Cambridgeshire aims to seal Tour de France legacy through launch of local cycling partnership

I must say....as a Huntingdon based Cyclist, I agree in parts with all those who have commented. You all have valuable points on this Partnership. Personally I agree the infrastructure in the City is poor in places...but the rest of the county is largely ignored save a few pet projects set up by clowncillors looking for votes.
On the Road Safety aspect, clearly much needs to be done and there is now a Near Miss project and also a website to report them on too called Collideoscope, so please use that. I have had the need to report several near misses since early October due to early nightfall and drivers having an urgency to get to their destinations....I'll add that at all times since September ended I am in Hi Viz and Lit up....
The Partnership will be a sham, a PR stunt which really will be SkyRide and British Cycling doing the donkey work and the Clowncils trying to take the limelight for any success, just like Cambridge did with the TdF as Yorkshire did all the work on that.
We have a small group here, which we will expand in the new year, all social riders of all ablilities who do not want to be hardcore club members or compete.
I'm a MTB and Road cyclist, if there is to be a real "legacy" from the TdF influence then we need to look at the Peak District for inspiration and commitment.
For the Record, 2 of us Wheelers booked the Baits Lock Skyride a week before this "Partnership" was announced....

As someone who commutes into Cambridge from an outlying village every day and cycles around various bits of the county on weekends/evenings, I can tell you that the situation isn't nearly as bad as Airzound is describing.

Yes, of course there are some cyclists who don't ride safely and/or ride bikes that need some serious maintenance attention, but the vast majority are perfectly OK. There are also plenty of 'proper' cyclists with expensive bikes, but they can be just as much of a danger to others in the city centre.

I would also be interested to hear any hard evidence to support the claim that multiple drivers are "trying to kill" a cyclist. Most instances of bad driving I've seen are people who simply aren't aware I'm there, and since I cycle defensively and expect people to make mistakes now and again it's hardly ever a serious problem for me.

All of that said, the cycling infrastructure that exists both inside and outside the city is pitiful in places, considering the high demand there is for its use.

What I'd like to see as "legacy" from the TdF:
the TdF has little or nothing to do with facilities. So the legacy should be nothing to do with everyday cycling.

What it is about is sport cycling. The event was a fantastic cross community one. Lets see a commitment to that. lets become a city that the Tour of Britain, Women's Tour, Tour Series and Grand prix Series see as a place to visit regularly. I'd especially love to see the council go chasing the Women's Tour or Grand Prix series. And these events often have amateur and youth racing as warm up acts- the council should be working with the Cycling Club on this.

But importantly, lets not take money away from everyday cycling stuff for such activities. lets get local businesses involved...

Likewise, I ride daily in Cambridge. I see heaps of normal cyclists every day of all ages.

I'm am struggling to see any 'legacy' from the TdF visit, apart from that bit of yellow paint.

Exactly what Al_s said!!

Airzound, do you cycle around town with your eyes closed? I see (and every survey/census/etc backs this up) lots of people cycling throughout Cambridge, mainly non-students.
Maintenance of the bus way path is a problem... but have you done anything proactive such as report the glass? or are you just one of these people who sits and moans behind your keyboard?

Well I live, work and cycle every day in Cambridgeshire and most of the time I see fuck all cyclists, apart from in the centre of Cambridge as Cambridge is full of students of all ages. Students ride bikes as the bikes they ride are cheap either old crap Appollos or bikes their parents rode in the 1970s. The students that ride these death traps make up most of the numbers who cycle in Cambridge. They are kamikaze riders.

As for the rest there are a small but significant number of us cyclists, admittedly more than probably elsewhere, except London and the facilities aren't that great.

So this partnership is about yet another focus group(s) getting government handouts for cycling and doing very little with it except to line their own pockets. The goodwill toward cyclists and cycling that the TdF supposedly brought to Cambridge has long since gone as I have had so many drivers try and kill me since whether deliberately driving at me, driving and dialling or being just crap drivers.

Cambridgeshire Country Council can't even keep the main cycle way on Milton road and the Guided Bus Way adjacent to Cambridge Regional College safe and free of glass as several glass bottles have been deliberately smashed at these locations to cause punctures to cyclists tyres. The glass has been there about 6 weeks now.

Legacy and stunning scenery - my arse