Options for a safe crossing for pedestrians and cyclists at the BP roundabout on the A10 at Ely have been shortlisted, and a single preferred option is due to be proposed by the end of this month.
It follows a long campaign locally that has included a petition so far signed by 1,600 people.
“The A10 crossing is an absolute death trap. Please do not wait for the tragedy to happen,” said petition organiser Sally Boor.
Earlier this year the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CAPCA) agreed to give £100,000 to investigate options and a single preferred option will be announced at the end of the month.
Liberal Democrat councillors “welcomed the progress” towards a safe crossing for pedestrians and cyclists.
County councillors Piers Coutts (Ely South), Alison Whelan (Ely North), Lorna Dupré (Sutton) and district councillor Christine Whelan (Ely West) have been pressing for urgency in tackling the issue.
In a joint statement they said they had been pushing for the junction to be sorted “ever since the changes made by the previous Mayor (James Palmer) and county council administration made it more dangerous”.
Cllr Dupré (Sutton) said: “The first question I asked Dr Nik Johnson, the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, at his first Combined Authority Board meeting over two years ago was what he was going to do to make this junction safe.
Protestors at Ely have started a petition to walk and cycle safely across the A10/A142 junction pic.twitter.com/CmRglxjdbz
— John Elworthy (@johnelworthy) July 26, 2023
“It’s frustrating that it has taken so long, but I’m relieved to see this scheme moving forward at last.
Cllr Whelan (Ely North) said: “This junction has presented a danger to pedestrians and cyclists ever since it was remodelled to accommodate more cars more quickly.
“A safe crossing for everyone else cannot come soon enough. We need to encourage walking and cycling, not prevent it, and we need to make this area safer generally for local horse-riders.
Cllr Piers Coutts (Ely South) said: “I’m pleased that we should soon hear what the preferred solution is for this dangerous junction.
“The priority now is to secure funding to move to the next stage of feasibility study and consultation, and of course to find the resources to actually put a safe crossing in place as soon as possible.”
In March the CAPCA board unanimously approved using £100k to investigate road crossing issues at the BP Roundabout at Ely.
Cambridgeshire County Council Highways’ department had requested the funding for the purpose of appointing and managing a consultant to look at the feasibility of installing a crossing to help non-motorist road users at the existing roundabout by the BP filling station.
A report covering potential options, costs, surveys, and any risks involved in addressing the issue was produced and a preferred option has emerged.
The news will be welcome by Sally Boor who has so far gained 1600 signatures on a petition urging a crossing to be put in place.
“The way cyclists and pedestrians have to cross the A10 crossing at Ely is completely unacceptable; it is now harder and more dangerous to cross because the recent works prioritised motor vehicles at the expense of pedestrians and cyclists,” says her petition.
https://www.change.org/p/help-us-to-cycle-safely-across-the-a10-at-ely?source_location=search
“On this crossing, you have to look completely behind yourself to get the full picture of fast-moving traffic and even so this is still obscured by street furniture. There are no lights, no warnings and the roads that enter and exit the roundabout are 60mph.
“I, like many others have sprinted across whilst grabbing the arms of my children.
“I hear that it has been said that there have been no accidents so far, but I know there have. I work as a paramedic and have been to some of those heart breaking accidents that you must have heard of locally.
“It makes me feel so sick that councils wait for this before they feel obliged to address the problem. They probably haven’t heard the scream of a parent when the unthinkable has happened. The families of these victims are never the same and the ramifications for others are inconceivable.
She added: “Please can the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority prioritise a safe raised shared cycle and walkway over the A10.
“It was decided that there was a need for a safer crossing in 2009.
“This is now 14 years overdue.”
