UK’s ‘tragic’ first ever bike roundabout leaves cyclists confused

Cyclists have been left baffled at the UK's first seemingly purpose-built cycle roundabout.

The roundabout in Salford, Greater Manchester, has been installed at a four-way junction as part of an upgrade worth £22m and has been designed as an intersection between two different cycle lanes.

The new roundabout is supposed to make the area safer for pedestrians, as outlined by Salford City Council.

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But some unhappy bikers have since said the council who installed it don't understand how cyclists behave, and claim the new road feature will actually endanger pedestrians, rather than making roads safer.

There is no pavement on two sides of the roundabout, so walkers will have to cross the cycle lane twice.

One cyclist said the design was "insane", dubbing the new roundabout a "pedestrian supercollider".

And others have said cyclists won't even use the roundabout – the Daily Mail reported that only six bikers used it properly over the course of an hour, while most just rode straight across the middle.

Pedestrian Alex Osbourne, 28, told the publication: "I can’t see cyclists going all the way around it. They’ll just take a shortcut."

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Meanwhile, on social media, a local resident remarked: "All the design does successfully is to inconvenience the less able-bodied."

Others asked whether it was a "magic roundabout" or a "tragic roundabout".

It is unclear how much the roundabout itself cost, with upgrades to the area also involving resurfacing the road.

Councillor Mike McCusker said there was "a lot of positive feedback" when the roundabout was installed.

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"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."

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