Cambridge City Centre:
where you can and can’t cycle

The rules on a map
How the rules are signposted
The rules by category
The rules alphabetically by street

60,000 paper copies of the map were distributed to Cambridge households and Cambridge University students during November and December 2007.

The full size map in PDF format.
It is sufficiently large that it should print
legibly on a desktop printer.
(Base map from OpenStreetMap licensed CCbySA).

Cambridge city centre is very accessible by bike. It has recently been made easier, with more streets open to cyclists and two large cycle parks. Cyclists can use most streets including many where cars aren't allowed. But there are a few streets where cyclists must only cycle one-way or not at all.

The rules can be confusing. For this reason we have produced this detailed map to help cyclists know where they can and can't ride. It has been carefully checked and agreed with the relevant authorities.

Signs

We believe that as at November 2007, with the exception of a missing No Entry sign at one end of Sussex Street, the signs are all currently correct (with a couple of minor pedantic exceptions) and present. But the County Council has had to make ‘creative’ use of some of the combinations of signs within what the Department for Transport allows, to allow or deny particular combinations of vehicles, which makes it quite complicated.

This sign – a red circle containing a motor cycle and a car– means no motor vehicles and a bicycle isn't a motor vehicle, so cyclists can go past these. (The sign which excludes all vehicles including bicycles is a red circle with nothing in it, rarely used in Cambridge).

No Entry signs apply to cyclists. Where there are cycle exceptions to No Entry signs this is always by means of a separate, adjacent, but often very short, lane - if the lane does not exist, the No Entry applies to cyclists too. The idea is the cyclist should never pass between a pair of no entry signs. While this remains true in the City Centre, there are some quite unusual exception lanes:

	(maps from OpenStreetMap licensed CCbySA)	at the Sidney St/Market Street junction, this is to the right of the bollard on the right hand side of the street.
		at the Hobson Street end of King Street the lane is the raised block paved area, though almost everyone rides through the no entry signs instead because this is not very obvious.
		at the north end of Malcolm Street there is only a large raised painted hump in the road, rather than a physical bollard, though the contraflow lane makes it quite clear what is intended - and there is only a single No Entry sign on the right which you are allowed to go past.
		the raised tarmac section at the right hand side at the end of Fair Street leading to the cycle crossing onto Midsummer Common

The rules by category

Cycling is allowed both ways at all times in central area streets where motor vehicles are already allowed, except where mentioned below.

Cycling is not allowed at any time in:

Petty Cury
Lion Yard and connecting paved areas
Sussex Street
Rose Crescent
the paved 'passages' (like St Edwards Passage, Market Passage, All Saints Passage) - except for Senate House Passage where cycling is allowed
Christ's Lane
Portugal Place
all the footpaths across Christ's Pieces and New Square,
inside the Grafton Centre.
Drummer Street bus station
Orchard Street, east of Clarendon Street

Cyclists are allowed to cycle both ways and at all times in streets where motor traffic is one-way or prevented from entering at one or both ends, in:

Sidney Street south of the Market Street junction (that is, the section past Boots)
St Andrews Street between Sidney Street and Emmanuel Street (that is, the section by the Post Office)
Malcolm Street
King's Parade
King Street west of Malcolm Street and the extreme eastern end of King Street (the rest of King St is two way for everyone)
Hobson Street
Downing Street
Pembroke Street
Bene't Street (signed 'no motor vehicles')
westbound (and at all times) in the eastern end of Burleigh Street
Fair Street
Emmanuel Street (from when it is made one-way for motor traffic in the next few weeks) and
Wheeler Street
Corn Exchange Street
City Road
John Street
Norfolk Street

Cycling is one-way only at all times in the whole of the 'triangle', that is:

Sidney Street northbound from its junction with Market Street (that is, the section past Waterstones and Sainsburys towards the Round Church), then
Bridge Street northbound from Jesus Lane to the Round Church,
St John's Street southbound (towards Senate House),
Trinity Street southbound (towards Senate House),
St Mary's Street, Market Hill and Market Street eastbound (towards Sidney Street).

Also one-way only for cyclists at all times:

clockwise only around the Market square,
westbound only in Green Street (that is, only towards Trinity Street),
eastbound only in Round Church Street (that is, only towards the car/cycle park), and
eastbound only on the south side of New Square (that is, only towards Clarendon Street), and
eastbound only in Park Terrace (that is, only towards the Clarendon Street traffic lights; but cycles can use the pavement cycleway on Park Terrace in the other direction - westbound - as far as Hobbs Pavilion, and then around the Parker's Piece side of the University Arms to the Pizza Hut)

In the following streets only, cyclists are not allowed to cycle between 10am and 4pm Monday - Saturday, but can wheel their bikes at any time, and cycle freely both ways at other times:

Fitzroy Street
Burleigh Street west of the link through to Adam & Eve Street (that is, the Fitzroy Street end; east of there towards East Road is two way for cyclists at all times).

