FURIOUS drivers have complained their cars have been written off after they were caught in a bus lane trap.
Dozens of motorists found their vehicles stuck at the junction in St Ives, Cambs.
Dozens of car owners have been left in fury after their vehicles were stuck in the trap
The trap was designed to stop cars from driving onto the bus lane
Drivers said the trap at the junction of Station Road is a road hazard
A trap in the road was built at the junction of Station Road and Harrison Way to prevent vehicles driving on the bus lane 12 years ago.
The size of the pit allows large vehicles like buses to pass – but it’s wide enough for small cars to fall into it.
Local drivers are now complaining that the road is a hazard – with up to five motors getting stuck every week.
Philippa Parker, from Wiltshire, said to have been left with a “bad impression” of the area after she got stuck in the trap.
The fuming driver claimed there are no proper signs to prevent motorists from falling into it.
Ms Parker slammed: “The signs were totally inadequate.
“Motorists were driving up to the junction while we were waiting for the recovery.
“If we weren’t there, they would’ve made the same mistake.”
While being stuck, the shocked woman claimed to have been verbally “abused” by fellow drivers passing by.
She said: “The abuse and awful language people were shouting as they passed us was also shocking.
“It left us with a very bad impression of St Ives afterwards.”
She also had to complain to the council over the state of the area – which was full of weeds last summer.
Another car owner claimed the incident left both her parents “shaken and traumatised”.
She said: “He somehow ended up back in the same car park again.
“He said the signage was poor and if he exited the same way, he’d end up doing the same thing.
“So he went a different way and ended up in the car trap.”
The daughter said the car was damaged in the drop – and they are now finding out if it is repairable or a write off.
“Considering the number of incidents, there must be another way to manage the junction that doesn’t cause this much damage to vehicles,” she added.
Cambridgeshire County Council said it has received 60 incidents of vehicles getting stuck since it was built.
It also claimed the warnings and signs in place are adequate and drivers should be more aware.
Cllr Kevin Reynolds said: “If people driving along that road cannot see a big hole in the ground in front of them then I would argue they wouldn’t be able to see a small child.
“I would question whether they should be behind the wheel at all.”
It comes as residents of a newbuild housing estate slammed their developer as an “unsightly” and “dangerous” road remains unfinished.
The people living on the Langley Park estate in Maidstone, Kent, say they are still blighted by huge potholes and damage to their cars three years on.
Elsewhere, a poll revealed the common road signs that leave five out of five drivers completely baffled.
A survey by price comparison service Compare the Market has established that the majority of drivers don’t understand what many important road signs mean.