5 ms·

I don't know how many time roundabouts and gps have caused near dangerous split attention that just does not happen with normal stoplights. They may be better f

I don't know how many time roundabouts and gps have caused near dangerous split attention that just does not happen with normal stoplights. They may be better for local traffic but for anybody from out of town they are worse.

notatoad 7y ago
>Roundabouts reduced injury crashes by 75 percent at intersections where stop signs or signals were previously used for traffic control, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Safety/roundabouts/benefits.htm https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Safety/roundabouts/benefits.htm
jessaustin 7y ago
Accidents happen at intersections because many drivers are not good at making themselves aware of traffic approaching from multiple directions. At a roundabout drivers only need to look in one direction. They are strictly better than traffic lights for all drivers except those who are not experienced with roundabouts. Those drivers should familiarize themselves with roundabouts.
- davidgay 7y ago
  Of course it's always possible to screw up a good thing: the intersection next to our house has been replaced by a roundabout with a 2-way stop sign. To make it worse, you can really only see the traffic coming from one of the other 2 directions when you are stopped. Result (people not being familiar with roundabouts doesn't help): people stop in the middle of going around the roundabout, and/or get honked at by the people coming from the 2 directions without stop signs. I'm sure an accident is coming soon :(
  - graywh 7y ago
    this sounds like some traffic calming measures that were recently installed near me just last year they are islands in the middle of the intersection, but not roundabouts, forcing cars to "swerve" to pass through they haven't worked as intended and are being re-evaluated
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- mikepurvis 7y ago
  Roundabouts are better for car-car crashes: there are fewer of them and they tend to be less serious— rear-enders where there's lots of crumple protection instead of T-bones like a conventional intersection. However, they're much, much worse for people walking and cycling.
  - jessaustin 7y ago
    I agree that roundabouts and sidewalks do not interact well. Cyclists should take the entire lane in a roundabout, because otherwise cars will not notice them. Pedestrians should be very careful.
  - Someone 7y ago
    Depends on the design. See https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/explaining-the-dutch-roundabout-abroad/ https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/explaining-the...
    - mikepurvis 7y ago
      There's definitely a design component there, but I do wonder how much of it is in culture and enforcement (which can change the culture over time). For example, the roundabouts in my city (Kitchener ON) all have a sidewalk or multi-use trail crossing each vehicle entrance and exit, and without fail, every single crossing is marked with a paint ladder, stopping teeth, and a "Yield to Pedestrians" sign. I've also confirmed with city engineers and law enforcement that people walking are supposed to have right of way at these crossings— like, you're waiting to cross, and drivers see you and stop, and remain stopped until you're fully off the roadway. But it's not like that at all. I have dozens of helmet cam videos of me walking my bike through these crossings and being buzzed by cars who don't see me at all, or don't see me until it's too late, or see me but don't think they need to stop for me. I send these videos (many with clearly visible license plate numbers) to the local media and contacts I have at regional police, and I get a collective shrug back. I met with city engineers in the winter to ask whether they thought it was safe, and they said that yield compliance to roundabout crosswalks was 70-90%. They said this like it was a good thing. Literally one in ten cars doesn't stop for a person walking in a marked crosswalk, and that's somehow acceptable. I'm not sure how to change a culture, but camping some cruisers there for a week and handing out a few hundred tickets for $1000 each [1] to non-yielding drivers sure would be a great start. [1]: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/pedestrian-safety.shtml http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/pedestrian-safety.sh...
kieranmaine 7y ago
I miss roundabouts whenever I drive in North America. I'm not used to intersections (which could be the problem) but it seems like you have to look everywhere as opposed to just looking in the direction traffic is coming from.
Twirrim 7y ago
One of the fundamental advantages about roundabouts is that even when crashes do occur (and all the studies show they happen less frequently), they're less likely to be fatal. Instead of being t-boned, with at least one of the vehicles driving at speed, you're getting either side swiped or rear-ended, which is safer for all drivers involved.

notatoad 7y ago

>Roundabouts reduced injury crashes by 75 percent at intersections where stop signs or signals were previously used for traffic control, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Safety/roundabouts/benefits.htm https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Safety/roundabouts/benefits.htm

jessaustin 7y ago

Accidents happen at intersections because many drivers are not good at making themselves aware of traffic approaching from multiple directions. At a roundabout drivers only need to look in one direction. They are strictly better than traffic lights for all drivers except those who are not experienced with roundabouts. Those drivers should familiarize themselves with roundabouts.

davidgay 7y ago
Of course it's always possible to screw up a good thing: the intersection next to our house has been replaced by a roundabout with a 2-way stop sign. To make it worse, you can really only see the traffic coming from one of the other 2 directions when you are stopped. Result (people not being familiar with roundabouts doesn't help): people stop in the middle of going around the roundabout, and/or get honked at by the people coming from the 2 directions without stop signs. I'm sure an accident is coming soon :(
- graywh 7y ago
  this sounds like some traffic calming measures that were recently installed near me just last year they are islands in the middle of the intersection, but not roundabouts, forcing cars to "swerve" to pass through they haven't worked as intended and are being re-evaluated
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
mikepurvis 7y ago
Roundabouts are better for car-car crashes: there are fewer of them and they tend to be less serious— rear-enders where there's lots of crumple protection instead of T-bones like a conventional intersection. However, they're much, much worse for people walking and cycling.
- jessaustin 7y ago
  I agree that roundabouts and sidewalks do not interact well. Cyclists should take the entire lane in a roundabout, because otherwise cars will not notice them. Pedestrians should be very careful.
- Someone 7y ago
  Depends on the design. See https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/explaining-the-dutch-roundabout-abroad/ https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/explaining-the...
  - mikepurvis 7y ago
    There's definitely a design component there, but I do wonder how much of it is in culture and enforcement (which can change the culture over time). For example, the roundabouts in my city (Kitchener ON) all have a sidewalk or multi-use trail crossing each vehicle entrance and exit, and without fail, every single crossing is marked with a paint ladder, stopping teeth, and a "Yield to Pedestrians" sign. I've also confirmed with city engineers and law enforcement that people walking are supposed to have right of way at these crossings— like, you're waiting to cross, and drivers see you and stop, and remain stopped until you're fully off the roadway. But it's not like that at all. I have dozens of helmet cam videos of me walking my bike through these crossings and being buzzed by cars who don't see me at all, or don't see me until it's too late, or see me but don't think they need to stop for me. I send these videos (many with clearly visible license plate numbers) to the local media and contacts I have at regional police, and I get a collective shrug back. I met with city engineers in the winter to ask whether they thought it was safe, and they said that yield compliance to roundabout crosswalks was 70-90%. They said this like it was a good thing. Literally one in ten cars doesn't stop for a person walking in a marked crosswalk, and that's somehow acceptable. I'm not sure how to change a culture, but camping some cruisers there for a week and handing out a few hundred tickets for $1000 each [1] to non-yielding drivers sure would be a great start. [1]: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/pedestrian-safety.shtml http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/pedestrian-safety.sh...

kieranmaine 7y ago

I miss roundabouts whenever I drive in North America. I'm not used to intersections (which could be the problem) but it seems like you have to look everywhere as opposed to just looking in the direction traffic is coming from.

Twirrim 7y ago

One of the fundamental advantages about roundabouts is that even when crashes do occur (and all the studies show they happen less frequently), they're less likely to be fatal. Instead of being t-boned, with at least one of the vehicles driving at speed, you're getting either side swiped or rear-ended, which is safer for all drivers involved.