Plans for a £7.2 million cycling ‘super highway’ connecting Royston and Cambridge have been delayed after the latest Greater Cambridge City Deal meeting this afternoon.

Decisions were made on the transport schemes to be supported with a share of more than £100m government funding as the Greater Cambridge City Deal kicks into gear.

One of these was a highway which would run separately to the A10, and provide links to Foxton, Meldreth and Shepreth railway stations, as well as the Melbourn science park – but it was not included in the list of schemes to be developed in the first five years.

County council executive director Graham Hughes said: “The aim of the assembly meeting was to move the City Deal priorities into a list of more manageable priorities.

“While the schemes left out of the first five years of development – including the A10 cycle highway – are certainly very valuable transport schemes, it was decided that they were not top of the priority list for the first five years.

“But our plan remains to develop all of the transport schemes listed in the next 15 years.”

Melbourn county councillor Susan van de Ven, who is a member of the A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign, had given her full backing to the scheme.

She said: “This is about much more than cycling, it is about moving about in our local area by foot and bicycle, with enormous potential benefits for public health, through moderate daily exercise and as protection against worsening problems on our roads.

“As a councillor most of the complaints I receive are about road safety and congestion, not just on major roads like the A10 but within even the smallest villages.

“Until people are confident that it is safe to let their children walk and cycle on short journeys close to home, the prevailing use of the car will remain and our clogged roads will get worse.

“Looking further afield, there is an enormous amount of short-distance commuting by car that could so easily be done by bicycle, for those who might be inclined.”

The A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign will meet tonight at 7.30pm, at Sagentia, Harston Mill in Harston.

For more visit www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk.