UK’S first cycle roundabout shut just days after it opened

BRITAIN’S first Dutch-style roundabout, which prioritises cyclists, will be forced to close just days after opening, after a car ploughed into a beacon while work was still under way.

The £2.3 million Fendon Road roundabout in Cambridge became the first in the UK to give cyclists the right of way over motorists when it opened on July 31. Cyclists have an outer ring on the structure, with cycle crossings over each of the four approach roads in a contrasting red surface.

Cambridgeshire county council said the old roundabout “was perceived by many people to be dangerous to cycle around”.

However, the new roundabout was closed yesterday evening after a driver crashed into a Belisha beacon and drove off. It will be shut between 8pm and 6am until tomorrow, while contractors assess the extent of the damage below ground and carry out any repairs.

There had been fears that motorists might not realise, in sufficient time, that cyclists had a right of way.

Sam Davies, 51, chairman of the Queen Edith’s Community Forum, previously raised safety concerns about the layout, described it as “unknown territory”. She added however that the closure had been unrelated to its design and was down to sheer “bad luck”.

She said: “The night before it was due to open, they were ready to cut the ribbon, a motorist drove into one of the Belisha beacons and it was OK to go ahead with the opening but they now need to do some investigations and make sure the thing is actually structurally sound.

“It is interesting because a lot of the questions have been around driver behaviour and it is a bit of bad driver behaviour which has instigated the need for this second closure.”

A council spokesman said the crash had occurred before the roundabout opened and the driver, whose car was badly damaged, had not stopped at the scene.