Is this Britain's most dangerous roundabout? | Times Reports

Britain's first Dutch-inspired roundabout, in Cambridge, cost £2.3 million to install and could change the century-long dominance of motorists.

The intricate maze of colour-coded lanes, cycle paths and zebra crossings has been designed to prioritise cyclists and pedestrians, in the hope of changing motorists’ behaviour and wider societal attitudes about the hierarchy on the roads.

On the new roundabout, reduced lane widths slow traffic and drivers must give way twice on each approach and exit, first to pedestrians on a zebra crossing and then to cyclists, who ride on a red cycle path.

But the novel system has also created considerable confusion, as those living in the city say.

[georgerobartes]

With a great deal of experience in driving the suburbs of the Hague in a right hand drive vehicle, the main problem is the lack of signals by cyclists as to their intentions and trying to double guess the exit they will take . I passed my cycling proficiency test in 1969 in which clearly visible signals were required to achieve this and this continued into making one a safe motorcyclist and driver . It would seem now that many road users have acquired their ' indicator exemption certificates ' rather than proficiency ones . Courtesy to other road users including drivers and even more so pedestrians should be paramount . Double guessing what a cyclist is going to do ( as we saw demonstrated in this short piece of film ) should not be part of the equation of the other road users in safely negotiating our highways .

[edj]

Difficult one. As pointed out, the fact it's the only one means that particularly the worse quality drivers won't focus and won't be expecting it and just barrel through, potentially hitting cyclists who get a false sense of security from the design.
It could be improved by having the cycle lanes essentially on a speed bump, forcing vehicles to slow down further.

[Cc-lpxi]

Also the rules for cyclists in the Netherlands are well known as it's taught in school. Most may not know that the cyclist in the NL must stop for a car if they are to the right of the car. That's some nuanced rules! More educational training in England, plus more of these roundabouts, more distinctly isolated and curb divided bike lanes will make this effortless as it mostly is in the NL. Cambridge also needs designated tram lines too! More efficient than buses anyday and THAT will make more take thst over a car stuck in traffic any day.

[shervinus]

I'm totally for 20mph roundabouts. It's all about protecting vulnerable road users in case of collision ('forgiveness'). The big questions are how we enforce it and how much it'll cost. HGVs on roundabouts are a whole other issue (don't mix big & small). I get the roundabout design (it's legible - but that's 'subjective' as not everyone is used to new layout when put in a road network), but I'd love to see some collision and KSI longitudinal stats. More traffic (due to 'induced demand') is probably going to be a problem cross-sectionally (i.e., short-term direct induced demand) but things will balance out eventually. The main issue is driver behavior and awareness (in the UK, there is no presumed liability as it is in the Netherlands). Not everyone is self-aware. Roundabouts are definitely dangerous places, but there's no such thing as a safe road - it's either 'safer' or 'not safe'. We should always ask ourselves when a new scheme is placed in, did they make things better than before?

[iamjoestafford]

Many British roundabouts are simply horrible to negotiate on a push bike - I live in Stoke, and I don't even bother trying to cycle here as it would simply be too dangerous. I got back this morning from a lovely week riding in The Netherlands where these roundabouts are the standard design, and felt entirely safe even in Rotterdam and other large cities - as a result of the fantastic infrastructure I saw kids using the lanes to ride to school on their own, disabled people using motorised wheelchairs or recumbent bikes in the lanes and old ladies wobbling around with their shopping on their bikes.

That's what infrastructure like this is for - it's part of the way to encourage active travel, reducing car dependency and improving health in the process. They need to become commonplace in the UK, but both drivers and cyclists definitely need educating as they are in The Netherlands - and punishment for flouting the rules of the road needs to be applied more widely.

[ActuallyAwesomeName]

Thank you for this report. It is an interesting topic. We see the Dutch way of street logistics and think it's the pinnacle of modern day traffic. But apparently a smart design also needs to have the people's habits in mind. What works well in one place maybe needs a significant restructuring of thinking processes in another country.

[robotjox]

Application of Dutch rules for a specific part of a British road system is odd. Did everyone in Cambridge get to visit the Netherlands first?😅

[keithtanner]

Far too many ad hoc, knee jerk variations with no widespread knowledge for strangers.I am a driver, pedestrian and for 81yrs a cyclist.

[doctorsocrates]

This will cause many accidents...and for what purpose.?..why change something which has worked in the uk for decades.?

[des_smith]

Cyclist's are a danger to themselves and others

[bitTorrenter]

Doesn't it seem silly a vehicle should slow for cycle since one is designed to get around easier. Bicycles are a thing of the past.