Pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers all over Britain are up in arms over baffling road designs that have been catching out motorists and walkers alike – and in the worst cases leading to severe even leading to injuries.
A number of short-sighted transport policies, many of which were installed ‘by stealth’ during the Covid pandemic, have been rolled out up and down the country resulting in various calls to scrap the schemes.
From ‘floating’ bus stops and ‘optical illusion’ cycle lanes to ‘safety-roundabouts’ and cycle paths that travel the wrong way up one-way roads, MailOnline takes a look back at some of those disastrous installations which have cost the taxpayer millions.
London’s floating bus stops
Across the capital, a series of ‘dangerous’ floating bus stops, or as Transport for London calls them ‘shared use bus boarders’, have been slammed by angry pedestrians.
The bizarre transport policy means there is a cycle lane jammed between a bus shelter and the road – forcing passengers to venture through incoming bike traffic to get on board their bus.
Concerns for pedestrian’s safety has led blindness campaigners to call for their removal.
In 2020, a bus stop similar to the one in Waltham Forest was blasted as ‘crazy’ by commuters who were forced to dodge speeding cyclists as they get on and off bus near Kings Cross
The ‘optical illusion’ cycle lane responsible for 59 injuries
An ill-thought-out cycle lane in Keynsham, Somerset, has seen nearly 60 people injured in the last year.
The ‘optical illusion’ cycle lane, which was opened in March 2022 after nine months of work, has left people bloodied, bruised and with broken bones because of its confusing appearance.
Pedestrians and cyclists alike have said accidents are occurring because the appearance of the grey kerbs on one side and the white lines painted on the other creates an ‘optical illusion’ that makes the path look level – catching cyclists out who aren’t looking closely enough.
Cyclists say the ‘optical illusion’ lane is causing people to injure themselves as the kerb on one side and painted white lines are a similar colour
Baffling Netherlands-style ‘safety roundabout’ sees an increase in accidents
Britain’s first Dutch-style roundabout, which prioritises cyclists and pedestrians over cars, was introduced in Cambridge in 2020.
The complicated junction has an inner ring and outer ring configuration making sure drivers give way to those on foot or bike.
The car lanes are narrower than your average roundabout and are placed in the middle lanes, which makes vehicles slow down on approach.
Pedestrians on the zebra crossing have right of way over the vehicles, leading to a path that walkers can take around the outer-most ring.
Cyclists have their own outer ring cycle path, made out of red tarmac, which gives them priority.
Drivers have to give way to pedestrians and cyclists as they approach the roundabout. Cars must also give way when they exit the roundabout. Cyclists have priority over cars but must slow down and look to make sure they are stopping
The ‘crop circle’ roundabout
A bizarre ’roundabout’ on a Somerset seafront was mocked so much by motorists for its strange design that it was removed and repainted – just weeks after it was first installed.
The flat hollow painted roundabout, which locals dubbed the ‘crop circle’, was installed last month at the junction of The Beach, Marine Parade and Alexandra Gardens as part of controversial changes to the seafront in Clevedon.
Weeks later, it was removed before being repainted days later as a more traditional mini-roundabout which includes arrows around its perimeter.
Campaigners calling for the new road layout to be reversed claim the council is ‘making it up as it goes along’
‘Bike about’
Millions have been invested in Britain’s cycling network over the past few years, with road layouts becoming more convoluted.
But even regular riders were left baffled by what is thought to be the UK’s first bike roundabout.
The four-way junction, installed on a busy road in Salford as part of a £22million upgrade, is designed as an intersection between two cycle lanes.
There is no pavement on two sides so those on foot are expected to cross the cycle lane twice.
A pedestrian said: ‘I can’t see cyclists going all the way around it. They’ll just take a shortcut’
Oval-shaped junction that left road users puzzled
Motorists blasted a ‘bizarre’ and ‘dangerous’ oval-shaped roundabout that was installed in June 2021 in the Isle of Man’s capital Douglas.
Drone pictures of the newly-opened feature show three rings in the middle of a junction with the same number of roads connecting from different angles.
The junction, which part of a £25 million project, left locals slamming the idea, with many claiming that it made ‘no sense’ and is ‘impossible to work out’.
The local government, however, said the junction should be used like ‘any other roundabout’ and assured ‘motorists will soon get used to them’.
Locals in the Isle of Man’s capital town Douglas have slammed the idea, claiming it ‘makes no sense’ and is ‘impossible to work out’
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