Cambridge separated cycleway to be fully open a year late

A £1.2 million separated cycle route in Cambridge will now be fully open in Summer 2016 – more than a year behind schedule.

The delay was revealed by Cambridgeshire County Council’s cycling project manager Mike Davies to the south are committee last week, reports Cambridge News.

He said that the section heading from Addenbrooke’s Hospital in the south east of Cambridge towards the city centre was almost completed.

However, work will not start on the cycleway heading in the opposite direction until next month,

The delay has been attributed in part to what with hindsight proved to be a “rather optimistic” timetable, sourcing the red surface from Lanarkshire and the facet works are only undertaken between 9.30am and 3.30pm to keep disruption to a minimum.

Steve Lander from contractors Skanska told the committee: "The way we're going to do things has been reviewed completely. The programme is the main concern. We will try to accelerate that programme, but there may be strategic issues that throw a spanner in the works."

Mr Davies added: "More people cycling will ease congestion, improve public health and allow people to move around safely, conveniently and independently."

The section so far completed, besides being coloured red, is separated from the main carriageway by a low kerb, and is aimed at reducing conflict between pedestrians and cyclists who previously used the footway, as well as featuring floating bus stops.

Meanwhile, the county council is planning to remove metal bollards on the cycle path running alongside the guided busway to Trumpington.

The move, on safety grounds, comes after cyclist Clare Downie broke her collarbone when she crashed into one of the bollards, placed there to stop cars from getting onto the cycleway.

She told Cambridge News: "The bollards are too square and too low and hard to see and should be lit up."

"The two bikes ahead were side by side as they steered right to join the road section; the pathway was restricted by scaffolding and so my view of the bollard was obscured. I looked back to check there was no bus coming and hit the pillar dead on.

"I sustained a badly broken collarbone and was detained in Addenbrooke's overnight as they were concerned that it was about to become an open fracture, which would require immediate surgery."