Addenbrooke's roundabout safety improvements step forward

Members of the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s (GCP) joint assembly voiced their support this week (December 11) for safety improvements to be put in place. 

However, they urged for work on a further redesign of the junction to be pushed forward. 

The GCP has proposed an initial redesign of the roundabout to try and make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists. 

The plans were pushed forward after a cyclist died after being hit by a petrol tanker at the Addenbrooke’s roundabout in 2021. 

The redesign project has been fast tracked by the GCP in order to address the safety concerns. 

A report published by the GCP 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 Addenbrookes 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 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 not as we might wish. 

“In general, it is great that this work is progressing.” 

Christopher Walkinshaw, a business representative at the joint assembly, said he recognised this was the first phase of the plan and said he ‘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 it was recognised that further improvements were required at the junction. 

He said: “Absolutely right, 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 what a second phase would look like had not yet taken place. 

He said it was also recognised by the GCP that there would be “significant impacts” on traffic in the area when wider improvements were put in place, and said they will need to also look at how to mitigate that. 

It is estimated the initial improvement project will cost £890,000 to complete, with an additional £240,000 identified as a risk allowance. 

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has agreed to provide £200,000 towards the improvements, 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 be asked to approve for work to begin on the scheme. 

The Partnership has said it expects work could begin in the spring or summer of 2024, and has said it could take around two months to complete.