Concerns after two crashes into barriers close to Rhubarb Bridge in Peterborough in one day

Residents have expressed their concerns after two crashes into the barriers close to Rhubarb Bridge took place on Thursday (September 30).
Damaged railings at Rhubarb Bridge.Damaged railings at Rhubarb Bridge.
Damaged railings at Rhubarb Bridge.

Residents have long fought to improve safety around the bridge, insisting that new crossings installed by the council last year were unsafe and would lead to accidents.

On Thursday, residents reported traffic queues building at around 2pm after a silver car had hit railings between the road and the footpath.

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Police also confirmed that just before midnight they arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of drug driving, driving without insurance and driving whilst disqualified after he collided with a barrier close to the bridge.

Damaged railings at Rhubarb Bridge.Damaged railings at Rhubarb Bridge.
Damaged railings at Rhubarb Bridge.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “We were called at 11.51pm yesterday (September 30) with reports a car had collided with barriers at a roundabout on the Soke Parkway (A47) in Peterborough.

“Nobody was injured as a result of the incident, which involved a Vauxhall Corsa, and no other vehicles were involved.

“An 30-year-old man from Peterborough was arrested on suspicion of drug driving, driving without insurance, driving whilst disqualified. He remains in custody.”

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No pedestrians were injured in either incident but campaigners have warned that they could easily be in future given the crossings and the speed in which cars travel on that section of the road.

Save Rhubarb Bridge tweeted: “we warned PCC that these crossings were a bad idea!! It’s only a matter of until an accident will actually happen on one of the crossings. You can see the extensive damage caused to a barrier, imagine that’s a person on a crossing!”

One resident commented: “I don’t think the crossings are the problem. The speed at which drivers race around the street/roads is the issue.”

Another added: “The crossings are not the problem, but they are not safe to cross because of the high risk cars pose to those users who use them. The safety audit recommended that the crossings are not installed because of the risk posed by vehicles and PCC ignored the experts report!”