A former St Ives town councillor is calling for Cambridgeshire County Council to revisit the notorious guided busway’s car trap as it claimed yet another victim.
Mathew Setchell acknowledges the hole is clearly effective and prevents vehicles driving onto the busway - but motorists are getting stuck in it once or twice a week.
The last vehicle to be spotted in it was yesterday (Monday) and there was another on Thursday (September 21).
On August 19, there were allegedly three incidents in one day and a camper van was also photographed in the trap over the summer.
The Policing Huntingdonshire Facebook page posted a warning about it after a motorist got caught out on June 15.
Mr Setchell said: “Cambridgeshire County Council highways doesn't seem to believe it's a problem.
“I personally agree that the configuration is correct and that it’s the right way to protect that road.
“But I’m not convinced the setup is the nicest way of dealing with the issue.
"It must cause major damage to people’s vehicles and disruption through the town.”
The hole prevents drivers from turning into the busway route. Signage and road markings warn it is ahead.
But motorists who still attempt the maneuver and get stuck in the trap. The county council says it is aware of 60 incidents over the last 12 years.
St Ives resident Daniel McDonnell told The Hunts Post: “It causes so much disruption for the town when it happens. I personally think drivers should be prosecuted for careless or reckless driving.
“The bus companies should also go after these motorists for loss of earnings because it must regularly impact their service.”
Meanwhile, the county council says it has “taken care to follow the appropriate guidance” over signage and traffic lights to make the busway access point “as visible as possible”.
- Installed more road signs prohibiting entry to vehicles other than the guided buses;
- Added red coloured surfacing to the road;
- Painted additional white lines around the junction and;
- Written ‘GUIDED BUS ONLY’ markings twice on Station Road.
“We would like to remind drivers to be aware of this and look out for the signage if they are driving around this location,” he said.
Some have suggested a bollard that lowers when a bus approaches the junction is also installed.
However Cllr Kevin Reynolds from Cambridgeshire County Council has little sympathy for the drivers who get stuck.
He said: “If people driving along that road cannot see a big hole in the ground in front of them then I would argue they wouldn’t be able to see a small child.
“I would question whether they should be behind the wheel at all...”
The issue has become such a talking point in St Ives that residents regularly post photographs of car trap victims on social media.
One YouTube video is a photo montage of cars in the trap, played to Elvis’ Suspicious Minds where the opening lyrics start: “We're caught in a trap; I can't walk out...”
The Filling Station, a craft beer taproom in St Ives, has even dedicated its house IPA to the busway car trap.
Customers get 10 per cent off their glass of ‘Car Trap’ IPA if they present a photograph of a vehicle stuck in the trap at the bar.
Car trap victims themselves get 15 per cent off if they are prepared to admit to their mistake and present evidence.
The Filling Station’s owner Matt Kelly, added: “We haven’t had a driver prepared to own up to getting stuck in the trap yet...”
Have you ever been caught out by the St Ives car trap?
Do you think the guided busway car trap is a good idea? Tell us if you have ever been a victim.
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