Paul Humphreys rambles on....

Paul Humphreys rambles on....
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Wednesday November 24, 2004

Pesky mini roundabouts.. The highway code has the following to say about these . Like many 'good ideas' on our roads these mini rounadaobuts are springing up everywhere. They are used for traffic calming and also to improve traffic flow at junctions. I make the following observations about them:

They are often poorly signposted and marked so in a lot of cases where they are meant to slow traffic down by providing a traffic flow interruption drivers go straight over them without realising they should have been prepared to stop.

Often cars appear at exactly the same time at the mini roundabout and the drivers often stay put waiting for each other to make the first move. Two often I am sure two parties 'go for it' with interesting consequences..

Drivers do not signal and therefore the other drivers at the roundabout have no clear understanding of the intention of the driver on the move.

Cyclists may have problems on mini roundabouts as suggested here

It has been suggested here that we take the lead from the US and use their own three/four way stop protocol. I have driven in the US and they work well.

For our American friends who look at roundabouts with wonderment there are two that are even more interesting in Swindon and High Wycombe near where I live.

( Nov 24 2004, 12:01:00 AM PST ) Permalink Comments [2]

Comments:

Genearlly mini roundabouts are not so bad for cyclist IMO

They make turning right slightly easier as you only really have to worry about cars coming from behind. With the obvious exception that car drivers become blind to cyclists in some cases.

Posted by Chris Gerhard on November 24, 2004 at 02:10 AM PST #

I think most folks here would rather spend a weekend in the "slammer" than have to weave through that obstacle course (Swindon's Magic roundabout) during peak hour traffic.

Posted by Peter Spence on November 24, 2004 at 06:13 AM PST #