A roundabout in London where a cyclist was killed last week was described by campaigners as “hugely complicated” when plans for it were unveiled in 2014.
Shane Murtagh Hammond, aged 34, died following a collision involving a bin lorry at 5.45pm on Monday 9 July at Queens Circus in Battersea.
Queens Circus, which lies on the route of Cycle Superhighway 8, is the first roundabout in the city to have a segregated cycle lane running around the outside (in the picture above, it passes between the two traffic lights to the left, with the cyclist riding on the main carriageway instead).
But when the London Borough of Wandsworth revealed the design of the roundabout in August 2014, critics said it failed to meet Dutch standards for infrastructure.
> Cool reception for "hugely complicated" London segregated roundabout plan
The council was also criticised for prioritising motor vehicles rather than cyclists, and for putting traffic lights on the roundabout, which also uses kerbs and traffic islands to provide segregation.
At the time, the London Cycling Campaign said: "Currently cyclists make up about a third of the morning peak hour flow on the roundabout. Often there are so many that they fill a whole traffic lane and cars give them space.
"The new design gives less space to cyclists with added delay… That can only lead to congestion and risk taking behaviour.”
It added: "While the proposals at Battersea provide segregation from motor traffic at the busiest points it is at the cost of a confusing set of signals which are likely to increase the number of times cyclists have to stop and increase the waiting time, especially for those coming out of town in the evening peak."
Stop Killing Cyclists co-founder Donnachadh McCarthy also hit out at the plans when they were announced, saying: "The design at present is quite confusing, which makes it more dangerous.”
He added that the design of the roundabout “requires the cyclists to stop at lights, whereas in Dutch designs, the cyclists would have right of way.”
Mr Hammond, a graphic art graduate, died from his injuries last Monday evening in St George’s Hospital, Tooting, reports the London Evening Standard.
His mother Teresa De Marco told the newspaper: “We are heartbroken. We can’t believe Shane has gone. He was a very experienced cyclist and was very careful. He wouldn’t even take the bike out in the rain. We need a full investigation.”
The Metropolitan Police’s Serious Collision Investigation United is appealing for witnesses and can be contacted on 020 8543 5157.