Cambridge County Council has announced they are building a new £1 million roundabout that gives the right of way to pedestrians and cyclists and placed drivers as the lowest priority at a junction. The roundabout will be located on Fendon Road and Queen Edith’s Way and is aimed to improve safety, with the work beginning next year. However, most drivers around the Cambridgeshire area are apprehensive about the change.
Improving safety
The council were given £550,000 from the Department for Transport (DfT) towards the project with a further £250,000 being contributed from developers. The funding is part of a new £7 million allocated for the 2018-19 Cycle City Ambition Safety program which Cambridge is one of seven cities to be participating – others including Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, and Norwich.
For the Cambridgeshire side of the scheme, only those within the Greater Cambridge cycle city area were eligible for consideration. This particular roundabout was chosen as there have been 14 cyclist car collisions in recent years. 67 per cent of respondents to a survey said cycling and walking improvements were needed on Queen Edith’s Way, with 32% reporting they felt unsafe cycling there, 7% very unsafe; while 24% felt safe, and 5% very safe.
Dutch style roundabout
The bicycle-friendly roundabout is also known as the Dutch roundabout as it was in Holland that the idea was first implemented. The idea is that the most vulnerable people on the road – pedestrian and cyclists – prefer roundabouts over intersections with signals and this led to the reconstruction of many intersections in Holland to become roundabouts.
One of the key factors of the roundabout style is that the carriageway width is reduced to make for slower approach and departure speeds, meaning drivers go slower while approaching and being on the roundabout.
There is an allowance for larger or longer vehicles to use the over-runnable strip in the middle of the road where needed.
Pedestrians have zebra crossings at each of the roundabout entry/exit arms, and there will be cycle paths with contrasting red tarmac to give them equal priority with people on foot.
Reaction to the change
Rebecca Ashton head of driver behaviour at IAM RoadSmart welcomed the move and said that a Dutch-style roundabout separates vehicles from vulnerable road users and this was a benefit for the people of Cambridge. She added that it would be interesting to see how it benefits all road users and if they might be worth trying in other areas of the country.
Drivers were a little less enthusiastic about the concept. Some pointed out the complicated design of the roundabouts that could possibly lead to accidents. More people were keen for the council to spend money improving the overall road network rather than focusing solely on the Dutch style roundabout idea.
Ian Bates, Chair of the Economy and Environment Committee for the local council said that the council was excited to have the funding for the project. It would be a first not only for Cambridge, but for the UK that would ‘improve the experience for everyone using the roundabout’ by increasing the room for safe travel.
One interesting idea against the concept argues that cyclists cause pollution – by causing vehicles to sit idling at the side of the road while waiting for them to pass. Lord Robert Winston restated the idea earlier this year in which he said that Dutch-style roundabouts led to more pollution, meaning cars took longer to complete a journey and at slower speeds. This is often said to cause more pollution and lead to worse engine efficiency.
Cycling centre
Cambridge is often known as the cycling centre of the UK with as many as one in four people using a bike to travel to work, the highest rate in the country. There are some 80 miles of bike lanes with many routes connecting to surrounding areas. The railway station has room for around 3,000 bikes to be parked.
In spring, there are around 20,000 people who ride across the River Cam daily while in autumn, the number of cyclists entering or leaving the city is approximately 7,000 a day. And the busiest roads see about 4,000 cyclists a day using them. The relatively flat land of the city and the cycle network makes it a top place for leisure and work travel by bike.
More to come
It seems the idea of a Dutch-style roundabout won’t remain one that is exclusive to Cambridge either. Southwark Council has announced their first Dutch-style roundabout which will be finished in April 2019 between Fountain Drive and Sydenham Hill. Currently, the spot has two roundabouts following each other but no real facilities for pedestrians or cyclists. The new design will solve this problem.
Campaigners hope that by making roundabouts more cyclist and pedestrian friendly, more people will start walking or riding around the city areas. This will have benefits for their health and also cut down the number of cars on the road, reducing pollution and congestion. Whether the new design of roundabout will help with this or create new problems only time will tell.
Have you encountered a Dutch-style roundabout while driving on the continent? Do you think the move will help or hinder overall road traffic? Do you think this will help cyclists on roads? Let us know below
I can’t say I’m too keen on complex junctions. Whenever I’ve seen a zebra crossing next to a roundabout, the motorist is generally looking or concentrating to the right on their approach.
