“Roundabouts:” Better for the Environment. But Better for Cyclists?

[Toeclips]

Some of my favorite highlights from racing is when the peloton splits a roundabout and the helicopter view shows the peloton appearing to be like sand in a hour glass ...poetry in motion

[Spinner]

I lived on the north side of Indianapolis during the mid-70s and early 80s and routinely rode through Carmel. I've also rode, ran and walked thorough the area since that time as my mother-in law has lived off of 116th in Carmel for many years and I continue to ride the area frequently. I was there last weekend by car only.

The roundabouts are positive for cars as traffic moves faster now. On the two main arteries through the area (Keystone and Meridian) the four-lane traffic moves below the Carmel round-about intersections steadily, nothing like days of old with expected traffic light stops at 80% of the crossroads. I commented at a family gathering last weekend in Carmel that these two updated roads alone must save millions of dollars annually in fuel savings.

Nonetheless, riding or walking through many of the Carmel round-abouts would not be advised today; let's remember that the majority of motorists are habitually in a hurry and simultaneously not paying attention. When I lived in the area, I regularly biked, ran and walked on all of the major roads in Carmel; I wouldn't do it now. With a huge increase in population and the fact that the minority of people can handle the increased complexity of driving through a round-about, while the majority cannot, bicyclists do not win.

Cheers, and happy trails.

[PacNW2Ford]

Originally Posted by Dead Man

lights at a traffic circle? gross

the only traffic circle i know of that isnt "yield" all around is the one at Caesar Chavez and Glisan in portland, and its basically a disaster. i wouldnt be surprised if there have been more accidents there than would be with a regular 4 way stop. you have to make lane changes in it, nobody is ever really sure which lane does what until it does it, and between the people running the stop sign and trying to zip into the lane they need and and the people who have no clue who has right o way where, its not fun to get through on a bike when traffic is remotely heavy

otherwise, i love traffic circles in general, in car or on bike. i dont see how the regular yield/one lane circles could be any more hazardous to cyclists than a stop sign... which i feel is probably the least safe way to cross lanes of traffic on a bike

Cesar Chavez and Glisan is a "traffic circle", so it won't have "yields". The ones with "yields" are "modern roundabouts". And yes, Cesar Chavez and Glisan is a disaster, probably because it is now unusual in a modern road network.

[C40_guy]

There's a small, relatively low speed roundabout with sloped inner curbs near the Cape Cod (grass) airfield in Marston Mills. I've gotten used to working those inner curbs (in the car) like I learned to do at Watkins Glen, entering and exiting the bus stop...climbing up those curbs to straighten out the line as much as possible without upsetting the car too much.

It's no big deal, usually the roads are pretty empty and my car takes them nicely.

Did scare the living crap out of my wife recently when I casually banged the curbs while she was sitting in the navigator's seat. She had never experienced that before.

Oh...and there's another roundabout near me where locals seem to always be pitching their banana peels. It's a huge source of conversation on a couple of local FB groups, not sure why...my guess is that it's just a common point for many cycling routes.

[572cv]

Roundabouts are not traffic circles, or rotaries, so it is important to understand the differences. The properly designed roundabout slows traffic but doesn’t stop it, and they are way safer for cyclists. This is especially true when everyone understands how they work and how to use them. Unfortunately, here in the U.S., not everybody does understand them, or how to use them, or the concept of a right of way. Americans are, as a rule, late to the party and short on patience with change, even if it is good change. But the more of the well designed round abouts that go in, the more people will ‘get it’ and the more everyone will benefit.

As a side note, I worked for years to promote these or help promote them in VT and we are starting to see their use and effectiveness grow. Hurrah!

[William]

Originally Posted by 572cv

Roundabouts are not traffic circles, or rotaries, so it is important to understand the differences. The properly designed roundabout slows traffic but doesn’t stop it, and they are way safer for cyclists. This is especially true when everyone understands how they work and how to use them. Unfortunately, here in the U.S., not everybody does understand them, or how to use them, or the concept of a right of way. Americans are, as a rule, late to the party and short on patience with change, even if it is good change. But the more of the well designed round abouts that go in, the more people will ‘get it’ and the more everyone will benefit.

As a side note, I worked for years to promote these or help promote them in VT and we are starting to see their use and effectiveness grow. Hurrah!

Quite true. I have a lot of experience with them from living in New England. Here in the PNW I have some in my area and many people have no clue how to use them properly. I've seen many folks trying to blast right through them.






W.

[Peter P.]

I like Roundabouts.

[Johnnysmooth]

Plenty of roundabouts in Boston area.
I always go into them with my “drivers are idiots” radar on high alert.
I go into them at a fairly high speed, drafting a car, and take a lane.
No being pushed to side of road for me - that’s where crazy sh*t happens.

[William]

Originally Posted by Peter P.

I like Roundabouts.

Exactly what popped in my head...except it was the 1972 version.






W.

[72gmc]

Great. Now that bass line is stuck in my head.

[Ozz]

"The song originated when the band were on tour and travelled from Aberdeen to Glasgow, and went through many roundabouts on the way." - Wiki

[Jaybee]

I wonder how many peoples "roundabouts" are like the video cyat.es posted. That's just a small bit of road furniture in the middle of an otherwise normal 4 way intersection and it might stop people turning left from getting t-boned, but it doesn't force anyone going straight or turning right to adjust their speed or line before going through. The circle in the middle needs to be bigger!!

Golden has a few roundabouts and though they aren't on roads I ride often (except maybe the Lookout Mtn/US6 interchange), they have enough of a line deviation to force drivers to slow and a cyclist can safely take the lane through the circle.

[skitlets]

Originally Posted by reuben

Plus, DC has square or rectangular roundabouts, if you can imagine such a thing.

I don't live in DC, but my success rate at getting in the correct lane to make the correct turn is very low.

Seriously!! Why does Dupont Circle have 2 inner and outer separated lanes? A driver killed a scooterist in that highly trafficked circle last year.

Dave Thomas circle is finally getting rebuilt. I lived a couple blocks from there, and that circle + the intersection of NY and North Cap are the worst intersections in the entire city.

[cgolvin]

Originally Posted by skitlets

Dave Thomas circle is finally getting rebuilt.

I have no idea where that is but the name instantly conjured this reference:

[72gmc]

Are you saying there are fleshy headed mutants in DC?