Question for Regulator

[Rutabaga]

@Regulator - are you familiar with the junction of the A1198, B1040, and Ermine Street, near Eltisley? It's a massive new-ish roundabout, and it looks on google earth as though it might be possible to use the old road as a cycleway to avoid the worst of the traffic, but it isn't clear as the pictures are from before the new road was finished. I would be cycling north on the B1040 heading for St Ives (or not, if it means using what looks like a horribly busy motorway-type dual carriageway). Any advice appreciated!

[Regulator]

I am familiar with the junction but haven't been there for a while so I'm not sure if what was a T-junction is now a roundabout.

At that point the A428 isn't a dual carriageway - but it is a fairly fast (and narrow) NSL road.

Unfortunately, the two junctions of the B1040 with the A428 are staggered and there's no pavement/cycle path (although there is a proposal to put a cycle path along the whole A428, it's some way off). By going through Eltisley and approaching the junction with the northern stretch of the B1040 from the east, you do reduce the distance on the A428.

When are you planning on coming up, as I could take a ride/drive out and check it out for you - they may have changed the layout since Google was last there?

[Regulator]

I've just had a another look and realised you may have been talking about the roundabout at Caxton Gibbet, where the B1198 crossed the A428 (and where the A428 goes from dual carriageway to single carriageway).

Once you get on to the northern part of B1040 it merges with the B1198 on the Papworth bypass. I'm not sure whether the old B1040 is still open and could be used - happy to take a drive out there and have a look for you if you like.

[Rutabaga]

Thanks Reg. It's not the Caxton Gibbet one, it's two roundabouts further north - google maps shows somewhere called "Shilpa Indian" as a destination by the roundabout. It's a bit of a vague plan, but one that could suddenly take flight, if you know what I mean, so please don't worry unless you happen to be out that way soon (once you get back from Warsaw that is). I am not terminally afraid of traffic, and can always walk along the verge anyway :-).

[Regulator]

Thanks Reg. It's not the Caxton Gibbet one, it's two roundabouts further north - google maps shows somewhere called "Shilpa Indian" as a destination by the roundabout. It's a bit of a vague plan, but one that could suddenly take flight, if you know what I mean, so please don't worry unless you happen to be out that way soon (once you get back from Warsaw that is). I am not terminally afraid of traffic, and can always walk along the verge anyway :-).

I know where you mean now. I may be up that way tomorrow afternoon - if I am I’ll take a look for you.

[Rutabaga]

Thank you! There's a turning signposted to Yelling as you head north-east towards the roundabout, and down that road about 20 yards there's what looks like an entry to a track with a sign, but the sign isn't legible on the image.

[Rutabaga]

Well, I did my trip to Cambs last week, and cycled from Royston to St Ives as planned. The track I was asking about is the old road, now marked as a bridleway, and I would have explored it except that it was raining at the time and I wanted to get on. The main road was busy but not overly so compared with the road into St Ives itself, which was pretty unpleasant.

There are loads of roadworks going on around there, involving a huge bridge over the A14 which will eventually have a nice wide tarmac cycle path alongside the carriageway. It was there when I rode up but coned off, although when I got to the top I was annoyed to find there was no obvious reason why I couldn't have used it.