The Telegraph reports that Cambridgeshire County Council has introduced Britain’s first 15mph bike lane to tackle the scourge of speeding cyclists increasingly threatening the safety of pedestrians.

The council, a Lib Dem authority, said the move was in response to regular concerns from residents “including older people and families with young children” over cyclists travelling at excessive speeds. Permanent speed limits apply to two shared-use paths that run along the city’s 16-mile “guided busway”, which has already been mired in health and safety failings.

When The Telegraph visited Cambridge on Friday, locals welcomed the change, with one medical student who frequently cycles on the route saying he had seen around “half a dozen” accidents. Some were already defying the restrictions, claiming the council was penalising riders to limit its own liability following a string of casualties on the busway.  One exclaimed “good luck enforcing it” as he rode past. He added: “Look, I’m going 16mph.” Another shouted that the limit was “ridiculous” before speeding around the corner.

Cambridge is known as the nation’s cycling capital, in part because of a tradition established by the university city’s students but also because of “active travel” schemes that have given over more of the road network to riders.

Videos posted by hobby cyclists online – tracking their speed and heart rates as they cycle along the busway path – show individuals clocking up speeds of around 20mph, [we should be so lucky] swerving around dog walkers, elderly pedestrians and toddlers walking alongside their parents.

The restrictions will be enforced with the help of a dedicated police patrol, who – alongside a “busway safety team” – will use speed monitoring equipment to catch those “clearly exceeding the limit”. There are placards with QR codes to encourage locals to report “antisocial behaviour and criminality on the busway” to the police.

The city’s e-bikes – operated by Voi – are capped at 15mph but authorities have become increasingly concerned about rising antisocial behaviour along the route. This includes the use of e-bikes more broadly, particularly private e-bikes modified to far exceed their capped speeds. Anyone breaking the limit will be stopped by enforcement officers and advised to slow down, with repeat offenders expected to be met with harsher treatment such as fines.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Constabulary said: “Speeding in this area has been recognised as an issue and work is ongoing to tackle it for local residents. Officers are being given dedicated time to patrol the area in question and we are working with partners to tackle the issues and enforce the speed limit” .

If only…..