, members of the Cambridge Cycling Campaign and other road users cycled along the road to Chesterton Community College at the time when children were going to school. The aim was to see what road conditions are like for cyclists at present. David was one of the councillors.

Gilbert Road is one of those roads with advisory cycle lanes. There is a strip at the edge of the road on both sides marked out by dashed lines which is where a cycle lane should be. There is no sanction against non-cyclists using it which is why there are often cars parked in it blocking the route for cyclists.

There are proposals to change the situation and to do so in a way very much in favour of cyclists. Click here for a narrative of the state of play. Problem is that most residents don’t favour the proposed scheme.

The ride last Tuesday morning showed clearly why Gilbert Road is not cyclist friendly. And given the number of children that cycle to the local schools it acts as a deterrent to more doing the same. and its not only children. many residents of Cottenham, Histon and Impington use the road as they cycle into Cambridge.

David ‘enjoyed’ the experience. He said: ‘it’s a pity that the proposed development is seen as a win-lose. There must be some way in which we can come up with a solution which is both good for cyclists and improves life for local residents. Gilbert Road should be recast more as an avenue and become less of an urban freeway!’