AN experimental cycling scheme to improve the route from Laverstock to Salisbury is being put into place by Wiltshire Council this month, and will be on trial for a year.

The advisory cycle lanes, which are each 5ft wide, will be put in on both sides of the road and the existing centre lines will be removed.

The idea is the cycleway serves as a continual reminder to motorists that the possibility of meeting a cyclist is high and they should therefore change their driving style accordingly.

The overall intention is the visual narrowing of the carriageway will act as a traffic calming measure to slow vehicles down while encouraging more people to cycle.

People may drive vehicles over the cycle lanes until they encounter a bicycle, at which point they move over into the centre of the carriageway to overtake, providing it is safe to do so.

Dick Tonge, Wiltshire Council cabinet member responsible for highways, said: “The local community, and especially the school pupils, overwhelmingly asked for a safe cycle and pedestrian route to and from the city. More than 1,100 school pupils took part in the recent Laverstock and Ford parish plan.

“Local people are keen to see the through traffic slowed down and significantly reduce school traffic for everyone’s safety. This scheme is welcomed as national best practice to deliver safe cycling and walking, and both slow and reduce through traffic.

“Council officers have worked hard to develop this innovative scheme for us and I thank them on behalf of the residents and users of this route.”

The cycle lanes will initially be implemented for a 12-month trial period on Laverstock Road, Riverside Road and Church Road. Vehicle speeds and numbers of cycle journeys will be carefully assessed before a decision is taken to make the scheme permanent.

The scheme has been developed in partnership with Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, who have used this type of solution successfully on the National Cycle Network. The project will be part-funded by Cycling England through the Links to Schools programme.