Council installs 31 sets of traffic lights at ‘Cyclops’ roundabout

A so-called Cyclops roundabout with more than 30 sets of traffic lights around it is set to open in Cambridge, despite local fears that it amounts to “insanity”.

Residents slammed the installation of the lights around the roundabout on Milton Road, which was part of a two-year, £24 million road upgrade project.

It comes after the local council was ridiculed for publishing a video explaining how to use the city’s first “Cycling Optimised Protected Signals” (Cyclops) junction on the nearby Histon Road, despite it having been opened three years ago.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership, which runs the city’s roads, said the 31 sets of traffic lights around the junction are part of a wider scheme aimed at keeping cyclists safe from pedestrians and cars.

Yet Shane Manning, the local Conservative parliamentary candidate for Cambridge, branded the scheme “insanity”.

“This is the third time the Labour and Lib Dem-run GCP have installed absurd layouts to suit their ideological agenda at the expense of residents,” said Mr Manning.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

“Thirty-one different traffic lights will cause chaos for all road and path users and make journeys more dangerous and more confusing.”

The Greater Cambridge Partnership was contacted for comment.

Traffic is held at a complete standstill from all four directions at the Cyclops roundabout while cyclists cross it. Separate sets of traffic lights keep cycle riders apart from both conventional traffic and pedestrians on foot.

Pedestrians cross at the same time as cyclists using separate ring of paths in the middle of the junction, whilst zebra crossings on each side provide a safe place to cross the cycle lane.

The specialised roundabout, which is located on the junction between Cambridge’s Milton Lane and Elizabeth Way, is expected to open fully within the next fortnight.

Cyclops junctions originated in Holland, where the country’s flat terrain lends itself well to cycling. The idea of junctions in zebra crossings and traffic lights, to prioritise cyclists over other road users, was first imported to Britain in 2019 by Greater Manchester council.

That resulted in the building of a junction dubbed “dangerous” and “confusing” by locals – costing £1 million to create three cycle junctions appearing to face each other.

Referring to the Cambridge’s first Cyclops junction, which was so confusing that the council was forced to publish a video explaining its use, Councillor Elisa Meschini, chairman of the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s executive board, said in May: “The Cyclops junction has been an excellent addition to Histon Road, and this new junction will provide similar benefits to people travelling along Milton Road.

“It is part of our ambition to deliver first-class walking and cycling infrastructure to encourage more people to travel sustainability.”

The Cyclops concept has also caught on with other councils’ road planners around the country.