"Optical illusion" cycle lane behind three trip injuries a month to close tonight for long-awaited works

A cycle lane responsible for numerous pedestrian trip injuries is to be closed tonight for works to improve safety in the hope of preventing future incidents.

The bike lane on Keynsham High Street, in the Somerset town between Bath and Bristol, is believed to have caused more than 100 people to trip since it was first installed in 2022, a rate of more than three incidents a month. Previous works have seen the surface painted red in an attempt to more clearly distinguish between the differing kerb heights of the pavement, cycle lane and road, the colours and heights reportedly causing an "optical illusion" trip hazard.

> More pedestrian injuries reported on "optical illusion" cycle lane, with one casualty claiming it must have been "designed by toddlers"

Tonight, Bath and North East Somerset Council will close the route to repaint the solid white dividing lines as broken white lines in an attempt to reduce trip incidents, the BBC reports.

The works have been in the pipeline for several months, the council waiting for the right weather conditions and an available contractor having promised to fix the infrastructure "at the earliest opportunity".

"This mitigation should make the change in levels clearer to pedestrians and prevent further trips and falls, Paul Roper from the council said. "We are grateful for people's patience while the audit was undertaken and the road safety report compiled, which we are acting on."

Even with safety changes imminent, some remain critical of the council's approach, councillor Alan Hale having previously warned that the works do not represent the recommendation of the council's audit and risk causing more confusion.

"It seems to me that the council administration have spent good money on an audit but, having received the results, they together with the officers and the design team have decided to dismiss what they have been told," he said.

A year ago, Conservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is MP for the North East Somerset constituency where Keynsham is located, called the scheme a "failed experiment" and appealed for the road layout to be returned to its previous state.

It should go back to being a two way street. This experiment has failed.https://t.co/WFHQpj8HHl

— Jacob Rees-Mogg (@Jacob_Rees_Mogg) April 26, 2023