Swedish construction firm Skanska completed the UK’s first Dutch-style roundabout at the junction of Queen Edith’s Way and Fendon Road in Cambridge.
The roundabout was built by Skanska on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council, which awarded the project last summer.
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Skanska claims to have completed the task under 11 months, during which time, the roundabout was redesigned and the final phase of the works was completed under the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
The roundabout was improved after public consultations were conducted, which highlighted that the old roundabout layout was considered to be dangerous to cycle around. Local residents felt unsafe when walking in the area due to lack of pedestrian crossings, said the construction firm.
Also, the roundabout offers an important commuter route for Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and is commonly used by cyclists as well as school children, students and shoppers.
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Skanska claims that the new roundabout’s geometry is tighter than the previous layout, forcing vehicles to cut down speeds.
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By GlobalDataIt also offers more space for physical separation between pedestrians, cyclists and cars and a central over-run area allows larger vehicles to manoeuvre around the roundabout with ease.
Skanska business director John Birkenhead said: “The roundabout’s redesign, project management and delivery was all done by our teams working together with the client and main contractor Durman Stearn to bring this innovative model of roundabouts to the UK.
“This scheme is a fantastic example of our expertise and drive for innovation to make Cambridgeshire’s roads safer for all users while actively promoting greener travel.”
The new layout has an outer ring for cyclists, offering them an equal priority with pedestrians over oncoming vehicles, with parallel pedestrian crossings on each of the four lanes at the roundabout.
The zebra crossings also extend over the cycle lanes and motorists must give way to both the pedestrians and cyclists when joining and leaving the roundabout.
Cambridgeshire County Council’s Highways and Transport Committee chairman Ian Bates said: “I am delighted that the roundabout is open. It will greatly improve safety at this busy junction, and will hopefully encourage more people to walk and cycle to work or college.
“I am particularly pleased that we have installed zebra crossings to make it easier for vulnerable people to use the roads leading up to the new roundabout.”
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Skanska completes new roundabout in UK. (Credit: Skanska UK.)