They quite often are not focussing on the zebra crossing, assuming they’ve seen it. It’s bad enough on normal zebra crossings with no distractions.
With this the driver has to know pedestrians or cyclists may come from the left or right (and at varying speeds) just before they then have to look out for cars too.
I’m all for making it safer for pedestrians and cyclists, but relying on the motorist to spot them is often cited as the fundamental problem. This design doesn’t solve that at all…
Your points are valid projections. However, one of the most complex roundabouts is in Hemel Hempstead. It’s known as the Magic Roundabout made up of 4 subsidiary roundabouts around a very large roundabout. Surprisingly, the accident rate is close to zero!
Presumably because everyone is doing 2 mph
About time the general rules were changed so that all traffic turning off or into a side road has to give way to pedestrians and cyclists crossing the side road. It’s been that way in most of Europe for over half a century.
You’re wrong about the rules in Europe and forgetting that Europeans are even worse at stopping at pedestrian crossings than the English are. You’re right that roads need to be safer for cyclists but at this roundabout no-one is turning into a side road, they are turning from a main road into a main road and all that is going to happen is going to be heavy congestion actually on the roundabout with the cars going nowhere while the pedestrians and cyclists spend all day crossing.
It is essential that new cycle routes are provided country wide but not at the expense of car drivers. In Holland they have wonderful cycle routes everywhere that are separate from the car routes and do not interfere which is what we need here. Here even the country roads are dangerous as they are simply not wide enough for a car and a cyclist. The whole country needs a proper cycle path infrastructure, especially as cyclists are so stubborn about their own rights they forget the Highway code and take up a whole lane rather than keeping in so cars can pass. It’s not surprising there’s a war on.
I thought that the rule was to give way to pedestrians already crossing, when turning left.
It is the rule, as in the Highway Code, and obeyed on the continent (especially Germany), but drivers in the UK have never heard of the idea.
The Highway Code says you should giveaway to pedestrians when turning left. I do this even though it causes chaos and often some very near misses.
You should give way to pedestrians already crossing – but not those not yet crossing. It’s in the Highway Code – please read it and not just look at the pictures.
Similarly at pedestrian crossings, someone already on the crossing has priority but any one not yet on the crossinhg deoes not. See the article PetrolPrices published a few months ago arbout crossings.
Traffic turning into a side road already has to give way to anyone crossing the road into which they are turning. Mind you, you wouldn’t think so!
So the powers that be have recognised that pedestrians and cyclists are the most vulnerable on the roads, well that’s a start but how about educating those groups to act safely and checking that cyclists particularly know the rules of the road and have roadworthy vehicles.?
Making junctions more complicated doesn’t seem like the answer especially as cyclist and pedestrians are still mixing with cars and lorries.
cyclists don,t look where they are going, they think tuck driver have eye in back of head, the whole plan will make more unsafe
And many truck drivers can’t handle their vehicles to allow a safe over-taking gap!
Have you taken an HGV test? Try it before deciding from which end you speak
Ok Fine but can we please get all cyclist’s to were hi vis safety vest, helmet and have working lights and a bell. And yes I have a bike but I also drive 44t artic.
We really need to separate cyclists and pedestrians from vehicles instead of a mish mash approach with half measures of cycling routes.My town is a prime example cycle lanes that you ride in but only for a few yards then stop…what you suppose to do then ? Carry on or ride on the path ?..bad planning and no thought in this country a bit idea from this country a bit from that then before you know it a right mess we need to figure out what we really want in terms of roads not grabbing bits of ideas from different countries.
Most places have cycle lanes and paths partioned off for cycles but they still insist riding on the road. I believe where cycle lanes are added failure by cyclists to use such lanes should be an instant fine same as failure to have lights should also be a fine no ifs or buts!! Councils have spent Millions doing these lanes for their safety time legislation be brought in to enforce their use.
It is a fine of £60 for no bike lights. I always have mine but police do not enforce this law.
The police dont stop any vehicles for defective lighting
Well said and true
Only if using a bike after dark, other than that they is no legal requirement
What police, May cut the numbers, now there aren’t enough to go out.
The only problem with fines is just who is going to be there to fine them,you can`t get the police to attend proper crimes like burglary etc. so who would be there to issue fines.
