A view at one of the more recently built roundabouts in the city of 's-Hertogenbosch in the South of the Netherlands. This roundabout came in the place of an ordinary four arm junction with traffic lights. When the city announced that the junction would be changed into a roundabout people had a hard time believing this would be possible at all. They thought there would not be enough space. But it proved to be very possible indeed. Traffic now flows very smoothly.
Interestingly enough Google Maps shows the before situation, but once you start StreetView it shows the current situation.
Before: a junction with traffic lights and separate cycle paths.
After: roundabout with separate cycle paths, the lights were removed.
The waiting times for all traffic decreased at this particular junction. So it proved to be a good decision to change the junction into a roundabout. I have showed you another roundabout in 's-Hertogenbosch in an earlier post. There the priority for cyclists on Dutch roundabouts is also explained.
I noticed a few things: - two cyclists going the wrong way (it would have been faster if they went the right way!) - a tourist (?Australian) with a 'hybrid' bike and a oddly fast cadence! - a rollerblader enjoying the infrastructure!
I only wish some of our roundabouts had this sort of treatment in Australia.
Most of them have NO provision for cyclists; some have bicycle lanes that terminate immediately before the entry (lethal) and those that have bike lanes on them require cyclists to give way to cars as they exit the roundabout... even if the cyclist is ON it! There is no priority or respect.
As a result, drivers treat roundabouts like racing track chicanes here... it's awful.
Hmm...I like this, but the only thing that seems "safe" about it is the excellent training of Dutch motorists. The cars _must_ yield to the bikes. In this video, they consistently do -- but what happens in a country (Australia, U.S....) where they probably won't?
This isn't even the recommended configuration (probably because of lack of space). The most common design has about 5 metres (a car's length) between the roundabout and the cycle crossing. That way, a car can leave the roundabout and wait for crossing cyclists without obstructing the flow of traffic.
@NIKDOW: Surely not, they're building loads of them. The very reason they're being built is the roundabout's impressive safety record.
@Paul Martin: What strikes me as odd about the way roundabouts are done in the UK, the US and Australia is the angle at which the roads meet the roundabout. A lot of the time, the roads are angled such that you can enter and leave the roundabout without slowing down. Late at night on an empty road, you'd be able to power straight through. Dutch - and more generally continental European - roundabouts are designed such that you have to make a sharp (slow!) turn both when entering and leaving the roundabout.
@BG: They're not yielding just because it's in the road rules, the cyclists have clearly marked priority (the triangle markings on the road surface, and at most roundabouts also with signs) - Australian and British motorists still stop at yield lines and red lights, don't they?
Unfortunately roundabouts in the UK can be very problematic for cyclists. Many of them allow traffic to enter the roundabout without deviating significantly. The largest often have multiple circulatory lanes which drivers can and will move between, even where the markings are "spiralised" so this is not needed. (Dutch "turbo roundabouts" sometimes found on major roads do not allow lane changing or U-turns, which means they have a higher capacity) Also quite common are the painted mini roundabouts used in quieter or more constricted locations. While less problematic for cycling, they can be driven over in a straight line and therefore have limited effectiveness as "traffic calming".
Some junctions, of course, have roundabouts with traffic lights on them as well. The Hogarth Roundabout with its "temporary" flyover from the 60s is an example of this. Of course, there are no cycling facilities and pedestrians are directed into an underpass.
christhebull: Actually, that site and any other you might encounter that do have traffic lights (Utrecht has a few) aren't real roundabouts, they're traffic circles. The crucial difference is the rule that one should yield to traffic already on the roundabout, whereas vehicles on a traffic circle should yield to the right (traffic joining the traffic circle) as normal. A better example is this in the same town as the one you linked to. Note the one-way sign instead of a roundabout sign.
> Australian and British motorists still stop at yield lines > and red lights, don't they?
err, not always. No Seriously a yield line (give way in UK) does not mean you have to stop and so a motorist will not if they don't need to. In UK with a cyclist they are far more likely to ignore or make a mistake about the need to stop.
The safest way through roundabouts for cyclists is the "Swiss way" described here: http://www.rad-spannerei.de/blog/2011/08/15/sicheres-radfahren-im-kreisel/
I do not agree that this Swiss idea is good, even less the best. It is what we Dutch would think of as an old fashioned roundabout without bike infrastructure, combined with taking the lane, which is something we do not agree with at all.
