ELY High Street will not be permanently pedestrianised after traders complained it would affect their businesses. Seventy per cent of people surveyed by Cambridgeshire County Council were in favour of extending pedestrianisation of the busy thoroughfare,

ELY High Street will not be permanently pedestrianised after traders complained it would affect their businesses.

Seventy per cent of people surveyed by Cambridgeshire County Council were in favour of extending pedestrianisation of the busy thoroughfare, but officers creating the city's Market Town Strategy said: "Some concerns and opposition to further pedestrianisation of the High Street at this time have been raised by the Ely Traders' Association and some members of the local Chamber of Commerce. Given that there are mixed views on pedestrianisation it will not be pursued at this time."

Among the other ideas up for discussion in the transport strategy are improvements for cycling in the city. Further cycle racks could be added at the station, and work is already underway to create more cycle paths to enable children to get to school safely.

Work on the proposed cycle routes, costing £1.2 million, will start in November and will included cycle routes along the The Gallery, High Barns to New Barns, the railway station area and along Lisle Lane to Prickwillow Road. But since the total cost of all proposed routes is more than £1million it is unlikely that all schemes will get the go-ahead, and costs will have be met by the Local Transport Plan funding and some contributions from private developers.

The plan for more cycle routes follows months of consultation and it aimed at getting more people to leave their cars at home and cycle round the city.