Forensic quality cameras coupled with licence plates on the bike
Most cycle lanes in the UK were put in as an afterthought to meet Government targets. This means they were usually done as cheaply as possible, often with just a bucket of paint. As a result many of them are completely unsuitable for the British style of cycling commuters who are often travelling at 20mph on expensive road bikes. I’m not a regular cyclist, but I could show you plenty of examples local to me where using cycle lanes actively inconveniences and even endangers cyclists, and that’s why they ignore them.
BTW I agree about the lights.
I would agree with you about fining cyclists for not using cycle ways, but only if it was a meaningful, safe cycle path in the first place. Not where councils have just added some token white lines, which could actually put cyclists in more danger. Ultimately this is about all road users respecting each other; reducing the notion that cars automatically have priority; and that erratically driven cars and cycles can be fatal to other road users (eg. cyclists and pedestrians respectively). I am a driver, cyclist and motorbiker.
I have all those. Doesn’t stop people closes passing me and cutting me up. Hope you wear your safety vest and helmet when crossing the road too.
As the article states this style of roundabout is common place in Holland. I’ve used them many times as both a cyclist and a driver and they work perfectly. However two factors are different in Holland. Firstly every driver is also a cyclist and secondly the law attributes primary blame in accidents involving cyclists to the driver! You’ve got to start somewhere and this is a good start. Like in many things we’ve 25 years to catch up with our European neighbours.
Personally in holland its a culture thing too us lot are not brought up with cycling as much as holland esp interacting with traffic so education for car drivers is a must. I also was part of the testing for the roundabouts ie:motocyclist but that testing was done on a quiet road not with lots of traffic but we shall see if cyclists will use caution while approaching as blame lays with both parties to be safe and watch for each other.Its not carte Blanche! Attitude.
Neil, don’t you think that it’s more a “because we can” thing? Holland is flat and has very few (any?) hills, and therefore very cycle-friendly.
“Every driver is also a cyclist” ?? That’s rubbish – I drove a car for decades and never learnt to ride a bike, and never wanted to!
Do you live in Holland?
Our magic roundabout in Hemel Hempstead where all trafffic gives way to the right slows down traffic is easy to navigate in either direction and you only have to look to the right. Having to watch out for all forms of traffic coming from different directions in this model is very distracting.
That Hemel roundabout is insane when you see it for the first time but you quickly realise it’s the best road idea since the Romans.
Similarly the one in Swindon that has been there for at least 40 years. Can be a bit confusing at first sight, but works very well. I have no idea about accident statistics though. But when it was first created they put speed humps at each entry point to slow traffic. These got taken away when there was the first serious accident caused (I think) by a cyclist hitting the hump at speed and being thrown in the path of a car.
When I came to the UK, from the Netherlands (Holland), I’d got a long estate car with a long trailer on the back.
I was ok with driving on the left, until I came to Hemel Hempstead’s “magic roundabout”!
It was rush hour (of course) and I hadn’t a clue what I was supposed to do. I could see that the layout permitted HGVs to take a more direct route — ignoring going around some roundabouts — so, very slowly, with my hazard flashers on, I closed my eyes and drove straight across to the big ringroad in the middle. I went around the ringroad for a few circuits, before getting up the courage to exit the roundabout in HGV style.
Everyone was very polite. I guess they’re used to seeing confused motorists doing strange things. Thank you British motorists.
I’ve avoided Hemel Hempstead ever since.
The Hemel roundabout is a lot better that the Swindon one. The Hemel one is laid out as one big roundabout with a mini-roundabout at each of the entry roads. It is initially unnerving because for some routes you end up going clockwise around all the mini-roundabouts but anti-clockwise round the main one in the centre.
The Swindon one is a confusing mess of roundabouts with a random layout, where you have to keeping looking ahead to the next roundabout while you are negotiating the current one.
I still think one big roundabout is a lot better than a series of little ones, because drivers only have to look and give way once, as they join; once they are on the roundabout they normally have to give way to no-one until they have exited (they only exception is when the roundabout is clogged with traffic and it is expedient to let a car join the roundabout if your exit is blocked.
Interesting, as in Manchester bikes ride on pavements with total disregard for pedestrians ( children,OAP’s prams etc.) I bet the Police and Councils won’t stop them .Once again no help for pedestrians.
Bikes and pedestrians don’t mix!!!
Don’t talk silly. Ever been to Holland?
