Cambridge's Dutch roundabout damaged by hit-and-run driver

The crossing where the beacon was hit has been blocked off

The UK's first Dutch-style roundabout has had to close for three nights after it was damaged by a hit-and-run driver.

The £2.3m roundabout on Fendon Road, Cambridge, which gives priority to cyclists and pedestrians, was damaged the day before it officially opened on 31 July.

Cambridgeshire County Council said a driver hit a zebra crossing beacon and repairs began on Monday night.

It is expected to fully reopen on Thursday.

Work on the roundabout at the junction of Queen Edith's Way, one of the main routes to Addenbrooke's Hospital, began in September.

The cost of the project rose from an estimated £800,000 to £2.3m, which the council blamed on "unexpected utility work" and Covid-19.

The Dutch-style design gives priority to cyclists and pedestrians with an inner ring for cars and an outer one for cyclists.

The evening before it officially opened, while it was operating on temporary traffic lights, a car driver "collided with a Belisha beacon column, causing it to lean slightly - the driver failed to stop at the scene", a council spokesman said.

He added: "There have been no accidents at the new roundabout since it opened on July 31."

The roundabout will be closed between 20:00 BST and 06:00 BST with diversions signposted.

What is a Dutch-style roundabout?

The Dutch-style roundabout has narrow lanes and priority cycle lanes and pedestrian crossings

The design is prolific in The Netherlands, which is renowned for its investment in cycling infrastructure.

The idea is to "influence slower approach and departure speeds".

There are zebra crossings for pedestrians on each of the four roundabout arms.

Cyclists have their own outer-ring cycle path in contrasting red to give them equal priority with pedestrians.