59 people have been injured in a year on a new cycle lane that some have described as an ‘optical illusion’.
It was opened last March after a nine-month period of work, but people have been falling over it almost constantly since then.
The confusion seems to be around the kerbs and white lines, with people tripping over them whilst walking across.
To date, 21 people have pursued claims against the council in Bath and North East Somerset, claiming that the road in Keynsham is unsafe, as the lines and kerbs look too similar.
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Seven of those claims have so far been rejected, but the others remain open and subject to investigation, according to Somerset Live.
Alan Hale, a councillor from Keynsham South, has warned that a fatal injury could take place on the road if something isn’t done.
The council states that no insurance claims have yet been settled and no payments have been made to anyone as of yet.
Mr Hale says that since ‘day one’ he has been contacted by concerned citizens, but has only been told that the council is ‘monitoring’ the situation.
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He said: “There can be no other local authority in the country that has created a development that has succeeded in seriously injuring 59 people at least and have done nothing to address the situation.
“We are elected to make our community safe, not to inflict significant injuries.
“To make it safe we need the administration and officers to take positive action, not sit on their hands.”
There has been work done on the lane, which was painted red back in August, in an attempt to stop people falling over.
Mr Hale continued: “At my suggestion they changed the colour of the tarmacadam of the lane but that did not achieve a cessation in injuries, and since then there has been no further action, save the monitoring.”
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Still, he wants the cycle lane removed entirely, after one person who fell described it as an ‘optical illusion’.
However, Mark Roper, the council’s cabinet member for economic development, regeneration, and growth, defended how the council has dealt with it.
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.
“However we have now commissioned a Stage 4 Road Safety to suggest further improvements and mitigations and prevent any further issues. This will report back early in the next administration.
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“All reported falls are carefully examined, including by CCTV, to establish where and why they happen. We have worked with the town council and local councillors to make sure we record all incidents.
“The council takes this issue very seriously and is working hard to deliver further improvements.”
He added: “We actively seek out details on incidents when we hear of them even if they have not been officially recorded.
“The Keynsham High Street regeneration programme has been a great success, reducing traffic and making it a much more pleasant environment for shoppers and visitors, and as a result we are seeing increased footfall from pre-pandemic levels and strong demand for retail space.”
Tom Wood