So what do you suggest I do in my 12m long artic waiting for a space at the give way markings but unable to move into the single car space inside the cycle route whilst all other approaches to the roundabout have a car sat in them and know they can get on and off the roundabout BEFORE I can move onto it?
A million pounds on a white elephant! These work on the continent (especially Holland) because there is a culture of cycling far more advance than we could ever achieve in the UK because their roads are designed from scratch with cyclists n pedestrians in mind – not as a retrofit.
You can re-design infrastructure. It takes time, patience and money but we are slowly getting there. London is a great example, they have done so much to improve cycling in the Capital.
I will never drive in London again – cyclists everywhere weaving in and out, undertaking, overtaking, trying to commit suicide!! And this is a great example? Ha Ha.
I agree, slapping some paint on a road solves nowt!
The only reason they put paint on the roads in Manchester is to highlight the pot holes…. they dont fix them, but make them easier to see…
Holland’s infrastructure is set up for bikes. They have their own roads which run parallel to those of the vehicles.
Also, intersections have 3 way lights – cars; then pedestrians; then bicycles. And it works great – taking into account everyone has to wait for 2 light changes – yours being the third.
I would question on the article’s system working in Holland – my understanding is there are precious few of this setup.
Works well? Ask Poynton locals and people passing through how well! It’s a permanent traffic log-jam just about all day every day
The priority at Dutch traffic lights is pedestrians, then cycles, then cars – as it should be in every city.
Whilst I am all in favour of improving safety for both pedestrians & cyclists , the old style zebra crossings are not the answer – these crossings need to be controlled or pedestrians just wander on & off them often reading their mobile phone messages or taking calls whilst paying little heed to vehicular traffic . A great deal of money is being spent nationally on cycle paths and now , legislation is necessary to insist that cyclists use them . Many , especially the lycra clad cyclists insist on using the road with other traffic often weaving in & out of traffic & totally ignoring traffic signs or lights when it suits them. I believe that the time is now approaching when all bikes need to be registered with recognition plates so that they can be called to account as any other road user when they blatantly break the law . I am not anti-cyclist but they should have to comply with road laws & regulations as any other road user .
I absolutely agree. Cyclists get away with ignoring the highway code as there is no way of tracing them local to me they block the highway riding four abreast at times and I feel as I pay to use the road and they do not this is incorrect apart from being arrogant acting as if they own the road I have been a cyclist but am too old and unfit to ride one now but still fit to drive a car and observe the way they behave towards other road users cyclists share the roads properly with other road users please.
Let’s not start the “cyclists ignoring the highway code” thing and who pays for being on the road. As a cyclist, motorcyclist and car driver I think I pay my way to use the roads and most other cyclists are likely to be paying “road tax” as there is a good chance they own other vehicles. I agree there are many cyclists who flout the law as do motorist, but this mud slinging does nothing to solve the problem of cyclists’ safety which is what the article is about.
Prime example of cyclist ignoring the highway code at the weekend- riding through 2 red lights. When we hooted he came back and very clearly told us that the lights don’t apply to cyclists. Hope he still thinks that when he gets hit by someone that can read!
You do not pay Road Tax as a cyclist, only as a motorist, which entitles you to road use when driving, NOT when freeloading as a cyclist. Behave and know your place. AJAJ!
No such thing as Road Tax. It’s an emissions tax.
Still a tax to drive on the road – what is the difference in practice?
No such thing ‘Road Tax’ – Vehicle Excise Duty is an environmental tax base on engine size or with never cars emissions.
Fred, you do not pay to use the road, you pay for the right to use a car. Road tax has not existed since 1937.
Up until Churchill raided the Road Fund Licence for other purposes, the revenue was promised to be ring-fenced for road use – hence the name – and nothing else.
Hiving off some of that revnue in that way is a breach of trust; but then, politicians have often been known to break promises and raise two fingers to the electorate.
As I was never party to the change of use of the fund, not having been consulted, I choose to ignore this unilateral change and consider them to be “my” roads!
No so Ronald – you pay for the right to use the car on the road. If you never use it on the road then you do not need to pay to do so it is declared through a SORN (statutory off road notice). It is therefore a road tax.
Can you tell me how you pay to use the road?
How do we pay to use the roads ??? ….. through the nose !!! …… we are fleeced with petrol tax, vat, road fund license, insurance tax , ….. That is how we pay to use our roads !!!
