There's a roundabout near me that's fairly busy (two crossing A roads). There are no pedestrian crossing facilities apart from islands at each entrance to the roundabout.
Who has right of way here? Presumably the car on the approach, but is leaving a roundabout equivalent to turning into a junction where the pedestrian has priority?
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>> Who has right of way here?
The other party:)
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>> is leaving a roundabout equivalent to turning into a junction where the pedestrian has >> priority?
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I believe it is the same you are turning into a road from the roundabout.
pragmatically the big metal thing will not usually come off second best in collision with a pedestrian.
The way the HC puts it if the pedestrian has started crossing the turning vehicle SHOULD give way, so not a breach of law then.
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It isn't difficult to cross a road at the entrance to a roundabout, but you do have to do it half a carriageway at a time: when you are half way across, the hazard is suddenly coming from the other direction. Sometimes there are bollards but not always.
Pedestrians doing this should remember that cars don't see them and don't expect them to be waddling about in the road there. They are on the alert for other vehicles, not animals.
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The way many drivers tackle roundabouts is like skeet shooting, all reactions and peripheral vision. Sometimes they don't even see the vehicle right in front of them.
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It doesn't matter who has priority as far as a driver is concerned, hit a pedestrian and you are in the crap. Possible mitigation is they are a suicidal drunk but you still have a lot of explaining to do.
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>> Sometimes they don't even see the vehicle right in front of them.>>
Too occupied looking for a gap in the roundabout traffic...:-)
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They've installed this in Bedford: tinyurl.com/qequmxj
What the picture doesn't make clear is those white squares between the lanes are physical barriers.
It's caused great fun..................................................
Last edited by: bathtub tom on Thu 24 Sep 15 at 19:45
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Enforced lane discipline on roundabouts, brilliant!
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>> What the picture doesn't make clear is those white squares between the lanes are physical
>> barriers.
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>> It's caused great fun..................................................
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I should think so. If you were in the RH and then innermost lane for turning right, and then need to cross over to turn off, there's not much clearance with the bump things, and it doesn't look a very smooth line of exit. More like a wiggle with a wheel clipping the end bump.
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Look at the picture more closely. Given I don't know the places one goes, I'll use a clock face. Joining at 11 o'clock, the right hand lane is right turns only, ie exit at 7 o'clock. But join at 1 o'clock, the right hand lane is both straight on and right turn, exits at 7 and 9 o'clock.
5 o'clock the right hand lane is right turn only, and join at 7 o'clock, the right hand lane is again both straight on and right.
So although the roundabout does leave sufficient space for the signed moves, the fact it's not consistent will lead to confusion plus you are always going to come across the unthinking motorist who always takes the right hand lane for straight on - regardless of what is painted on the road.
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>> the fact it's
>> not consistent will lead to confusion plus you are always going to come across the
>> unthinking motorist who always takes the right hand lane for straight on - regardless of
>> what is painted on the road.
>>
Most drivers would likely only enter the roundabout on one of two roads - on their way to somewhere, and on the way back - so they'll get used to it.
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>> Most drivers would likely only enter the roundabout on one of two roads - on
>> their way to somewhere, and on the way back - so they'll get used to
>> it.
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Local knowledge is very handy but there should be a standard system for roads. We are not all worker or shopping drones that repetitively use the same local roads.
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>> Most drivers would likely only enter the roundabout on one of two roads - on
>> their way to somewhere, and on the way back - so they'll get used to
>> it.
It's been there for quite a while and you wouldn't think so from the continuing furore in the local press.
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This roundabout could do with the same zebra crossings as the one linked to above.
However, Aylesbury council is well and truly in the pocket of Arla and is constantly making road changes to make the passage of their vehicles easier through the town at the expense (literally) of pedestrians, cyclists, and even other car drivers.
Take cyclists and pedestrians - they've moved what was a wide, safe bike lane from one main road and designated the pavement as a "shared space". But I wouldn't drive on a road where I had to give way to cars turning in and out of their drives and side roads every 30 feet, nor where there's a risk of clobbering pedestrians who invariably weave from left to right with headphones in.
So I still ride on the road. Which winds up HGV drivers because they've put these stupid island things in to block overtaking.
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>> Which winds up HGV drivers because they've put these stupid island things in to block overtaking. <<
....but you still want your yoghurt for breakfast. tut, or as Lud would say, Tsk.
Pat
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>> So although the roundabout does leave sufficient space for the signed moves, the fact it's
>> not consistent will lead to confusion plus you are always going to come across the
>> unthinking motorist who always takes the right hand lane for straight on - regardless of
>> what is painted on the road.
>>
Good. Teach the sloppy, selfish, me-first gits how to use roundabouts according to the Highway Code. Let's have this rolled out everywhere, please.
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It does seem to me that it should work if you get in the correct lane, and to be designed to prevent people using a roundabout to queue jump at busy times, which tend to block other routes.
Too often, congestion presents a "prisoner's dilemma" where unless everybody cooperates it's advantageous to be selfish while at the same time adding to delays for others. This seems designed to prevent that.
Probably needs to be backed up by a car crushing operation for people who can't be bothered to figure it out.
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How high are the bumps? Can you straddle them, or would it rip the sump off?
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Roundabouts + pedestrians - Manatee
