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The UK's first ever Dutch-style roundabout is to be built in Cambridge.

New funding will transform the Fendon Road and Queen Edith's Way roundabout to improve safety and give priority to pedestrians and cyclists.

Cambridgeshire County Council has been awarded £550,000 by the Department for Transport (DfT) for the project.

The new roundabout will feature new pedestrian zebra crossing and a dedicated red cycle path.

Construction work is due to begin in 2019 with the scheme’s total cost is estimated to be £800,000, supported by a further £250,000 of developer contributions.

(Image: Cambridgeshire County Council)

The Government funding comes from a pot of £7million allocated for its 2018-19 Cycle City Ambition Safety programme.

Six other cities, including Bristol, Manchester, Norwich and Birmingham were also successful in securing funding for cycle infrastructure.

In Cambridgeshire only schemes in the Greater Cambridge cycle city area were eligible.

The Fendon Road and Queen Edith's Way roundabout was chosen for improvement works after a number of crashes involving cyclists in recent years.

What is a Dutch-style roundabout? The Dutch-style roundabout design for Fendon Road in Cambridge will seek to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians in a number of ways. One of the key elements is a change in carriageway width, designed to influence slower approach and departure speeds, thereby reducing the speed of drivers. Larger or longer vehicles have to partially use an overunnable strip in the centre of the road, which causes these drivers in particular to travel very slowly through the junction. With speeds reduced, any accidents that do occur are likely to be of much lower severity. Pedestrians will be provided with zebra crossings on each of the four roundabout entry/exit arms, and cyclists will be given their own cycle path, in contrasting red tarmac, to give them equal priority with pedestrians over each arm.

In 2013, Cambridgeshire County Council won funding for a number of schemes including the Perne Road and Radegund Road roundabout.

Its design included aspects of the Dutch style roundabout, including a central overrun strip that visually reduces a road's width to generate lower speeds.

The Fendon Road proposals aim to build on this scheme's success after it reduced cycle collisions in the area.

'We have long campaigned for Dutch-style infrastructure in Cambridge'

In response to the proposals, a spokeswoman for Cam Cycle - a charity working for better conditions for cycling in the city - said: "We have long campaigned for Dutch-style infrastructure in Cambridge as studies have shown that feeling unsafe on the roads is the most significant barrier to cycling for all age groups.

"The proposed design will improve access for both cyclists and pedestrians and give motorists better visibility, ensuring safer journeys for everyone.

"We look forward to further public engagement as the details are developed, and we hope that the county council's work on this junction will set a trend towards better and safer roundabouts across the country.

"Locally, we’d also like to ensure that new high-quality infrastructure for cyclists in Cambridge links up to provide a safe, network of protected routes across the city."

Work on the roundabout is due to commence in early 2019 and the scheme’s total cost is estimated to be £800,000.

The government funding will be bolstered by £250,000 of local funding from Section 106 developer contributions.

Councillor Ian Bates, Cambridgeshire County Council’s chair of the economy and environment committee said he the council was excited to have won the funding.

He added: "This project, which is a first not only for Cambridge but also the UK, will improve the experience for everyone using the roundabout. Cyclists and pedestrians, as well as drivers, will now have the space they need to travel safely.

"This scheme will encourage cycling amongst both adults and children in the area, which in turn will bring health benefits from increased physical activity of new cyclists."