Cycling clubs have been strongly advised by numerous different road and traffic authorities in the UK to ride two abreast with as many pairs as make up the group. It is the only safe way for group riders.
Everyone in my cycling club also owns a car so also pays road tax, so that rather tired and stale argument that they don’t even pay for the roads just doesn’t work anymore.
I’d rather be on my unpolluting bike getting some good healthy exercise than sitting in some polluting monstrosity.
The irony of your comment Roger, is that cyclists riding two abreast slow down road traffic, causing them to pollute more, when pulling round you and accelerating. Sure, you cut out your pollution. But you cause pollution when slowing down large numbers of motorists.
You should be ashamed to admit to being a mobile road block, Roger; that is deliberate and arrogant obstruction, in contravention of the Highway Code – “never more than two abreast, single file is best”.
Yes, when you ride in large groups two abreast with no gaps, it means that vehicles can’t overtake unless there’s a long straight bit of road. This means that there’s a whole string of cars & lorries behind you, all doing 15 mph. causing God knows how much pollution. Of course you’re in front feeling very self righteous & smug breathing clean air. The problem is, in those circumstances where someone has been following a gang of cyclists for 5 miles, they are likely to try to overtake, something then comes the other way & a cyclist pile up occurs when the overtaking vehicle has to pull in. Far from being safe, it’s the most dangerous way for cyclists to travel by a long way.
I’m a cyclist and I pay to use the roads – out of my income tax.
No, you dom’t.
There’s some ridiculous opinions on this page, but you Ron are just factually incorrect.
NO YOU DONT !!!
so do the rest of us who are lucky enough to have a job that pays enough! Then we pay tax on fuel and pollution tax.
I am not sure that putting registration numbers on bikes would work, but that number should be fitted to the helmet of the rider to ensure traceability or in these computorised days, a bar code.
Bar code stamped on the back of the neck like ‘Dark Angel’!!
As a cyclist (commuting and leisure) I cant say I like the look of it. I would have to slow on each crossing to ensure traffic stops to let me go. Whereas on a normal roundabout if I act and behave like a normal road user I can continue my ride with minimum interruption. I don’t think cyclist need protecting as much as they need training on how to use roads and junctions correctly and safely.
Only yesterday, I almost hit a cyclist on a complex roundabout. He was behaving absolutely correctly. He had a high viz jacket and was in the correct lane. But, because this roundabout is combined with complex junctions, drivers have too many things to watch out for. As I was moving left, to exit the roundabout, I was moving from the inside lane to the outside lane, while watching my rear nearside to make this manoeuvre. At the same time, I had to watch my left for vehicles trying to get onto the roundabout, AND watch my 11 o’clock for yet more vehicles entering the roundabout AND, as courteous drivers often stop in my intended two-lanes-into-one exit road, to let pedestrians cross, my situational awareness was already overstretched. A cyclist came across my bows (technically undertaking me, but he was just quietly going around the outside of the roundabout) and I’m horrified that I’ve no idea where he came from!
I’m a courteous, observant, and careful driver. It was a relatively quiet time of day. Visibility was excellent. It was my responsibility to ensure the safety of a more vulnerable road user. Yet, it was a near thing he didn’t end up under my wheels. …imagine, therefore, what it’ll be like in the rush hour on a winter’s evening, with a low sun slanting into your eyes, and everyone in a hurry to get home.
We need simpler junctions with traffic lights controlling who goes when. Too often, negotiating a roundabout feels like a gladitorial combat.
Were you indicating left, giving the cyclist notice of your intention? If so, he shouldn’t have tried to cut in front of you.
The law requires you to give way to the cyclist. To many people think they can pass a cyclist and then turn immediately turn left. The law require you to left him continue straight across before you turn left. It is very clear in the highway code and the RTA
That’s all very well providing you have seen the cyclist.
If he was turning left and he hit the cycle, that MUST mean the cycle was on his left, and as we ALL know, you MUST give way to your RIGHT! The cyclist CLEARLY didn’t even attempt to stop at the junction, thus it was the CYCLIST who was in the wrong here! But hey always expect the cyclist to not accept responsibility for their own actions!
The law also states that the cyclist must ALSO pay attention. If the vehicle was turning left, that means the cycle was on his left, and hence as you give way to the RIGHT, AND he should have stopped at the junction and only gone on when SAFE to do so!, the CYCLIST should have stopped! But hey as with ALL cyclists, they are always right – especially when they are WRONG!
