Lived in Cambridge now for 3 years. I’d say its not particularly cycle friendly from a planning / infrastructure p.o.v, but just has a massive amount of utilitarian bike use (i.e. people just getting from a to b), on a scale unlike anywhere else I’ve seen in the UK. This means most people who drive in the city also ride a bike, or their kids / other half / parents rides a bike, so there’s a bit more acceptance and, dare I say it, consideration, for 2 wheels. If we go anywhere in the city as a family, chances are we’ll go by bike, and so will our friends, and my parents in law. Not because we’re all right on sandal-wearing tofu-eating car haterz, just because its how people get around in the city, and always have done, and I love that about the place. Yes, you get your fair share of d1cks without lights, or jumping lights, or riding on the pavement, but not sure if its proportionally more than else where, and of course you get the sort that like to moan to the local paper about those ‘irresponsible bicyclists who pay no road tax’ (usually from the Tory villages around the city). You should see our school run in the morning – its a bling-fest of exotic dutch import child-carrying machines.
And yes, unfortunately if you live in Cambridge you better forget about MTB – its a rare treat for me now after having years of doorstep trails in Bristol, so I’ve been dragged to the darkside…
And Gardi’s is pure filth – perfect after a few beers in the Pint Shop.