The daughter of a motorist recently caught in the St Ives car trap says the incident has left both her parents “shaken and traumatised”.  

Their vehicle was seriously damaged in the drop, and they are finding out if it is repairable or a write off.  

She agreed to speak to The Hunts Post anonymously after learning her father was one of five drivers who ended up in the trap last week.  

Her parents, from Whittlesey, were on their way home from a day out when her father was confused by a car park exit. 

She said: “He somehow ended up back in the same car park again.  

"He said the signage was poor and if he exited the same way, he’d end up doing the same thing.  

“So he went a different way and ended up in the car trap.”  

Her father is in his 80s, but she insists he is a competent driver who misunderstood the road set up. 

She added: “We know of someone in their 20s who has also gone into the trap – you can't argue this is because of my father’s age.  

“Considering the number of incidents, there must be another way to manage the junction that doesn't cause this much damage to vehicles.” 

Cambridgeshire County Council says the measures on Station Road leading up to the Harrison Way junction are adequate.  

But another motorist who went into the car trap says she struggled to interpret the signage.  

‘Guided busway’ and ‘car trap’ were terms she had never come across before.  

Stagecoach says bus services are re-routed and disruption is minimal if a vehicle is in the trap. 

Dan Smith, from Stagecoach Fenstanton, said: "[...] the reason that the car trap is dug deep here is that it stops any cars immediately and prevents them from joining Harrison Way, which is a fast-moving road, or even joining the busway itself.  

“If the car traps were removed, it would inevitably lead to more disruption in St Ives."