Redesign to improve safety of Addenbrooke’s roundabout in Cambridge progresses
Work on a redesign of the roundabout by Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge is due to enter a second phase, with a promise that the “significant impacts” of construction work on site will be examined.
Members of the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s (GCP) joint assembly voiced their support on Monday (December 11) for safety improvements.
They urged further redesign work to begin following the initial proposals from the GCP to make the roundabout safe for pedestrians and cyclists.
The project began following the death of cyclist Anna Garratt-Quinton, who was hit by a petrol tanker on the roundabout in October 2021 as she made her way to work at the hospital.
The redesign project has been fast-tracked by the GCP.
A report said: “The design will provide significantly wider shared use facilities to allow cyclists – as well as pedestrians – segregated access from Fendon Road to the crossing point on the southern arm without having to use the carriageway and provides a good continuous route between Fendon Road and the shared pathway that leads into the Addenbrooke’s site behind the bus interchange.
“Widening of the paths is achieved by shrinking the central island of the roundabout slightly.
“This allows for the existing traffic lane layout to be safely retained.
“Overall, the changes that are proposed address the key safety concerns that have been identified by Cambridgeshire County Council and provide significant enhancements.”
Cllr Neil Shailer (Lab, Romsey) said: “It is great to see this work progressing after the tragic event, it is clear work needed to be done.
“It is a bit of a compromise to get it done quickly - the desire lines for bikes are not as we might wish.”
Christopher Walkinshaw, of Marshall Group, a business representative on the joint assembly, “urged” the GCP to push forward to the second phase.
He said there was a lot of space at the junction to redesign it and “do the job properly”.
Peter Blake, transport director at the GCP, said: “This is a first go at it. It has been designed to respond to safety issues - it is not designed to make it a super cycle highway type environment.”
Mr Blake said detailed concept design work on the second phase had not taken place, but recognised there would be “significant impacts” on traffic in the area when wider improvements were put in place. He said the GCP will look at how to mitigate that.
The initial improvement project is expected to cost £890,000, with an additional £240,000 identified as a risk allowance.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has agreed to provide £200,000 and the GCP plans to fund the rest of the scheme from its agreed £10million budget allocation for the Cycling Plus A1134 project.
The GCP board is now expected to approve further work, with the two-month scheme potentially due to be completed in the spring or summer of 2024.
