It was a cross-party decision to defer deciding on the implementation of dedicated cycle ways along Girton Road, Hills Road and Huntingdon Road Cambridge with a Conservative councillor proposing and a Labour one seconding the referral back for further information.

I went into the meeting intending to approve the plans expecting to be reassured of the safety of pedestrians crossing the cycle ways at bus stop having got a copy of a letter sent by the Cambridge City council’s disability panel. But having listen to the Cambridge Cycling Campaign I got concerned that attention had not been given to this risk and this was confirmed by the lack of detail in the officer’s report.

Indeed, knowing something of the floating bus stops installed along Transport for London’s Cycle Superhighway 2 in London I knew that in some significant respects the Cambridge proposals were different, even though we were being told by the officers and the Cambridge Cycling Campaign that the schemes were compatible.

Fortunately we now have the committee system on the county council and I was proud that councillors didn’t take what they we being told for granted and put political party loyalities aside. The only flaw being that we can’t ask a supplementary question!

Obviously the hard core cycling fraternity are livid and I’ve already had some hate mail. If the Cambridge Cycling Campaign was a motoring lobby group they’d be wanting motorists to have priority over pedestrians at zebra crossings.

We must get this right as people’s lives are at stake.