Quest for the 2m cycle lane
This rather depressing thread in cam.transport is discussing (inter alia) the width of on-street cycle lanes in Cambridge. There are a number of official standards, tabulated here by the Cambridge Cycling Campaign, but there is a consensus on a recommended width of 2.0 m, and a minimum width of 1.5 m.
Liberal Democrat city councillor Colin Rosenstiel was asked whether there are any cycle lanes in Cambridge that meet the recommended width of 2.0 m. He answered “yes” without hesitation and there followed a cross-examination in which it was revealed that he was bullshitting; he could not name a single one that is this wide.
So some intrepid cyclists went out with measuring tape in search of the alleged 2.0 m cycle lane. Here are the record-holders so far:
Width* Location Measured by 1.95 m King Hedges Road eastbound, near junction with Kirkwood Road Gareth Rees 1.85 m Corn Exchange Street contraflow, near car park entrance Ben Harris 1.75 m Pembroke Street contraflow, opposite Free School Lane Ben Harris 1.7 m Trumpington Street southbound, between Lensfield Road and Bateman Street Eleanor Blair 1.52 m Tennis Court Road contraflow, near the back of the Sanger Building Ian Jackson
* Widths are spot widths for the widest part of the lane, measured from the base of the kerb to the far edge of the white line, including the gutter and the painted line; the usable width is often quite a bit smaller than this.
Any advance on 1.95 m? Is it really the case that not one of the cycle lanes in Cambridge meets the official recommended width anywhere along its length?