Cyclists are allowed to cycle on:

all of the paths across Parkers Piece (and parts of the footways around the edge where signposted, but not all),
all of Midsummer Common (except Brunswick Walk and North Terrace)
all of Jesus Green (but must dismount to cross the bridge at Jesus Lock, though this is probably not legally enforceable).

Cyclists can also legally use:

Garrett Hostel Lane
Burrell's Walk
Senate House Passage
Melbourn Place and the parallel access road between Parkside and Warkworth Street

Cyclists can also legally at all times bypass the rising bollards in:

Bridge Street
Emmanuel Road
Silver Street
Senate House Hill

and can turn left:

from Downing Street into St Andrews Street

Alphabetically by street

Cycling is allowed both ways at all times in central area streets where motor vehicles are already allowed, except where mentioned below. Those shown as 'both ways at all times' are explicitly listed because there are some restrictions in those streets applying to motor vehicles which don't apply to cyclists.

Street	Cycling allowed…
All Saints Passage	not allowed at any time
Bene't Street	both ways at all times
Bridge Street, between Jesus Lane and Round Church Street	one way northbound (towards the Round Church) only, at all times
Bridge Street, north of Round Church Street	both ways at all times, including bypassing the bollards
Brunswick Walk (alongside Midsummer Common)	not allowed at any time
Burleigh Street, east of Adam & Eve Street (that is, the East Road end)	both ways at all times
Burleigh Street, west of Adam & Eve Street (that is, the Fitzroy Street end)	not allowed at all 10am - 4pm Mon - Sat, otherwise allowed both ways
Burrell's Walk	both ways at all times
Christ's Lane	not allowed at any time
Christ's Pieces footpaths	not allowed at any time
City Road	both ways at all times
Corn Exchange Street	both ways at all times
Downing Street into St Andrews Street	left turn permitted
Downing Street	both ways at all times
Drummer Street	not allowed in the bus station, otherwise both ways at all times
Emmanuel Road	both ways at all times, including bypassing the bollards
Emmanuel Street	both ways at all times
Fair Street	both ways at all times
Fitzroy Street	not allowed at all 10am - 4pm Mon - Sat, otherwise allowed both ways
Garrett Hostel Lane	both ways at all times
Grafton Centre, inside	not allowed at any time
Green Street	one way westbound (towards Trinity Street) only, at all times
Hobson Street	both ways at all times
Jesus Green	all paths at all times
Jesus Lock bridge	dismount and walk
John Street	both ways at all times
King Street, including west of Malcolm Street	both ways at all times
King's Lane	both ways at all times
King's Parade	both ways at all times
Lion Yard	not allowed at any time
Malcolm Street	both ways at all times
Market Hill	one way eastbound (towards Sidney Street) only, at all times
Market Passage	not allowed at any time
Market Square	one way clockwise
Market Street	one way eastbound (towards Sidney Street) only, at all times
Melbourn Place	both ways at all times
Midsummer Common	all paths at all times (but not Brunswick Walk and North Terrace alongside)
New Square, footpaths	not allowed at any time
New Square, road on the south side	one way eastbound (towards Clarendon Street) only, at all times
Norfolk Street	both ways at all times
Orchard Street, east of Clarendon Street	not allowed at any time
Park Terrace, on footway	both ways at all times
Park Terrace, on road	one way eastbound (towards Parkside and Clarendon Street traffic lights) only, at all times
Parkers Piece	all paths at all times
Pembroke Street	both ways at all times
Petty Cury	not allowed at any time
Portugal Place	not allowed at any time
Regent Street	both ways at all times, including bypassing the bollards
Rose Crescent	not allowed at any time
Round Church Street	one way eastbound (towards Park Street) only, at all times
Senate House Hill (by Gt St Mary's)	both ways at all times including bypassing bollards
Senate House Passage	both ways at all times
Sidney Street, north of Market Street (past Superdrug and Sainsburys)	one way northbound (towards Jesus Lane) only, at all times
Sidney Street, south of Market Street (past Boots)	both ways at all times
Silver Street	both ways at all times, including bypassing the bollards
St Andrews Street, including north of Emmanuel Street (past the Post Office)	both ways at all times
St Edwards Passage	not allowed at any time
St John's Street	one way southbound (towards King's Parade) only, at all times
St Mary's Street	one way eastbound (towards the Market square) only, at all times
Sussex Street	not allowed at any time
Trinity Lane	both ways at all times
Trinity Street	one way southbound (towards King's Parade) only, at all times
Wheeler Street	both ways at all times

Cambridge City Centre:where you can and can’t cycle