A new train station that opened with 1,000 spaces for bicycles but no parking for cars has been branded ‘anti-motorist’ and a ‘terrible’ idea by locals.

Cambridge South station has been built at an estimated cost of £250million to serve the 23,000 people working at a nearby biomedical campus.

There will be just six spaces for cars to pick up and drop off passengers – with three of the bays assigned to taxis and £100 fines for overstaying.

The site has also provided only five bays for vehicles with blue badges, sparking complaints from disabled drivers.

People living in the area fear there will be ‘chaos’ as drivers use the station to dump their cars outside their homes and catch direct services to destinations including London Liverpool St and King’s Cross, Stansted Airport, Norwich, Brighton and Birmingham.

Retired retail worker Margaret Perry, 84, said of the lack of a car park: ‘It’s terrible. I think it’s disgusting.

‘Cambridge is chock-a-block and it can come to a standstill. They [the council] are trying to stop people driving their cars.

‘But people my age need to drive their cars. I don’t have a blue badge. I don’t need a blue badge but my daughter has one.

Cambridge South railway station opened on Sunday – with 1,000 spaces for bikes but no car park

‘You’re not going to get on a bike at my age. This decision [to have no car park] stops us using the train. It’s very restrictive.’

Haitao Zheng, 52, an engineer who lives on Rutherford Road, complained: ‘There are a lot of cars already using the spaces. When the station opens there will be more cars.

‘We really worry that it [the road] will be over-occupied. Of course they should have built a car park at the station.’

Hani Bal, 46, a carer, who lives on Holbrook Road, said: ‘We already have lots of people parking on this road, so this will make it worse.’

Another resident, who asked not to be named, said: ‘It’s just a total missed opportunity.

‘Banning cars just means those that can’t use here [the new station] will fight their way into places like Cambridge Central, which is a nightmare to get to and park.’

Another local, Jenny Atkins, previously warned: ‘It’s ridiculous. There is no parking in that area, so drivers will try to park in the nearby streets which will cause chaos.

‘I understand the need to encourage people to use public transport but to have no car park option is crazy.’

One homeowner branded the scheme ‘anti-motorist’, adding: ‘They’ve [local authorities and planners] got it in for anyone with an engine around here.’

The station, which cost £250 million, has been proclaimed an example of ‘sustainable’ transport, with solar panels, rainwater catchment system and wildflowers

The station will serve the 23,000 people working at a nearby biomedical campus. But locals fear people will dump their cars in their roads as they travel to other destinations

Others supported the plans, however, with one cyclist commenting: ‘I think it is a great idea because there will be so many more people who will be able to cut out their car use.’

A woman, who didn’t want to be identified, said: ‘I walk the dogs up there and they have re-wilded [the area around the station]. It’s the most beautiful way and it’s a wonderful place to walk the dogs.

‘I’m delighted it doesn’t have a car park. That would just bring more cars and pollution and noise.’

A doctor who works at the hospital, and who wanted to remain anonymous, said: ‘It’s a nightmare for people to park at the hospital car park because it’s full.

‘There’s so many people and it’s oversubscribed.

‘The train station [Cambridge South] will give people more options.’

The station has been proclaimed an example of ‘sustainable’ transport, with solar panels, rainwater catchment system and wildflowers – in addition to the car ban.

Network Rail has said it would connect with a guided busway system and with local cycleways and footpaths.

Local Hani Bal, 46, said: ‘We already have lots of people parking on this road, so this will make it worse’

Another resident, Haitao Zheng, 52, complained: ‘There are a lot of cars already using the spaces. When the station opens there will be more cars’

Designer and architect Jan Kroes said the site, which sits next to a nature reserve, would ‘fit within the green belt’.

But a planning inspector previously said building by the reserve, Hobson’s Park, would have a ‘significant adverse effect’ on the recreational area.

Cambridge Central, which is about two miles away, has 400 parking spaces.

Cambridge has become a hotbed of debate about the push for greener transport, with many accusing local authorities in the area of anti-car policies.

Examples include England’s controversial first ‘cycle street’ which cost £2.4 million despite critics claiming it won’t make the road safer for cyclists, a £2.3 million Dutch-style roundabout which saw more collisions in its first three years than the previous three years and a hated congestion charge zone that eventually failed to come about following furious opposition.

The station will have services provided by Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink and CrossCountry, with up to nine trains passing through at busy times.

Cambridge Biomedical Campus – which is home to NHS research hospitals including Addenbrooke’s and world-leading institutions such as the prestigious MRC Lab of Molecular Biology and AstraZeneca – generates £4.7 billion for the UK economy.

Cambridge Biomedical Campus generates £4.7billion for the UK economy

It says on its website that the station will ‘serve a significant residential community and a variety of schools in the area’.

In a Q&A on its website, under the heading ‘How are you going to stop parking, pick up and drop off in nearby neighbourhoods’, it says: ‘Most local roads surrounding the campus are the responsibility of the county council as the local highway authority responsible for managing any measures to address inappropriate local parking.’

Referring to concerns about ‘increased traffic’, it adds: ‘The station is expected to be primarily a destination, rather than a place for travellers to begin their journeys, which should reduce overall car journeys to the site.’

A spokeswoman for GBR Anglia, which represents local organisations Greater Anglia, c2c and Network Rail, said: ‘The station design was based on the Cambridge Local Plan 2018, focusing on sustainable transport and promoting modal shift to access the station, and takes account of its position in Cambridge’s Green Belt.

‘The new station will be connected to the local cycle network with 1000 spaces for cycles, blue badge bays, and is located next to the guided busway system, providing visitors with more sustainable transport options from the local park and ride facilities or the city centre.’

The campus was contacted for a comment about local’s concerns.

Chairman Peter Denton said in a statement: ‘This new rail station will be transformational for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, making it easier to collaborate through better connectivity to London, Manchester, Stansted and beyond. 

‘Cambridge South will deliver long-term growth and have an immediate impact for hospital visits and those seeking jobs and career opportunities within the world-leading life sciences, health, research and education organisations, which we are lucky to have here.’

The county council was also contacted for a statement.