Busy Ely accident blackspot makes safety worse, warns cycling group
They're calling for improvements to make the junction safer
A cycling group's telling us the level of traffic at an accident blackspot in Ely has made it more unsafe.
The warning comes as government figures found a nine per cent rise in the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads between 2021 and 2022.
Data from Cambridgeshire County Council found between 2017 and 2021, 13 collisions took place on the junction of Broad Street and Station Road in Ely, several of these involving cyclists.
John Powell is from the Ely Cycling Campaign, which aims to improve cycling infrastructure within the city:
"Those drivers are looking for vehicles coming down Back Hill; the cyclists are funnelled by the infrastructure, there's a cycling lane and it's a place where drivers don't generally look," he said.
"I've lived in the Ely area for 30 years; it's been a problem for all of that time.
"The problem is over time, this junction has got busier and busier and has become a real issue over the last 10 years."
The Ely Cycling Campaign group, which has been running since 2012, has called for improvements by the county council to be made at this junction.
It is one of several projects that aims to improve the cycling experience in Ely.
John is hoping a change of traffic flow in this area could help improve road safety for cyclists.
'Radical changes' needed to improve safety
"As far as infrastructure's concerned, it can be difficult within town centres and for this particular junction, the only answer would be some radical changes to the road system," he added.
"They've broadened the mouth of the junction which means cars can scream around this corner (of the junction), that was done to make this junction easier for heavy goods vehicles to negotiate.
"But at the end of the day, it makes the junction less safe for cyclists."
A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “The county council takes road safety seriously and is a top priority.
"We’re also part of The Vision Zero Partnership, which is committed to preventing all road deaths across Cambridgeshire and to significantly reduce the severity of injuries from road traffic collisions."