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The positive stuff Three types of safety - As well as preventing injuries and death, high quality cycling infrastructure addresses both subjective safety and social safety which are of vital importance in encouraging people to cycle. Dutch Safety Figures - Cyclists in the Netherlands are the safest in the world, but it has little if anything to do with "safety in numbers". Sustainable safety - the principles which have lead to Dutch roads, streets and cycle-paths being safe. A million per hour - The scale of cycling in the Netherlands is enormous. Dutch people make more cycle journeys each day than the entire English speaking world put together. Campaigning - a collection of posts about how to campaign for more cycling, including reference to "Stop the child murder", a successful campaign from the 1970s. What Works - examples of policy, infrastructure and campaigning which have made a different in the Netherlands. Superhighways - "Cycling superhighways" are not a new idea in the Netherlands Cycle Paths - Well designed cycle paths benefit all cyclists, regardless of experience or speed Segregation without cycle paths - you don't always need a cycle path to keep cyclists safe from motorists Unravelling of routes is vitally important History - how the Netherlands got to where it is now. See especially "Stop the child murder" Before and After - views of places before and after they have been transformed for cycling Directness - examples of prioritising cycling Traffic Lights - examples of how cyclists can be prioritised and kept safe at traffic light junctions. Note that it's almost always possible to turn right on a red light when cycling in the Netherlands. Roundabouts - roundabouts in the Netherlands have one very important feature to learn from: They keep cyclists away from motor vehicles. This is far more important than the differences in geometry vs. roundabouts in other countries. Exceptional infrastructure is always nice to see, but remember that a dense network of mundane routes is far more important to boost cycling modal share Gritting of cycle paths - dealing with snow and ice. Children - It may seem hackneyed, but children really are the future. If they can't cycle safely then where will future adult cyclists come from ? This is why children should be the primary focus of campaigners. Note also that according to UNICEF, Dutch children are the happiest in the world. School travel - Everyone knows that Dutch children cycle to school, but it's a surprise to many people that school trips are also usually by bike. Cycle Parking - including our favourite design of stand. Cycle Parking at railway stations, see in particular Groningen and Assen as each have multiple posts showing how the cycle parking has grown over time. Health effects of cycling Road Works - It's important that cyclists are thought of when there are road works. If the environment becomes hostile for cyclists then they may stop cycling and never start again. Commuting - Commuting cyclists are interesting, but they're not the only people who should ride bikes. Anatomy of a reliable everyday bicycle - the common features of bikes used by nearly every person every day in the Netherlands. Speed - Some people have the idea that Dutch cyclists are slow. This isn't true. It is just that in the Netherlands, everyone cycles, including the slow people. Fast cyclists are as fast as anywhere. These posts show people who ride faster than average, using the same infrastructure as those who ride slower.
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11 comments:
Great clip, Mark. Thank you.
I noticed a few things:
- two cyclists going the wrong way (it would have been faster if they went the right way!)
- a tourist (?Australian) with a 'hybrid' bike and a oddly fast cadence!
- a rollerblader enjoying the infrastructure!
I only wish some of our roundabouts had this sort of treatment in Australia.
Most of them have NO provision for cyclists; some have bicycle lanes that terminate immediately before the entry (lethal) and those that have bike lanes on them require cyclists to give way to cars as they exit the roundabout... even if the cyclist is ON it! There is no priority or respect.
As a result, drivers treat roundabouts like racing track chicanes here... it's awful.
See here.
I thought I read somewhere that in the Netherlands roundabouts are being phased out, as they are difficult to make safe.
Apparently not!
Hmm...I like this, but the only thing that seems "safe" about it is the excellent training of Dutch motorists. The cars _must_ yield to the bikes. In this video, they consistently do -- but what happens in a country (Australia, U.S....) where they probably won't?
This isn't even the recommended configuration (probably because of lack of space). The most common design has about 5 metres (a car's length) between the roundabout and the cycle crossing. That way, a car can leave the roundabout and wait for crossing cyclists without obstructing the flow of traffic.
@NIKDOW: Surely not, they're building loads of them. The very reason they're being built is the roundabout's impressive safety record.
@Paul Martin: What strikes me as odd about the way roundabouts are done in the UK, the US and Australia is the angle at which the roads meet the roundabout. A lot of the time, the roads are angled such that you can enter and leave the roundabout without slowing down. Late at night on an empty road, you'd be able to power straight through. Dutch - and more generally continental European - roundabouts are designed such that you have to make a sharp (slow!) turn both when entering and leaving the roundabout.
@BG: They're not yielding just because it's in the road rules, the cyclists have clearly marked priority (the triangle markings on the road surface, and at most roundabouts also with signs) - Australian and British motorists still stop at yield lines and red lights, don't they?
Unfortunately roundabouts in the UK can be very problematic for cyclists. Many of them allow traffic to enter the roundabout without deviating significantly. The largest often have multiple circulatory lanes which drivers can and will move between, even where the markings are "spiralised" so this is not needed. (Dutch "turbo roundabouts" sometimes found on major roads do not allow lane changing or U-turns, which means they have a higher capacity) Also quite common are the painted mini roundabouts used in quieter or more constricted locations. While less problematic for cycling, they can be driven over in a straight line and therefore have limited effectiveness as "traffic calming".
Some junctions, of course, have roundabouts with traffic lights on them as well. The Hogarth Roundabout with its "temporary" flyover from the 60s is an example of this. Of course, there are no cycling facilities and pedestrians are directed into an underpass.
This Dutch roundabout has traffic lights, but because it is a through-about with a road through the centre, this is rather necessary.
christhebull: Actually, that site and any other you might encounter that do have traffic lights (Utrecht has a few) aren't real roundabouts, they're traffic circles. The crucial difference is the rule that one should yield to traffic already on the roundabout, whereas vehicles on a traffic circle should yield to the right (traffic joining the traffic circle) as normal. A better example is this in the same town as the one you linked to. Note the one-way sign instead of a roundabout sign.
> Australian and British motorists still stop at yield lines
> and red lights, don't they?
err, not always. No Seriously a yield line (give way in UK) does not mean you have to stop and so a motorist will not if they don't need to. In UK with a cyclist they are far more likely to ignore or make a mistake about the need to stop.
I guess there is not much pedestrian traffic here BUT anyway I am curious how pedestrian crossing times were affected.
The safest way through roundabouts for cyclists is the "Swiss way" described here:
http://www.rad-spannerei.de/blog/2011/08/15/sicheres-radfahren-im-kreisel/
I do not agree that this Swiss idea is good, even less the best.
It is what we Dutch would think of as an old fashioned roundabout without bike infrastructure, combined with taking the lane, which is something we do not agree with at all.
Christoph, do children and inexperienced cyclists feel safe going through those kind of roundabouts AND are they safe going through them?
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