Opinion: ‘I feel more sorry for pedestrians than cyclists’ on Peterborough bridge

The cycle lane that was put in place on Crescent Bridge during the pandemic.

Although I am a cyclist who uses Peterborough’s roads, I feel more sorry for pedestrians than for cyclists following the council’s decision to abandon the temporary cycle lane on Crescent Bridge.

I regularly walk over the bridge. Its pavements are narrow.

Cyclists using those pavements are a hazard to pedestrians.

The pop-up cycle lane has been removed from Crescent Bridge

My experience suggests that any cyclist who is not road savvy enough to cycle alongside motor vehicles is unlikely to be mindful of the correct riding conduct when approaching people on footpaths. Indeed, few of the cyclists using Peterborough’s pavements appear to have thought of even acquiring a bike bell, so they approach pedestrians from behind without any warning. I have even seen a cyclist riding across the footbridge over Bourges Boulevard near the Queensgate Centre. I didn’t find this as surprising as I should have done.

No doubt many other Peterborough Telegraph readers will have their own stories of near-miss encounters with cyclists using paths originally intended for pedestrians only.

It is of course the case that Peterborough has no coherent policy on safe cycling, and this needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

However, this deficiency has huge implications for pedestrians, who are themselves endangered as a result of council cluelessness.

David Head

West Town

Peterborough