Well, Tony,
Not indicating, as I was going straight ahead. And, to be fair, I wouldn’t say he tried to cut in front of me, exactly. He must have slipped out of the 11 o’clock junction and was just slowly going around his part of the roundabout. Neither of us was doing anything that should have created a problem to the other. The problem is that the driver is already too busy dealing with other motor vehicles, then we throw in an incompatible bicycle. It’s scary.
Rick
Doesn’t the highway code tell you to indicate when going straight on at a roundabout?….to start indicating after you pass the last exit before the one you want. I rarely see people indicate when going straight on, but it would be much safer if everyone did.
Closer to the topic though, I’d love to cycle everywhere locally, but the risk is too high for theft or vandalism when you leave it anywhere.
Absolutely agree with you. So many junction ‘improvements’ only help the most nervous of cyclist and hinder the rest of us more proficient cyclist (and drivers) endlessly stop starting around these new fangled junctions. I would however welcome a move towards motorists being guilty until proven innocent type policy if they hit a cyclist (as in Holland), that would solve many issues over night and with zero investment!
Agree entirely as long as the police start prosecuting cyclists as they do in Holland. If a cyclist uses any main road where a cycleway is provided he is prosecuted. Even when they have to cycle a bit further. The big difference is most Dutch cyclist obey the law.
Many cyclists seem to think that the normal rules of the road don’t apply to them. Several times I’ve seen cyclists run red lights.
I did a quick study in January as regards the cyclists using Oxford Road in Manchester, where cars are banned… with red light runners, cyclists with no lights, helmets, riding on the pavement etc there was 70% of cyclists breaking the rules. Ive seen police sta at traffic lights watching cyclists run red lights and do nothing. If you ues the roads you are governed by the highway code…. or, you will probably have an accident.
Other than children there is no legal requirement to wear a helmet.
It’s long overdue that needs to be changes.
Long overdue that cyclists should pay a road licence tax! They are very quick to attack motorists when they complain about the tax – yet stay very silent if you suggest they as road users must ALSO pay a licence – AND should pass a test AND should have their bikes inspected to ensure they are safe! The arrogance of cyclists is sickening.
Cyclists should also have compulsory 3rd party insurance at the least, and have to pass a test to cycle on the roads like the rest of us do.
Many times I have seen cars jump red lights
Nowhere near as many times as cyclists, and they get fined if caught! Cyclists should ALSO be compelled to have a licence plate, be compelled to pay road fund licence, and pass a test BEFORE they can ride on the road! BTW when was the last time you saw a car climb on the path at a light – which is ILLEGAL BTW?
Blame the Police, the CPS and Westminster for than one, murdering a person with a bike is not an offence in the UK. Madness but that is the current law
You don’t understand what murder means! Hilarious when cyclists lecture motorists on laws when they flagrantly break them on a daily basis! LONG OVERDUE that cyclists be compelled to pass a test, pay road fund licence and ensure their vehicle is safe LIKE ALL OTHER ROAD USERS
Do horse riders pay road fund licence?
David, I am a pedestrian, cyclist and a driver. All drivers are at least pedestrians too. I agree that we should all obey the law at all times, unfortunately, the group that ignore the road laws the most by far are drivers.
How many times have you seen a car driving on a pavement in the dark without lights then stopping all the traffic at a pelican crossing so they can carry on on the other side of the road. Its a regular event around here by cyclists
Utter tosh! I have NEVER seen a bike stop at a red light! I have NEVER seen a car mount the kerb to avoid a red light, Cyclists are a disgrace. they should be banned or forced to pay a licence – or are you saying they aren’t willing to obey the SAME laws as applied to motorists?
SHAME ON YOU for lying like this!
Drivers of cycles and motor cycles think there are no laws.
And cars don’t!!!
And of course drivers never run red lights do they? Like all walks of life there are always those that don’t obey the rules be it cyclists or drivers so you can’t assume all cyclists behave the same way. I’m a cyclist (and a driver) and I see lots more red light jumps from drivers. Having said that it really winds me up to see cyclists doing it as it just enforces this type of attitude.
Indeed, Like that cyclist who was riding a non road legal bike, ran over a mother – killing her, THEN tried to blame the PEDESTRIAN! Cyclists think they are above the law – and Cambridge is infested with these “people”
Agree we need to stop all those cyclists causing injury and damage to cars and motorists .
