Cambridge transport follies home page
March 2003
On the north side of Madingley Road, at the junction with the (northbound) M11 exit 13 ramp, a bus lane was added in 2002, removing road space. Turning right (heading into Cambridge) from the ramp onto Madingley Road was always slightly precarious because the angle at the junction is not at 90 degrees but is sharper, and the original geometry of the junction was set out specifically taking this into account. The new layout completely removes this logic and the main problem is that there is very little visual indication that the new geometry is awful.
The first photograph below shows what a driver sees leaving the exit. The lamp post in the background is about where the road should end, but it finishes at the curb which visually does not look very different in distance. The second photograph is a view from the other side of Madingley Road and shows how far that curb is from the verge (and also shows the sharp angle of the junction). This distinction is not obvious to drivers coming out of the junction.
This new layout is not that dangerous if you are used to the exit, or visibility is clear, or if you are starting from a stop (there is a traffic light) rather than being already in motion when at the turn. As it happens the driver of the car in the first photograph was not familiar with the junction and although travelling fairly slowly (from a near stop) had to suddenly brake and veer right when the new layout became clear.
This terrible change to the junction is doubly stupid because the bus lane is not really needed (the main source of non-tourist buses on Madingley Road is the Park and Ride which is closer in to the city; this bus lane ends just after this junction, before the Park and Ride). The daft design of this junction is the government (and transport planners) sticking two fingers up to drivers on the M11.
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