‘Expect the unexpected’ at Britain’s most hated roundabout, warns driving instructor: ‘Birthday cake’ intersection with 36 sets of traffic lights is triggering traffic jams and driver fury

A controversial roundabout equipped with 36 sets of traffic lights to supposedly increase safety has meant road users have to “expect the unexpected”, an experienced driving instructor has warned.

The intersection in Cambridge has been nicknamed the “birthday cake roundabout” due to the dizzying array of traffic control measures around it.

Angry residents say traffic used to flow through the area but has been hampered by traffic jams as drivers have stopped at red lights since they were switched on earlier this month.

Now local driving instructor Sue Papworth has joined the chorus of complaints about the “complicated” new layout, warning it was causing “a lot of anger”.

Cambridge’s Birthday Cake Roundabout has left road users having to ‘expect the unexpected’, an experienced driving instructor has warned.

The changes have sparked outrage from local residents, who say the problem is now causing more traffic jams than it is solving. In the photo: The red traffic light warns people on foot not to cross the street

The roundabout is equipped with 36 sets of traffic lights to supposedly increase safety – but local residents are furious. Local driving instructor Sue Papworth joined the chorus of complaints about the “complicated” new layout

Ms Papworth told the Mail that the “intuitive” design of a simple roundabout was replaced by something that was “very busy and very chaotic”.

‘There are too many distractions. Before it was beautifully simple. Now we have more congestion with cars stopped at red lights,” she said.

‘You need to have eyes in the back of your head to know that you might have a cyclist coming from your right or your left, because they cycle in both directions.’

The instructor, who has 19 years’ experience teaching people to drive, added: ‘What happened to good old common sense?

“You wouldn’t deliberately drive towards someone coming towards you, but you’re so distracted by the fact that it’s chaotic and busy that you forget common sense.”

She added: ‘We now have cycle lanes that go both ways around the roundabout (and) because of the confusion you really have to expect the unexpected.

‘We have a signposted parallel crossing that allows people to walk and cycle across the road separately, special colored paved surfaces that separate the crossings and it’s very distracting.’

Mrs Papworth, who runs Toad Driving School, also told the BBC that queues were now common at the roundabout.

Other road users have complained about the use of the junction today, calling it “a joke” and “completely dangerous”.

A woman in her 30s, who regularly drives into the city from a nearby village to visit the shops, told the Mail: ‘I’ve driven here more times than I can remember and it’s never been this bad.

The redesigned intersection between Milton Road and Elizabeth Way now has pelican crossings for pedestrians and cyclists. In the photo: A cyclist uses the newly installed crosswalks

A woman in her 30s, who regularly drives into the city from a nearby village to visit the shops, told the Mail: ‘I’ve driven this way more times than I can remember and it’s never been as bad as it is now.

Local residents are angry that the traffic lights are causing more queues than before as they remain red even if there are no vehicles on the roundabout. In the photo: a set of red traffic lights at the roundabout

“There used to be queues there at rush hour, but now there are queues at any time of the day – and it’s completely dangerous. There are many traffic lights and intersections.

There are four sets of pedestrian crossings, as well as dedicated bike lanes, although some cyclists go against the flow of traffic or use the road anyway.

Local businesses also complained about the impact on trade.

A nearby carpet fitting company complained that the council is “trying to drive cars out…unfortunately my installers can’t fit carpets onto the back of a bicycle”.

The roundabout is among a series of things that critics claim are “anti-car” that have been introduced in Cambridge – the UK’s cycling capital – by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), a group of local authorities including the city council. county, in addition to the University of Cambridge. .

They include another intersection with four crosswalks, four pedestrian islands and eight sets of traffic lights for cyclists and pedestrians that are so complicated that a video tutorial was posted online by city officials.

There are also “pop-up” bike lanes that residents say cause traffic jams and delay emergency vehicles, and floating bus stops that leave passengers waiting inches away from busy bike lanes set up on sidewalks.

A widely condemned plan for a congestion charge was put in place last year amid concerns about its impact during the cost of living crisis.

Horrified visitors threatened to boycott the city, with one commenting online: “They make travelers feel so unwelcome. I can certainly take the hint. The GCP said the birthday cake roundabout was part of a £31.9 million scheme in the area that would improve safety, following 90 accidents between March 2013 and April 2018.

He added: ‘Our challenge has been to develop a scheme so that parents, children and commuters can have the confidence to walk and cycle along Milton Road… as well as to manage the flow of traffic along the road .

‘There will be a period of monitoring on site to make adjustments to ensure traffic flows smoothly and that new crossing points for pedestrians and cyclists are adequately weathered to accommodate the many movements made at certain times of the day.’