Bedford Borough Conservative Group Leader Cllr Stephen Moon has spoken of his concern for the safety of motorists and pedestrians using the new ‘turbo roundabout’ on Union Street in Bedford.
The roundabout, which was constructed during the summer at a cost of £470k, is based on a design widely used in The Netherlands but is the first of its kind in the UK. Instead of being able to switch lanes at any point when using the roundabout, vehicles are filtered by raised dividers which are intended to reduce speeds. Zebra crossings have also been put in place at each exit for pedestrians and cyclists.
Despite the intention to improve safety, Cllr Moon feels that it is not clear whether that will be the case in reality as the new layout has caused confusion for motorists and cyclists alike. He said:
‘The design now in place is used for much larger sites in other countries than is the case on Union Street. My concern is that larger vehicles now find it even more difficult to manoeuvre given that lane dividers are in place. Other motorists have simply described it as confusing and there have been reports of motorists switching lanes at the very last second to avoid being filtered into a lane they have joined in error. I even saw a Polish lorry stop in the middle of the roundabout because the design was so unfamiliar.
‘It is not clear whether the new design will make users of the roundabout any safer but at this stage we do know from the volume of comments in the local media that a great number of people do not see why the new layout is necessary.’