Dutch Roundabouts

[Leaway2]

I wouldn't discount this until the southerners have tested it, but it appears to require a lot of space. I don't think that many RABs in town, would have that space available if they are to be converted..

 

[Buddfox]

I wouldn't discount this until the southerners have tested it, but it appears to require a lot of space. I don't think that many RABs in town, would have that space available if they are to be converted..

That, I think, is the one potential problem with the Lambeth Bridge / Millbank example. It's not the biggest roundabout in the world, and this set up will either require the pavement to be narrowed or the entrance to the roundabout to be reduced to one lane, which will cause serious traffic queues in all four directions. Some might think that's not a bad thing, but still....

 

[sophie]

I lovely thought but i doubt it will do much good or really be that much safer in the UK as from what ive seen as a newbie cyclist is most drivers will hate the thought of having to give way to a cyclist (prioraty or not) and then you get the few idiot cyclist that will just ignore it as they do red lights.

 

[ComedyPilot]

I can tell you this much - a good Dutch design will work far better than any of the s***e we have at the moment. It'll be safer and better for all. On the other hand, TfL will fcuk it up big time, and therefore it won't be a good Dutch design, and it won't work.

This is why so many of you are against Dutch style facilities - your expectations are set by the utter rubbish found here in the UK. It's shameful, and it makes me angry that idiots in road design could accept and tolerate such utterly negligent and dangerous work. Riding in the Netherlands is a joy, and it doesn't matter whether you're one of the fast confident risk takers that predominate on here, a very fast club rider, or just a more ordinary and normal person, or even a child cycling to school.

Post of the year

 

[BentMikey]

[QUOTE 2437959, member: 1314"]See my Post 17. I'd wager most of the commuting cyclists, including me, would ignore it but we would still obey the reds. Are cyclists that don't use cycle paths on pavements - as at Priory Lane at Richmond Park, or at Raynes Park - but prefer the road idiots as well?[/quote]

Actually, I doubt most road cyclists would ignore it, since you'll likely get through both faster and more safely on the cycle path as all the cars will be giving way to you. Taking the road will mean you have to wait in queue with the cars and/or filter slowly, and you'll then often have to wait for other traffic on the roundabout. On the cyclists' section, there will be little or no waiting, consistently.

Seriously, you guys need to realise that real quality Dutch facilities are AWESOME, literally thousands of times better than what we have. They're not all segregation, and their stuff works. You guys still think along the lines of the crap we have in the UK, and that doesn't work, so no wonder you hate it and no wonder your expectations are set so low.

I have a cycle lane bypass on a roundabout on my commute that I usually use. Despite it being of relatively poor design, it's usually better than the roundabout itself.

 

[gaz]

I have a cycle lane bypass on a roundabout on my commute that I usually use. Despite it being of relatively poor design, it's usually better than the roundabout itself.

Is that even clean? Everytime I got past it it looks dirty and full of stones.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Is that even clean? Everytime I got past it it looks dirty and full of stones.

Its a double edged sword - facilities are dirty and full of stones as no one uses them, but because no one uses them they are dirty and full of stones - there is no incentive for the councils to clean them.

 

[summerdays]

I noticed that on a shared path (near the M32 Hambrook junction), there seemed to be some gravel across the path - the gravel didn't disappear for quite some time, but very quickly two clear paths through the gravel emerged with all the cyclists sticking to the cleared bits.

 

[wiggydiggy]

And now for something completely different But still roundabouty



Please watch the full video, as I think with some improvements (dedicated cycle lane to enter the shared space) it is the way forward.

 

[BentMikey]

Is that even clean? Everytime I got past it it looks dirty and full of stones.

It's OK, but not great. I sometimes wince at the idea of the flints that must live there waiting to slice into my tyres.

 

[Davidsw8]

Just out of interest, do you use the roundabout at Lambeth Bridge where they're proposing this be trialled? That roundabout already has a zebra crossing across every exit (as shown in the example) and car drivers etc. using it have managed to deal with the endless stopping at the zebra crossings without much trauma (that I have ever seen). At that junction, if you stay in the traffic, you'll find yourself trying to pick your way through cars, vans, trucks and the busses which come north over Lambeth Bridge and will be waiting for the pedestrians and cyclists to cross where they will now have right of way.

I cycle over this roundabout south-north and back again every day. It's the part of my journey I dread the most.

The zebra crossing system is ok on the north side of the bridge and most drivers and cyclists stop, but quite a few don't...

The light system on the south side of the bridge is a mess, when drivers race to beat the red light, they end up stuck in the middle of the roundabout as it's impossible to beat the red on the actual roundabout without blatantly and dangerously running it. This means there's a build up of traffic that blocks the next set of vehicles coming around and given the amount of buses, coaches and lorries that go round here, it's pretty intimidating on a pushbike. Here's one incident (slightly unrelated to that point) that scared the cr&p out of me last week - I could have maybe handled it better but the driver was definitely WAY too close to my rear end:


View: http://youtu.be/9Ya-q0BVNxc


There are also a load of potholes to watch out for as you come off the roundabout the other side going south.

 

[Buddfox]

Unless I have misunderstood, it is not being proposed for the roundabout on the south side of Lambeth bridge, just the one on the north side (as well as, I think, Elephant & Castle).