More collisions at UK's first Dutch-style roundabout than old layout, figures reveal

Collision figures from the UK's first Dutch-style roundabout show that there have been more reported collisions in the three years since it was installed than in the three years prior in its old layout.

A report by the BBC, using figures provided by Cambridgeshire County Council, showed that there have been 10 reported collisions, three of which were serious, at the Fendon Road roundabout in Cambridge since the new layout giving priority to cyclists and pedestrians was introduced in 2020, more than the six minor incidents that were reported between 2017 and 2019 with the old layout.

> Dutch research finds cyclists increasingly at risk at roundabouts

However, the council was keen to point out that the number of cyclists using the roundabout had also increased, by almost 50 per cent since 2017, meaning those on bicycles accounted for 11.4 per cent of all traffic users last year. Equally, pedestrian usage has also risen by about 30 per cent.

The roundabout has undergone three road safety audits since its installation and was forced to temporarily close within a few days of opening when a hit-and-run driver crashed into a zebra crossing beacon.

The infrastructure offers priority to cyclists and pedestrians, with motorists asked to give way to those more vulnerable than themselves on entering and exiting the roundabout, a style made popular in the Netherlands.

Between 2012 and 2017, the previous layout saw 12 collisions between drivers and cyclists, with eight involving cyclists since July 2020 and two involving a pedestrian being hit by a driver. Three of the collisions were described as serious.

With increased numbers of people using the roundabout by bike or on foot, one regular user told the BBC the roundabout is "very hazardous" for cyclists and pedestrians, suggesting motorists "use it at quite high speed" and "it's too much for even an experienced driver to take in".

Cambridgeshire County Council released a tutorial when the roundabout was installed and stress it is "designed to encourage motorists to drive at a slower speed".

"To me it is safe overall. I think it's an asset"

However, in contrast to the driver who told the report he thinks the design lacks "safety features for the people it was intended to be safe for", one local cyclist, 69-year-old Peter French, said the roundabout is "very safe".

"All of the traffic is watchful, everyone is on the lookout and stops for you," he said. "As a cyclist, as long as you approach with caution yourself and are watchful it's fine. To me it is safe overall. I think it's an asset."

The county council's chair of the highways and transport committee, Alex Beckett, said they have "received compliments on its layout" and "recently commissioned a study to look at the nature of the incidents which will help inform any changes we might wish to make to this roundabout or any future roundabouts with similar design characteristics."

The roundabout was installed after a 2015 consultation showed that 67 per cent of respondents felt the route needed improvements for walking and cycling, with the old roundabout layout attracting concern. A second consultation in 2016 then showed that 433 people supported the Dutch-style proposal versus 115 people who opposed it.

Its installation was welcomed by the Cambridge Cycle Campaign (Camcycle) who said it is "a joy to ride" but added that "it may take a while for everyone to get used to the new design so take care as you travel through the area".

"I'm absolutely delighted with the new roundabout," Camcycle's executive director Roxanne De Beaux said at the time. "It feels like a small piece of Dutch cycling heaven. I feel very safe with this layout, the geometry made it easy to see the cars leaving and approaching the roundabout and the people driving were all giving way to the people cycling and walking.

"This is a historic and internationally significant day for active travel and how wonderful for Cambridge, the cycling capital of the UK to be leading the way."

Have you used the roundabout? How did you find it? Would you like to see similar infrastructure built where you ride?