A BUSINESS owner has called for an end to the "craze of mini-roundabouts" - as he threw his support behind the Telegraph & Argus campaign against danger drivers.
Ian Rivers spoke out after releasing video footage of a dark-coloured car ignoring a mini-roundabout in Wibsey, undertaking another motorist and dangerously cutting a corner.
The 57-year-old said that mini-roundabout, which is at the junction of St Enoch's Road, Brownroyd Hill Road and Watty Hall Road, is blighted by collisions and near misses.
He claims it would benefit from improved signage, and has urged Bradford Council to replace painted-on mini-roundabouts with physical barriers, such as islands.
Ian Rivers at the mini-roundabout in Wibsey
"When this junction was altered and the craze of mini-roundabouts came to the fore, I spoke to the Highways department and made protest that it wouldn't work, and indeed I have been proven correct," said Mr Rivers, who owns Horton Motor Factors and used to be a draughtsman who helped to plan estates.
"Now, several years on since, we see near misses every hour and often actual accidents once a week. The constant sound of horns blowing is mind-numbing.
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"Two months ago I complained again to the Highways department after nearly being knocked off my motorbike twice at the junction. Despite a promise to re-address the signage I see no change.
"While these mini-roundabouts may work on paper in a drawing office, they seem to fail in the real world and, following on from my repeated complaints about this junction, the Council remain reticent about it.
"It's only a matter of time before someone is critically injured here."
He added: "What they need to do is put physical implications in the way, rather than the bump and paint. Force the driver to follow the regulations, because otherwise most people just drive over them.
"Whilst there is no excuse for selfish bad driving, physical barriers and road junction alterations can be made to help alleviate the opportunity for drivers to behave this way."
CCTV at Mr Rivers' company captured the car ignoring the mini-roundabout on December 14.
An image taken from Ian Rivers' CCTV footage
"Can you imagine someone on a motorbike being on that roundabout when that car cuts across," said Mr Rivers. "You could be talking about a death situation.
"They need an island there. I think it is only a matter of time before perhaps a cyclist or motorcyclist is injured there.
"I don't feel that it is my place to tell planners what to do but I would like a serious review of the junction."
Mr Rivers also said it was not uncommon for drivers to "charge up" Brownroyd Hill Road to avoid speed cameras on St Enoch's Road, before shooting straight across the mini-roundabout because they have spotted it too late.
A Bradford Council spokesman said: "Mini-roundabouts have been used locally, regionally and nationally as an effective traffic management measure. Their use is dependent on factors such as the layout of the junction, site constraints, traffic and pedestrian flows, and the budget.
"The Brownroyd Hill junction with St Enoch's Road has a relatively good safety record but we have been made aware that some local people think it is not particularly conspicuous. We're therefore looking at installing further signage to make it more visible."
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