A roundabout for cyclists has opened in Salford and is being hailed as the 'first of its kind' in the UK.
The roundabout was opened as part of a road improvement scheme by Salford City Council, and sits at the junction of segregated cycle lanes, including a new mile of segregated cycle track.
The project was aimed at encouraging more people to cycle through the city centre, with Salford City Council saying it was introduced after "extensive consultation with members of the public, cyclists and groups representing people with a wide range of disabilities and visual impairment" in order to "provide the safest crossing solution", the Manchester Evening News reports.
But not everyone is convinced, including cyclist Hamish Gray who runs the campaigning group Walk Ride Central Salford.
He tweeted: "First, the pedestrian experience here is hugely compromised. You have to cross into a ring of fire to exit. Every desire line is away from the path you are supposed to take.
"Similarly, the cycle desire line is also the opposite to what's designed. You want to either cut across the opposite lane or go across the middle. These both leave peds and cycles in conflict.
"For these reasons, there is actually more conflict here than if the design was left to the users via shared space. An ideological desire to keep peds and cycles separate has blinkered the designers common sense.
"The reason given for a roundabout is capacity, yet because of the kerbs, radius and general lack of space - the capacity here is actually lower than if it was shared space or a cross roads. I don't design cycle lanes, but I use them every day, as a pedestrian, as a road cyclist and as a cargo bike rider The user is always right."
Mike McCusker, Salford Council's lead member for planning and sustainable development, claimed that the roundabout is 'possibly the first of its kind' in England.
He added that although the roundabout has 'created debate', there has been 'positive feedback' as well.
“This is possibly the first roundabout of its kind in the country, so it is certainly creating some debate and we have had a lot of positive feedback," he said.
“The roundabout allows pedestrians to cross the junction safely in two short moves so they only have to be aware of one lane of cycle traffic at a time. It provides a quicker crossing for them and is safer than trying to cross a wider junction with traffic from both directions.
"It has been designed to accommodate people on foot or in wheelchairs or pushing buggies. Cyclists circulate round it like a ‘normal’ road roundabout so they, too, can get round this junction safely without putting pedestrians in danger.”
