Business owner backs fines for St Ives car trap drivers
Almost 100 vehicles have been trapped there since 2011
A business owner has said bringing in fines for drivers who get trapped along the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway could be worth it.
Official figures from the county council show there were more than 120 different times when vehicles got trapped on the route since 2020.
Last year, we revealed almost 100 vehicles became stuck in the St Ives car trap on the junction of Harrison Way and Station Road since the busway opened in 2011.
"If it was clear that if you get caught in the hole, there would be a fine, perhaps less people would fall for it but I don't think it's bulletproof and people will still drive into it," Martin Cooper, owner of The Refill Shop of Ikigai in St Ives, said.
"Outside the shop, we've had double yellow lines for many years, people ignored it till last August when the council started paying someone for ticketing illegal parking and now it's fine, there are no parked cars here."
88 vehicles trapped in 12 years
Measures such as barriers, CCTV, car traps and signage are in place to stop vehicles coming onto the busway, which stretches between St Ives and Cambridge.
As of last autumn, between 2011 and 2023, the county council said 88 vehicles entered the St Ives car trap and since then, nine more vehicles have done the same.
The trap has two holes marked with hi-vis yellow paint and no entry signs on each side of a set of traffic lights as the busway meets the road.
Cambridgeshire County Council has previously advised people to follow the signs around car traps and that it is "looking to see what can be done to improve health and safety on the busway".
Car traps 'almost a joke'
For Martin, he feels drivers who aren't familiar with the town's roads are more likely to enter the car trap.
"I would hope locals who know the town aren't doing it, so I suspect it's people visiting occasionally and get a bit confused, especially coming from the main road into St Ives," he said.
"It's (the car traps) almost a joke.
"If the holes weren't there and there was some sort of traffic monitoring camera, like on crossroads when you go through a red light and you get a ticket, you go into the hole, you get a ticket."
More signage around busway trap
A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire County Council said it has put in more road signs to try and stop entry onto the busway, other than for guided buses, as well as extra road markings.
“The Guided Busway is a busy public transport route and ensuring its safe operation and the safety of public interaction with it is of paramount importance to us," the spokesperson said.
"We have taken care to follow the appropriate guidance on signage and traffic lights to ensure the Guided Busway access is as visible as possible.”
The St Ives car trap - which has its own Facebook page - is also known as a landmark online with people sharing reviews on their visit to the site.
But despite how many times the trap has been used, Martin believes the town should not only be known for this.
"These things are amusing and some people take pleasure in visiting and hope to see somebody stuck in the hole," he added.
"I don't think it will negatively impact the town."