A cycling advocate has implored Croydon Council "not to give in to the mob" of disgruntled motorists and reimpose enforcement of a car-free cycle route.

A three-month trial to improve cycle safety and cut traffic in Norbury Avenue, between Kensington Avenue and Sanfield Road, began on June 26.

But an online petition started last week complained traffic blocks have now been removed, and calls on council leader Tony Newman to honour the full trial.

Austen Cooper, a Croydon Cycling Campaign co-ordinator, said: "It's turning what's supposed to be a residential area back into a high-speed rat run."

The 0.7-mile stretch of Norbury Avenue has historically served as a cut-through between Norbury and Thornton Heath. A traffic study carried out before the trial found cars often broke the 30mph speed limit.

Unhappy motorists moved the blocks themselves soon after the trial began in June.

At the end of August, local residents received a letter informing them that blocks at Kensington Avenue would be removed, in response to concerns about congestion during the school run for nearby Enterprise College for Girls.

Coun Newman said the project was "on pause" while alternatives could be dreamt up to satisfy residents, motorists and cyclists alike.

He said: "The description one resident gave to me - which might be a little bit strong - is that it was like waking up to the Berlin Wall."

The Norbury Avenue stretch forms part of Transport of London's Quietways project - a planned cycle route through back streets and parks between Croydon and Waterloo.

Coun Newman said he was meeting with the Mayor of London Boris Johnson's cycling czar, Andrew Gilligan, this week to discuss cycling policy in the borough.