Wheels are already in motion to make safety improvements on Redbourn Road after a local councillor pledged a £10,000 cash contribution.

Tonight a meeting will be held between county councillor Maxine Crawley, who has donated the money from her localities budget, highways officers and a cycling expert to decide how the funds would be best spent.

Cllr Crawley said her actions were prompted by a petition from residents calling for a footpath wide enough for both cyclists and pedestrians on Redbourn Road before the tragic fatality earlier this month.

She said: “I have been terrified on occasions and to be honest when I have been driving along a cyclist has been almost invisible to me.

“I think drivers need to be more aware and cyclists need to make sure they are as visible as possible especially when it is raining and dark.

“As a county councillor I will do everything I possibly can to help within the constraints that surround all of us.”

Cllr Crawley, who represents St Albans rural, added: “We are being proactive and I am being proactive with my localities budget and I don’t know what the outcome will be.”

Last week the Herts Advertiser launched a campaign, titled ‘Respect on Redbourn Road’, to promote mutual respect between motorists and cyclists using the stretch of road.

Since then, other local councillors have said they would support the introduction of a combined cycle and pedestrian path on the route.

Redbourn district and parish councillor Tony Swendell said: “The paths are appalling and are unfit to walk on. They should be rebuilt and properly developed to incorporate cycling into St Albans.

“It is a very dangerous road for cyclists because of the speed cars go.”

He continued: “I have written many letters to the highways authority and I think they put them in the ‘too difficult’ tray. I don’t get any replies to the letters.”

Jacob Quagliozzi, St Albans district councillor for London Colney, also added his view, commenting: “A shared cycle and pathway is something I would be keen on seeing.

“If we want to see more cyclists on our roads we have got to make the roads safe for cyclists and we need to make sure the roads are free from potholes.”

He went on: “I absolutely support the Herts Advertiser’s campaign. I think it is what local newspapers are all about.”

And county councillor Sandy Walkington, who represents St Albans South division, said he was sickened by the news of the recent accident on Redbourn Road and hoped it would be the last “unnecessary” cycling fatality.

He added: “Great strides are being made in St Albans, the latest being the tarmac surface on the Alban Way and plans for the ‘Green Ring’. But I have had occasion to cycle from Redbourn to St Albans on a couple of occasions in the last year.

“It is frankly a frightening experience and there is no alternative side road to use.”

If you want to back our campaign write to us at Town Hall Chambers, 35 Market Place, St Albans, AL3 5DL, or alternatively email hertsad@archant.co.uk or tweet us @hertsad using the hashtag #respectRedbournRoad