Date published: 2005/08/13
The Cambridge Evening News says:
The controversial Cambridge city centre cycle ban will be lifted next month - but councillors are still at odds over the effect it will have.
The ban has been in place since 1993, when it sparked protests from city cyclists. It currently covers the pedestrianised city centre streets but will be lifted for a trial period of 18 months.
The surprise plan to lift the ban was unveiled at a joint county and city council committee meeting earlier this year amid accusations from Labour councillors that a deal had been made behind closed doors between Lib Dems and Tories.
They protested at the decision and tried to get it "called in" at another meeting but were unsuccessful.
City councillor Lewis Herbert, a Labour member of the joint committee, said: "Labour hasn't moved from its ground on this. We need better provision in various parts of the city for cyclists but we need to have clear areas for pedestrians and clear areas for cyclists.
"We do know that a lot of people, particularly older people, are very worried about this. If there are near-misses or pedestrians feel intimidated by the cyclists, then there are other ways cyclists can go through town.
"The evidence is that cyclists and pedestrians don't mix very well. Generally the standard of motoring is going down and the standard of cycling is not very good either. This is supposed to be a trial so we will look forward to the review report."
But Lib Dem county councillor Julian Huppert said they were responding to city people who had been calling for the ban to be lifted for a long time.
He said: "There have been calls for many years to relax cycling restrictions in the city centre and create a safer and more convenient route for riders. However, we also recognise pedestrian safety is paramount, that is why we will run this scheme as an experiment which will be closely monitored.
"Let me give one clear message to the minority of cyclists who do break the rules and cycle dangerously - if you cause problems it is unlikely the experiment will continue. If you cycle safely and with respect for pedestrians, then that will be better for everyone."
You mean the cycling ban hasn't been lifted already?? Most cyclists seem to think it has, just visit Sidney Street to see loads of cyclists going up the street the wrong way. Of course when Huppert claims the council is "responding to city people who had been calling for the ban to be lifted for a long time" what he really means is that he is responding to requests by the Cambridge Cycling Campaign, which is a typical special interest pressure group which lobbies to have its own interests put above the interests of the public as a whole. Needless to say there is no equivalent pedestrian lobby in Cambridge. The current (it seems illegal) two-way cycling in Sidney Street and Trinity Street is already bloody dangerous, as should be clear to anyone with an ounce of common sense. (Unfortunately the Lib Dems who run the town have little common sense.)
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