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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 inste

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 8y 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 8y 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 8y 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...
pertymcpert 8y ago
Lived in the UK most of my life, roundabouts and walking/cycling was never a problem more than crossroads. Don't know what you're on about.

jessaustin 8y 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 8y 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 8y 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...

pertymcpert 8y ago

Lived in the UK most of my life, roundabouts and walking/cycling was never a problem more than crossroads. Don't know what you're on about.