THE UK’s first Dutch-style cycle roundabout has INCREASED the number of accidents, figures reveal.
Ten crashes – three serious – were reported in the three years since £2.3 million Fendon Road roundabout was installed in 2020.
PAAccidents have increased around Fendon Road roundabout in Cambridge since it was installed in 2020[/caption]
PAMotorists must wait for cyclists – and pedestrians – to enter and exit before manoeuvring around the roundabout[/caption]
The system gives priority to cyclists thanks to a bright red outer ring lane and gives bikes their own level crossings
The accidents involved eight cyclists and two pedestrians being struck by a car, according to figures obtained by the BBC.
That’s six more than the four minor accidents recorded in the three years before the Cambridge layout was wheeled out.
The system gives priority to cyclists thanks to a bright red outer ring lane and gives bikes their own level crossings.
Motorists must wait for cyclists – and pedestrians – to enter and exit before manoeuvring around the roundabout.
It means vehicles are made to give way twice while travelling through the pedal-friendly system.
The roundabout was popularised in the bike-loving Netherlands and came about in Cambridge after locals demanded better cycle and pedestrian facilities.
But within a few days of its opening in 2020, it had to close temporarily after a hit-and-run driver crashed into a zebra crossing beacon.
And to this day, the system still divides opinion.
Neville Silverston, 95, drives the roundabout everyday but says it is “very hazardous” for cyclists and pedestrians as motorists drive at “high speed” through it.
The retired GP told the BBC: “You would be looking for vehicles traversing in front of you while a cyclist can be coming at high speed from your left.
“I don’t think the design has any safety features for the people it was intended to be safe for.”
But Peter French, 69, a cyclist, said the roundabout was “very safe”, adding: “All of the traffic is watchful; everyone is on the lookout and stops for you.”
Cambridgeshire County Council says a nearly 50 percent rise in cyclists using the roundabout since 2017 has led to more accidents.
Pedestrian usage has also risen by about 30 percent, they added.
Between 2012 and 2017 there were 12 collisions between drivers and cyclist.