Huntingdon Road – second phase

This article was published in 2016, in Newsletter 126.

Image courtesy of Cambridgeshire County Council
Image as described adjacent

The county council has launched a consultation into the second phase of cycleways on Huntingdon Road. You can view and complete the consultation online at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/huntingdon-road. The proposal is for a city-bound extension to the existing cycleway, adding a cycle lane from Richmond Road to the traffic lights at the Histon and Victoria Roads junction.

Two options are proposed for this cycle lane. Option 1 is a raised 2.1 metre-wide cycle lane between parking bays and the road. It would continue from the recently built cycle lane from Richmond Road, with priority over side roads. Option 2 swaps the cycle lane and parking, offering better protection for cyclists, though with increased expense as additional lamp, utility boxes and signs need relocating.

Several floating bus stops are under consideration for both options – see ‘Floating bus stops should be here to stay’ in Newsletter 125 for a discussion of their merits.

In each of the options the approach to the Histon and Victoria Roads junction is changed for cyclists: widening the central cycle lane for straight-across movements from 0.8 to 1.7 metres. However, this comes with the loss of the left-turn cycle lane. No further changes are proposed for this junction.

A third option – dependent on additional funding – would include improvements to the outbound cycle lane from the Histon Road junction towards Girton. This lane would be 1.8 to 2.1 metres wide depending on the space available.

Image courtesy of Cambridgeshire County Council
Image as described adjacent
Image as described adjacent

As we go to press this consultation has only just been announced, so please visit cyclescape thread 808 to discuss, or get updates, on Camcycle’s official response. A public exhibition on the proposal will take place on Tuesday 7 June from 4.30pm to 7.30pm at The Foyer Room, Buckingham House, Murray Edwards College, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DF. The closing date for consultation responses is Monday 27 June.

Tom McKeown