Cheshire West and Chester Council has unveiled what is thought to be the UK's first 'TRIXIE' crossing, designed with dedicated crossing points for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.
The council said this 'pioneering scheme is setting a new standard for safer, more inclusive travel'. It was fully funded by Active Travel England and designed by the council's highways and transport strategy teams.
However, some responses on social media raised concerns.
President of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation and director of operational road safety at Jacobs Engineering, Kate Carpenter, said: 'The gates have 'rail infrastructure' character for me and might confuse people [about] what [the] controls are for.
'I'd be interested to know why the design did not use the more common Toucan and Pegasus within a single set of signals - segregating pedestrians and cyclists from shared each side to segregated on crossing could actually increase rather than reduce conflict, so this is an interesting one.
'The cyclist approach (bottom left of still image attached) actually aligns with the equestrian route so I don't imagine many riders would make the sharp turn even on a regular cycle, let alone a cargo bike, adult with child on 'tagalong' etc.'
Highways magazine's Ranty Highwayman (sustainable mobility design specialist and founder of City Infinity, Mark Philpotts) said: 'That looks really awkward for users of non-standard cycles to perform four 90° turns to negotiate given how narrow the shared use path is on both sides. You'll have people just using the equestrian side because it's easier.'
