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>The lack of lights and increase in number of crossings (for non-tiny ones) make them pretty terrible to cross as a pedestrian. This can surely be remedied by
by occz 3y ago
>The lack of lights and increase in number of crossings (for non-tiny ones) make them pretty terrible to cross as a pedestrian.
This can surely be remedied by having the crossings being raised, acting as speed bumps for the cars and providing a better crossing experience for the pedestrian (or cyclist).
I'm not entirely convinced that the lack of lights would inherently mean that roundabouts are less safe for pedestrians than a signalled intersection - roundabouts remove the concept of running a red, since a car by design has to slow down to navigate the roundabout.
Finally, as a pedestrian, I can cross a roundabout whenever I want to, no beg buttons or waiting for green required.
Do you have any statistics on their claimed lower safety?
- michaelt 3y agoHere in the UK, any difficult-to-cross junction will have a roundabout, simply because our road designers love roundabouts. And for large/busy roundabouts, cars will be in constant motion meaning there won't be gaps in the traffic flow for pedestrians to cross. If you try to cross [1] on foot at a busy period, it's not a particularly fun experience. Of course, I'm not sure any road layout could make such a junction easy to cross, given the amount of traffic and number of lanes involved. [1] https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6428928,-0.2553056,17z?ucbcb=1&entry=ttu https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6428928,-0.2553056,17z?ucb...
- leni536 3y agoEspecially that not many roundabouts have zebra crossing for the pedestrians in the UK.
- RyanHamilton 3y agoThat link is an out of town shopping/restaruant area with nearby suburbs on the edge of town. In fact the whole town of Borehamwood looks like a London commuter town built for cars. low density semi-detached housing with every house having 2 cars. Very depressing. Trying to make that friendly is like trying to make a race car fuel efficient. Somewhere like Brighton, where places are walkabale is much nicer.
- Reason077 3y ago> ”And for large/busy roundabouts, cars will be in constant motion meaning there won't be gaps in the traffic flow for pedestrians to cross.” This particular roundabout has a signalled pedestrian crossing on the southern side. Cars will get a red light (and pedestrians a “green man”) allowing them to cross safely. But you’re right that there are too many UK A-roads and roundabouts that are a nightmare for pedestrians, lacking safe crossing.