Britain’s first Dutch-style roundabout forced to close after vehicle collides with Belisha beacon

Image credit: Cambridgeshire County Council

A new Dutch-style roundabout, the first of its kind in the UK, was forced to close just days after opening in Cambridgeshire after a vehicle collided into a beacon.

The £2.3million roundabout found at the junction of Queen Edith’s Way, Fendon Road and Mowbray Road in Cambridge, has an outer ring for cyclists in a contrasting red surface, to give them equal priority with pedestrians over oncoming vehicles. 

Improvements to the roundabout follow public consultations which highlighted that the old roundabout was perceived by many people to be dangerous to cycle around. Residents also reported feeling unsafe when walking in the area due to a lack of pedestrian crossings, particularly more vulnerable users.

Parallel crossings have been installed on each of the four ‘arms’ of the roundabout – these are zebra crossings for pedestrians and cycle crossings for cyclists. The zebra crossings also extend over the cycle lanes so pedestrians have priority over cyclists as well as motor vehicles.

However, according to The Telegraph, the new roundabout was forced to close on Monday evening, and will remain shut until Wednesday, after a driver collided into a Belisha beacon and drove off from the scene.

According to a council spokesperson the incident happened before the roundabout officially opened causing the column of the beacon to lean.

When the new roundabout opened, Cllr Ian Bates, Chairman of the Highways and Transport Committee, said: “I am delighted to see the completion of improvements to this roundabout, which aim to improve safety at this busy junction and encourage more people to walk and cycle. It is great to see Cambridgeshire leading the way in implementing the first truly Dutch inspired roundabout that improves safety for vulnerable users, ahead of recent nationally published Government guidance that strongly promotes this type of infrastructure.”