Cyclists will be permitted to ride the wrong way along one-way streets under a change intended to encourage more people to give up their cars or use them less.

The Government will announce today that cyclists will be permitted to ignore no-entry signs: a practice already followed by many, including David Cameron, the Conservative leader.

The Department for Transport is authorising a trial in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, Mr Cameron’s home authority in West London, in which a small plate saying “Except cyclists” will be attached to poles carrying no-entry signs.

If the trial is successful, the department intends to extend the policy to the rest of Britain and permit thousands of one-way streets to become two-way for bikes. It believes that long diversions around one-way systems are a significant deterrent to new cyclists, who might be less confident about breaking the rules.

This is the first time that the department has permitted an exception to the no-entry rule. Existing cycle “contraflow” lanes require authorities to build separate entrances for cyclists so that they do not have to break traffic rules. The cost of building these entrances, though, has deterred all but a tiny number of authorities from creating contraflow lanes.

Hackney Council in East London pioneered the introduction of contraflow lanes and now has the highest rate of cycling of any London borough.

Sadiq Khan, the Transport Minister, said: “The pilot contraflow cycling system will help to reduce journey times for cyclists while allowing them to travel safely and legally on the most convenient routes. If this pilot is successful then councils across the country could be offered the opportunity to use similar measures on their roads.”

The Times revealed last year that Kensington & Chelsea was seeking permission to operate a pilot scheme. Daniel Moylan, the deputy leader of the Conservative-controlled council, said then that he was persuaded of the need to make the change after noticing that hundreds of cyclists a day were ignoring no-entry signs on Thackeray Street, which his home overlooks.

He said: “If this is what cyclists want to do and they can do it safely, then we see it as our responsibility to adapt the legal position to allow them to do it legally.

“We are recognising the reality that cyclists prefer to take the shortest route through quieter streets. The alternative of having a policeman standing on the road to catch cyclists would be foolish and unworkable.”

Chris Peck, policy officer of the Cyclists’ Touring Club, said: “We’ve been campaigning to allow two-way cycling on one-way streets for years and we are delighted that finally the Government is permitting a sign that is easy to understand.

“It is a safe and sensible option that is standard in all other European countries, so we can’t believe it has taken so long to be accepted here,” he added.

A report by the club said that it might be necessary to reduce the speed limit to 20mph on some roads with contraflow lanes to avoid the risk that cyclists will feel intimidated by oncoming traffic.

It said that the lanes improved safety because they were usually on quiet residential roads and allowed cyclists to avoid using the busier main roads.

In March last year Mr Cameron was recorded on film cycling the wrong way down Dawson Place, a one-way street in Kensington & Chelsea. He said afterwards: “I know it is important to obey traffic laws — but I have obviously made mistakes on this occasion and I am sorry.”

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