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Safety benefits of roundabouts

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Re: Safety benefits of roundabouts

#41

Post by KaiserPro »

hristov wrote: post #20

The greatest thing about roundabouts is that they protect against the idiot that goes through an intersection at full speed. He does that either because he is passed out behind the wheel or because he did not notice a stop sign and thought he had the right of way, or maybe because he just does not care. Well with a roundabout if you just go straight ahead you hit the center circle. Good roundabouts always have a slig…

It certainly has some protection:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTk_kPeA63c (turn the sound off, its just road noise) This is what happens when you go full bore into a big roundabout.

This kind of roundabout is used to join one large road to one or more small road (think two lanes going from 6-12 on the clock, with single lane road at 3 & 9)

In the UK, we don't normally have stop signs, as most junctions have clear rights of way (https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/road-safety/uk-road-marki... see "Give way to traffic on major road") In suburban roads, roundabouts are often used instead of stop signs. It allows much freer flowing of traffic in both heavy and light traffic.

Just don't look up the magic roundabout, thats just fucking batshit, we only have one. The reason why they keep it is because there is literally nothing else interesting about the place.

Re: Safety benefits of roundabouts

#42

Post by Arrath »

marginalia_nu wrote: post #28
rwmj wrote: post #11

If you like roundabouts, try a roundabout of roundabouts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Roundabout_(Hemel_Hempst... This is near where I live and it is indeed safe, mainly because everyone drives incredibly slowly and cautiously since the experience is scary as hell.

Using roundabouts of roundabouts it's actually possible to build a 3 dimensional roundabout where traffic along the x, y and z axis can safely meet on the surface of a sphere.

Please, the average driver has trouble enough merging into traffic.

Re: Safety benefits of roundabouts

#43

Post by hristov »

Jtsummers wrote: post #29
hristov wrote: post #20

The greatest thing about roundabouts is that they protect against the idiot that goes through an intersection at full speed. He does that either because he is passed out behind the wheel or because he did not notice a stop sign and thought he had the right of way, or maybe because he just does not care. Well with a roundabout if you just go straight ahead you hit the center circle. Good roundabouts always have a slig…

As long as that center circle is high enough. I had a woman in a Toyota (Camry?) fly over one at about 45+mph and slam into me as I looped around it. Totaled her car, broke parts off my Explorer (repairable). Her son then tried to attack me with my bumper. She kept insisting I turned in front of her (technically true, I was in a roundabout). She was arrested for drunk driving, and, later on, fined for all the flowers…

Sorry to hear about that. But the roundabout probably soaked up some of her speed at least.

Re: Safety benefits of roundabouts

#44

Post by cluoma »

polemic wrote: post #31
gnicholas wrote: post #17

Interesting that there are no listed downsides. I saw a more balanced article a while back and recall that it listed cost (especially of the additional real estate, since roundabouts are larger) as being one downside. And in built-up cities, it's basically impossible to convert traditional intersections to roundabouts, because there's simply no room. It is nice to not have to pay for replacement signals, or have to d…

Roundabouts are great (and common where I live), but a downside is they can be difficult for pedestrians to cross. You need crossings that are set back from the exits, but this also makes it a longer path for the pedestrian.

This is certainly an issue. There is a roundabout on my morning commute that regularly has pedestrians crossing inside the roundabout (alongside cars on the outside) because that's the most direct route.

Re: Safety benefits of roundabouts

#45

Post by swatcoder »

polemic wrote: post #31
gnicholas wrote: post #17

Interesting that there are no listed downsides. I saw a more balanced article a while back and recall that it listed cost (especially of the additional real estate, since roundabouts are larger) as being one downside. And in built-up cities, it's basically impossible to convert traditional intersections to roundabouts, because there's simply no room. It is nice to not have to pay for replacement signals, or have to d…

Roundabouts are great (and common where I live), but a downside is they can be difficult for pedestrians to cross. You need crossings that are set back from the exits, but this also makes it a longer path for the pedestrian.

Yes, they're absolutely horrid for pedestrians.

Drivers anticipating their merge into roundabout are often too distracted to notice pedestrians intending to cross, and any pedestrian crossing the outflow of a roundabout can trigger a traffic backup that interferes with the flow of the circle itself and surprise drivers who expect it to stay moving.

They have their benefits in some intersections, but they also have tradeoffs that make them very poor for others.

Re: Safety benefits of roundabouts

#46

Post by cryptoegorophy »

rwmj wrote: post #11

If you like roundabouts, try a roundabout of roundabouts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Roundabout_(Hemel_Hempst... This is near where I live and it is indeed safe, mainly because everyone drives incredibly slowly and cautiously since the experience is scary as hell.

How is it even legal? You need a special school just for this one 99lvl king of the roundabouts

Re: Safety benefits of roundabouts

#47

Post by giantg2 »

gniv wrote: post #36

Here in France they have both types of roundabouts, yield-to-left-on-entry and yield-to-right. They are well signaled, so there is no confusion. The latter type is less common and seems to be mostly in less-busy areas. I'm not sure why they still use them though. Is it because you have better visibility to the right, since you're already in the intersection? It's an interesting design choice.

I dislike the yield to right. They're rare here, but I believe that's how some of the traffic circles are in NJ.

Re: Safety benefits of roundabouts

#48

Post by SoftTalker »

Minor49er wrote: post #4
tpmx wrote: post #2

Seriously, americans need to learn about these.

As an American, I can assure you that we have loads of these

It depends where you are. Some cities are more on board with them than others. You do see them quite a bit now at the end of new or reconstructed freeway exit ramps, as opposed to the previously more usual stop signs or traffic signals.

Re: Safety benefits of roundabouts

#49

Post by 123pie123 »

gnicholas wrote: post #17

Interesting that there are no listed downsides. I saw a more balanced article a while back and recall that it listed cost (especially of the additional real estate, since roundabouts are larger) as being one downside. And in built-up cities, it's basically impossible to convert traditional intersections to roundabouts, because there's simply no room. It is nice to not have to pay for replacement signals, or have to d…

> it's basically impossible to convert traditional intersections to roundabouts, because there's simply no room.

have you seen the mini roundabout yet?

people kind of follow the rules but sometime cut over the middle - especially on the very small ones

Re: Safety benefits of roundabouts

#50

Post by a_e_k »

Personally, I'm fine with the simple single-lane roundabouts. They're convenient for U-turns, for example.

For anything above that where I have to cross lanes to get to the center circle and then cross lanes again to get back out and exit, I'd rather just have a conventional traffic light-controlled intersection. (I try to minimize lane changes when I drive.)

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