A new form of road safety measure has been condemned as "dangerous".

Kent County Council introduced "Orca bumps" - so named because the black and white rubber humps look like an Orca killer whale - to Shipbourne Road in Tonbridge in September.

The Orcas are used to mark off the cycle lane from the main carriageway between the Trench Road and Willow Lea junctions.

They were part of a package of safety measures that included installing a zebra crossing to replace an existing refuge island, widening the cycle lane between Willow Lea and White Cottage Road, and resurfacing the road.

It is the first time that Orcas have been used in Kent, though they have been installed in other parts of the country, notably Manchester and London.

Orcas are made from recycled rubber and warn cyclists and motorists of the boundary between carriageway and the cycle lane.

KCC said they have the added advantage of encouraging slower vehicle speeds in the vicinity of the new zebra crossing and two local schools: Cage Green Primary and Hugh Christie Secondary School.

But Gail Silverman is among the local residents who think the Orcas pose a danger.

She said: "I am extremely concerned. As soon as my husband and I noticed these Orca bumps we agreed they were a danger to pedestrians and cyclists.

"This week my mother-in-law met an elderly lady in her hairdressers who had recently broken her arm and severely injured her face after tripping over one of the Orca devices while crossing the road."

There have been accidents in other parts of the country where Orcas were introduced.

In February residents in Enfield handed in a petition to Downing Street after a spate of accidents with pedestrians tripping over their Orcas.

In 2017 Camden Council removed its Orcas after 55 pedestrian falls were recorded in one 24-hour period.

Greenwich Council removed theirs in September this year, just weeks after installing them, because of pedestrians tripping on them.

A Kent County Council spokesman said: “These new cycle segregation bumps have been used across the country but this is the first time in Kent.

“They effectively warn cyclists and motorists of the edge of the carriageway and the cycle lane.

“KCC has ensured no designated crossing points or dropped kerbs have been obstructed by the placement of the Orcas."

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has investigated the measures and found both safety pros and cons.

A lot seems to depend on whether they have been placed at points at which pedestrians naturally cross the road.

It recommends that "post-implementation monitoring should take place in all cases to allow for adjustments to mitigate unforeseen issues during the design stage."

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