'Optical illusion cycle lane causes chaos as confused people 'keep falling over'
A troublesome cycle lane which has injured dozens of people since it was opened thanks to an “optical illusion” has claimed another victim.
The cycle lane was opened in Keynsham’s high street in March last year after nine months of work.
However its two raised kerbs has so far caused dozens of people to fall since its introduction, with 59 people reported being hurt as a result of it so far.
Bath and North East Somerset Council recently confirmed a road safety audit is expected to take place shortly along the high street following complaints about the new £1.5m cycle lane.
The "optical illusion" has hurt several people over several monthsHowever it has come too late for a pedestrian who revealed he had twice tripped on the hazard, according to Bristol Live.
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J Smyth revealed his experiences in a letter to local newspaper Bath Chronicle, writing: "I have twice tripped over the pavement and fallen when visiting Keynsham in the past year.
"The young man who helped me up the second time said his mother keeps falling over, so I was clearly not alone, and was not surprised to hear that there had been 59 reported injuries.
“One wonders how many were unreported. It is clear the High Street is now highly unsafe for pedestrians, especially older ones, as well as extremely confusing, and action should be taken by the council to rectify the situation to avoid further accidents."
The new cycle lane opened in March 2022 after nine months of work in the street.
The work aimed at "rejuvenating the town centre" with wider footpaths and resurfacing, better signage, new cycling and bus stop facilities, as well as new street furniture, streetlights, landscaping and trees.
The cycle path had aimed at "rejuvenating" the high street (Paul Gillis/BristolLive/BPM)Since its introduction, 21 people have pursued personal injury compensation claims against the council in relation to the road.
Seven of these have been rejected, but the rest remain open and under investigation. Council bosses stated that no insurance claims have currently been settled, and no other payments have been made to anyone.
Some work has been done on the cycle lane with the hope of reducing the number of falls. The lane, which had been plain tarmac, was painted red in August in response to 46 incidents of people falling at that time.
Mark Roper, Bath and North East Somerset Council’s cabinet member for economic development, regeneration and growth, defended the council’s response to the issues.
He said: “The new Keynsham High Street cycle lane is built to the government’s current LTN120 standards, and when some early problems were identified with the double kerb down to the road surface, a series of mitigations were put in place which has had the effect of substantially reducing the number of reported incidents.”
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