Another crash at Rhubarb Bridge

Campaigners point to latest collision as safety fears for crossing scheme grow

A car smashed into railings near Rhubarb Bridge just days after campaigners warned that the “worst accidents are yet to come” at the location.

Police and ambulance crews were called out at around 7.30pm on Sunday to the A47/ A15roundaboutnearBrotherhood Shopping Park.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported and officers remained on scene while the vehicle was recovered. No arrests were made. AccordingtotheSaveRhubarb Bridge campaign this is at least the sixth time the railings have been hit recently.

Last week, it urged Peterborough City Council not to open new pedestrian crossings at the busy junction, claiming that “the worst accidents are yet to come”.

Concerns over recent changes to the layout by the popular foot and cycle bridge have been voiced for the past few years ever since the council revealed it was planning to introduce pedestrian crossings on the slip roads at the roundabout, whilealsoinstalling an extra lane of traffic.

The concerns were fuelled by safety audits from contractors Skanska which stated that bringing in the crossings could see multiple collisions every year, including ones which may be serious or fatal.

Skanska, which i s the council’s official highways partner, has “strongly” urged the authority not to progress with the crossings but to instead focus only on repairing Rhubarb Bridge.

However, the concerns weredismissedbythecouncil whichinsistedthattheoverall scheme is safe.

The authority also suggested that the contractors were ‘confused’ by what the

finished scheme would look like when compiling its assessment, that pedestrians and cyclists felt ‘intimidated’ by using Rhubarb Bridge due to previous incidents of serious crime at the location, and that it was not accessible for vulnerable residents.

Last week, a spokesperson for the Save Rhubarb Bridge campaign said: “When this roundabout was first designed over 40 years ago the planners knew that it was too dangerous to mix pedestrians, cyclists and motorised vehicles – so they built RhubarbBridge. Yet here wearein 2020, with trafficlevels unimaginablyhigherthanwhenthe bridge was first built, and we are adding pedestrian crossings.

“Even before these dangerous crossings are open there have been at least five accidents alongside the new footpaths and the council are havingtomakefurtherchanges to the barriers so they’re safer to use.

“Weareextremelyworried and fear the worst accidents are yet to come. We call on the council to keep these crossings permanently closed.”

Last week, a c ouncil spokesperson said: “The original high visibility guard railings, which met all current guidance performance standards, were replaced on recommendationfromtherecent Stage 1/2 Road Safety Audit. The new ‘Visirail’ panels incorporate diagonally orientated vertical bars which improve visibility for motorists. They are designed so that approaching motorists can better see pedestrians, particularly small children, behind the railings.

“We are aware of recent instances where the railings have been struck by vehicles. Whenthepolicecollisiondata is published we should be in a betterposition to understand the precise circumstances of eachcollisionandanycontributory factors.”

Initially the £5.5 million scheme – which received £3.85 million of funding from the Department for Transport – envisaged the bridge being knocked down as it was described as being ‘at the end of its life’ and would allegedly cost up to £30 million to replace.

The council later did a Uturn after a new assessment revealed that the bridge could berepairedatthesamecostas being demolished.

The scene of the accident.