An ‘optical illusion’ cycle lane near Bristol made national headlines in recent weeks after shocking figures revealed the number of pedestrians who have fallen or tripped on the kerb. Bath and North Somerset Council has now confirmed that a road safety audit is expected to take place shortly along Keynsham High Street, following complaints about the new £1.5m cycle lane.
Close to 60 people have sustained injuries there, which has been blamed on the kerb and painted white lines looking similar and causing an ‘optical illusion’ resulting in people misplacing their step. The cycle lane opened in March 2022 after nine months of work in the street, designed to "rejuvenate the town centre" with wider footpaths and resurfacing, better signage, cycling and bus stop facilities, as well as new street furniture, streetlights, landscaping and trees.
Bristol Live visited the High Street this week during 8.30am and 9.30am on Wednesday to see just how well-used the cycle lane is and what people think about it. During that rush hour, there were 12 cyclists spotted travelling along the cycle lane.
Read next: Anger as 'optical illusion' Keynsham cycle lane leads to staggering number of injuries
This included a flurry of cyclists - seven in total - between 8.55am and 9.10am. The traffic build-up on the other side of the road was considerable in comparison during the rush hour period and there is only one-way traffic for vehicles.
Local residents sitting outside a local coffee shop on the street next to the cycle lane described it as “dangerous”. One passer-by stopped to say he had tripped twice the previous week, while another said: “When walking down the street, I just keep reminding myself walk left, walk left.”
Last Thursday Dave Dawson, 76 from Hanham was the latest victim of the ‘optical illusion’ lane when he tripped on the kerb. He said: “I was walking along the pavement and it’s sort of like an optical illusion, it looks as if it’s all level. I was walking back towards the church and stepped with my right foot on the edge of the pavement because it looked flat and I lost my balance and fell down.”
He cut the palms of his hands and knees due to the sharp surface of the cycle lane. He said the cycle path is level with the kerb, but then drops down by about two inches. He was not the first to report an injury, with one woman speaking out last spring saying she had broken a bone and was in "excruciating" pain.
According to Somerset Live, Keynsham South councillor, Alan Hale used a freedom of information (FOI) request and discovered that 59 people have sustained injuries since the new lane had been implemented. There have been 21 people who have claimed personal injury compensation in relation to the lane.
Sophie Broadfield, Director of Sustainable Communities at Bath and North Somerset Council, said this week: “We take this issue very seriously. The cycle lane was built to the government’s current LTN120 standards however a Stage 4 Road Safety Audit will take place shortly to explore whether further improvements are needed in addition to work we have already done which has reduced reported incidents.
“We have been monitoring use of the cycle lane and will continue to do so in light of any recommendations from the audit. Of the 59 first and third party reports, 21 have resulted in personal injury claims of which seven have been rejected.
“The remaining 14 claims are open and under investigation. No claims have been settled,” she said.
Results of the council's 'stage three' safety audit along the high street were published last summer, which "indicated a declining trend [in trips and falls] as users became more familiar with the new arrangement". The report found no fundamental issues with the design or construction but the council did commit to further works last August to address concerns.
These works were to install red tarmac through the length of cycle lane to enhance the marking, reduce the width of the solid white line marking the edge of the cycle lane, and increase the number of cycle symbol markings along the cycle lane. However, people are still reporting difficulty navigating the new layout.
One man logged a report with the council via FixMyStreet back in January, describing the kerb as a "serious trip hazard particularly for senior citizens". In response, the council confirmed that the concerns were "currently being reviewed by the relevant teams and will be included in the Stage 4 Road Safety Audit".
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