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  • oops (new Dutch style roundabout)

    From asrl07@yahoo.co.uk@21:1/5 to All on Tue Aug 11 05:17:24 2020
    An attempt to replicate the Dutch style roundabouts that propritise cyclists has had an unfortunate start:

    https://uk.yahoo.com/news/britains-first-dutch-style-roundabout-182625386.html

    "Cambridgeshire county council said the old roundabout, near the city's Addenbrooke's Hospital, “was perceived by many people to be dangerous to cycle around”.

    However, the new roundabout was forced to close on Monday evening after a driver crashed into a Belisha beacon and drove off."

    This comment is ridiculous:

    "There are fears around whether motorists will realise, in sufficient time, that cyclists have a right of way as it is so unique in Britain."

    Going by the photo, there are clearly visible give way signs on the road where the cycle track crosses. If you are driving and see give way lines on the road, you stop and give way, don't you? It is irrelevant what you are giving way too, the road
    markings say give way, so you stop and look. It is looking for excuses for crapness - again.

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  • From Nick Maclaren@21:1/5 to asrl07@yahoo.co.uk on Wed Aug 12 15:51:17 2020
    In article <fcf464f0-40c9-41ae-825e-55f3049323b1o@googlegroups.com>,
    <asrl07@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
    An attempt to replicate the Dutch style roundabouts that propritise
    cyclists has had an unfortunate start:

    https://uk.yahoo.com/news/britains-first-dutch-style-roundabout-182625386.html

    "Cambridgeshire county council said the old roundabout, near the city's >Addenbrooke's Hospital, “was perceived by many people to be dangerous
    to cycle around”.

    However, the new roundabout was forced to close on Monday evening after
    a driver crashed into a Belisha beacon and drove off."

    This comment is ridiculous:

    "There are fears around whether motorists will realise, in sufficient
    time, that cyclists have a right of way as it is so unique in Britain."

    Going by the photo, there are clearly visible give way signs on the road >where the cycle track crosses. If you are driving and see give way lines
    on the road, you stop and give way, don't you? It is irrelevant what you
    are giving way too, the road markings say give way, so you stop and
    look. It is looking for excuses for crapness - again.

    I see ONE such sign, though possibly, they have painted more since.
    It's a damn-fool way of giving directions, anyway, because it is
    extremely hard to see such things in time in heavy traffic - as for
    the Newmarket Road bus signs. In that picture, consider a driver
    unfamiliar with the roundabout approaching from the top right.
    Having looked, first, for pedestrians in both directions, he then
    needs to look, second, for cyclists, and then, third, for cars from
    two directions 120 degrees apart. So he pulls onto the roundabout,
    intending to turn left, and has to drop his eyes IMMEDIATELY, or
    he will miss the sign.

    I don't believe that having to give way on a roundabout IS unique
    in Britain, but (if my memory serves) the other examples I have come
    across were equally deceptive and ignored by drivers.


    Regards,
    Nick Maclaren.

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  • From Kim Wall@21:1/5 to asrl07@yahoo.co.uk on Thu Aug 13 11:17:11 2020
    On 11/08/2020 13:17, asrl07@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
    This comment is ridiculous:

    "There are fears around whether motorists will realise, in sufficient
    time, that cyclists have a right of way as it is so unique in
    Britain."

    Going by the photo, there are clearly visible give way signs on the
    road where the cycle track crosses. If you are driving and see give
    way lines on the road, you stop and give way, don't you? It is
    irrelevant what you are giving way too, the road markings say give
    way, so you stop and look. It is looking for excuses for crapness -
    again.

    Birmingham's new segregated cycleways have priority at side-roads.
    Drivers failing to give way to traffic on the cycleway is a problem.
    One junction was upgraded from 'give way' to 'stop' in an attempt to
    mitigate the problem (it's a left turn only for traffic exiting the side
    road, so drivers were failing to check for cycle traffic approaching
    from their left).

    When I cycle on them (which I do, because the cycleways are of
    sufficient quality that a even a confident vehicular cyclist will use
    them - it's a high-quality surface with fewer potholes than the main carriageway and travel times are more consistent than mixing with
    traffic) I treat the junctions where I have priority with "Brit who's
    just got off the ferry" scepticism - I've become quite practised at
    preparing to stop while looking like I'm not going to.

    In my experience, incidents have greatly reduced over the months since
    the new cycleways opened. Most drivers have got the hang of it, and you
    hardly ever see them making illegal left turns at the junction where
    that movement was blocked off as part of the works any more.

    But there are a core few who think that the priority rules don't apply
    to them, just like you get at any other road junction.


    Kim.
    --

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