Sadly this is not uncommon. Lots of that sort of thing round my way, too.

For example, Cambridge City Council spent a fortune on turning Hills Road into a cycle route for much (but not all - for the same reasons - pinch points when the road narrows further in) of it. The problem is now that the traffic on this once wide road is always held up because the bus stops are in the way of all other road users and anyone turning right does as well.

Where the road narrows as it gets nearer the inner ring road, the buses stop over the cycle lanes, forcing cyclists into the traffic. To say this road is choas at peak times is an understatement. Even worse when any sort of roadworks occur - noting that they've already had to redo quite a bit of the roadway after a few years - not sure why though.

Absolute class. This is the area that spend somewhere in the region of £180m (should've cost about 2/3rds as much) on a guided busway that is, in effect, 'a road' where no overtaking (if a bus has broken down) is difficult or near impossible. they could've just built 'a road' and a far lower cost, especially as it mainly goes (ironically) to St. Ives.

Meanwhile, they spend more fortunes putting in cycle lanes to partially replace footways along the A10 on the single carriageway sections, many too narrow to run the entire length, thus they effectively go nowhere, and don't encourage cyclists to use them (I've never seen one using ANY). These people have no clue.

Local road to me had a cycle way installed about 5 years ago and the increase in cycling is noticeable. I know I would use it if I had a 3-4 mile commute along its route.

However squeezing it in to existing roads has brought its own issues and isn't a solution.

Some stretches the road is too narrow so no cycle way. Where it crosses side roads it is dangerous as your bonnet can be in the cycleway before you can see if you can emerge and you have to look right first, which goes against what is taught when learning to drive.

The biggest draw back is what was a road about 10m wide with bus laybys, is now 7.5m wide with no bus laybys.

When a bus stops, all the traffic behind usually has to stop. This increases congestion and means buses are then delayed.

That is done to "prove" that public transport (even if containing only one passenger) takes precedence over private vehicles.

It's the same playbook that councils use to relocate bus stops opposite to keep left signs in the middle of the road, so that following traffic has to stop to allow the bus to pick up or set down passengers.

<< We could become a cycling country though - just needs a change of mindset. In Holland they can only carry one bag of shopping and can't take anyone with them but a lot of people do it. >>

Well, parts of it could. I was a student in a fairly flat city and used to bike everywhere. In Canada soon afterwards I also biked unless it got so cold that too much effort was needed to turn the wheels. However after returning to the UK the enthusiasm waned when it was always uphill to get back home.

It's easy for the Dutch - most of the hills they need to climb are canal bridges .. :-)

""We could become a cycling country though - just needs a change of mindset. In Holland they can only carry one bag of shopping and can't take anyone with them but a lot of people do it.""

Yes we could. One of the biggest drawbacks is the security of your bike when you leave it. Some of the bikes you typically see in say Oxford and Cambridge are older and may be less desirable. The modern bikes which a lot of enthusiasts crave can be expensive and unless you can afford to lose all or part of your cycle a real worry. There is an increasing move now for an electric bike which can be that much more desirable to the light fingered brigade. Mountain bikes which as the name suggests can be used over rough terrain are also used as general road bikes with some costing anywhere between £2-7K. not something you would leave around . OK a bit of extreme examples but bike crime is on the rise You would think twice about leaving a bike or dog for that matter outside a shop today. In the news recently thieves on motorbikes are knocking people of their bikes and carry the bike away on the back of the motorbike!

As to actually riding bikes a lot of the country is hilly and you have to be pretty fit.to tackle hills even with modern gears..