The other day a cyclist was cycling on the road because as he said the cycleway was full of broken glass and debris.
What moron decided that a car needs to be 1.5 metres away from a cyclist when passing,do they understand how inconvenient that is as it is much easier to squeeze past
Would you choose to drive a road that was full of glass and debris? And squeezing past a cyclist might kill them if you get it a bit wrong. Also
…easier to squeeze past… and …damage to cars …
There may be a correlation here!!
Can you point to any instance where a motorist has been damaged by a car? That 2 tonne safety cage is pretty effective!
try to give cyclist 1,5 meters distance on a Devon country lane
I was told when learing to drive that I shouls leave 6 ft (1.9 metres) when passing a cyclist.
Absolutely agree. I see hundreds of Cyclists using the A roads around here and they all have Cycle ways. If you ask them why they aren’t using the very expensive to build Cycle ways, they give you the finger and tell you it’s their right to use the road. Well yes it is but it’s safer to use the Cycle way!
Do you have insurance to pay for damage when you get to close to a car and scrape the sides. No I don’t suppose you do because you assume it is always the car drivers fault. The country has spent millions of pounds creating cycle paths and tarmaccing them so that you have a comfortable ride and yet you still get in way by cycling on the roads.
Cyclists and Pedestrians have a legal right to use the road.
Not when I am on the road they don’t
(facepalm)
I agree. When they pat road tax then they can have an equal say. Till then stuff them
No such thing as Road Tax it was abolished in 1937. You pay VED a pollution tax based on co2 emissions per km. There are cars that currently pay no VED as they have extremely low emissions so you think they should be banned too ? Numpty get your facts right.
Call it whatever Term you like, ….. It is still a tax to use the roads ! …. cloaked by the government to “pretend” its to be eco friendly !!!
VED is presumably Vehicle Excise Duty. This seems to be a tool for extracting money from motorists for any pretext you want; once it was building new roads now it is buying new cars (electric so the pollution is dumped somewhere else). Do your homework about losses in generating, transforming, distributing and storing electricity and you will see that this is govt hype to get some votes and get us to buy electric cars.
Only if they are observing the law and the Highway Code.
In Staffordshire on the A5 a million pounds was spent creating a cycle lane outside Cannock.
Cyclists still ride on the road not the cycle track, total waste of Ratepayers money
Crewe also provides cycle paths but I still regularly see people cycling on the road alongside them.
You should leave at least 1.5m between your vehicle and a cyclist. I would suggest that it’s you that’s the problem. Also, there are people on bikes and there are cyclists- people on bikes have no regard for safety of anyone, run lights, change lanes with no warning and GENERALLY don’t wear safety gear whereas cyclists obey laws and GENERALLY have lights and wear safety gear.
Yes drivers should leave 1.5m between car and bike, but why does that not apply to bikes? Never seen one pass me with 1.5m gap.
Sorry but you’re wrong in your statement. I can’t give 1.5m clearance when I am waiting at a junction, traffic lights, roundabout or anything else but a bike can come from behind me and squeeze past me while dragging his brake lever along my car then I have to wait until he gets far enough ahead of me for me to overtake him with said 1.5m clearance only for it all to happen again at the next set of lights. Get onto a cycle lane.
And cyclists should leave at least 1.5m gap from cars instead of trying to squeeze between them in queues at lights or roundabouts. That’s when they are most vulnerable. I really don’t want to see a cyclist appear at my wing mirror as I pull away in a queue. If you want a defined gap then maintain that defined gap.
So …. a 1.5 mtr. gap is required when a motorist overtakes a cycle, …. BUT, a cyclist will push through a gap in slow moving traffic as small as 15 INCHES…. when it suits them !!! ….. 1.5 mtr. rule should apply them as well !!!!
Many cyclists ignore all the rules of the road when It suits them. Motorists have so many things to watch out for including cyclists, pedestrians and other motorists, it would be totally unfair to ignore the basic tenet of British justice that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
Go to hell!
As a cyclist, pedestrian and a motorist I feel that ALL road users need to reread the Highway code.
Last night I was close to being run down on a public footpath in open country. When I asked cyclist did he not have a bell or other audible warning he said he did not think it was necessary on footpaths as he was always ”careful”
If everyone put their own house in order that will more for road safety than anything else. and be a lot cheaper than over complicated road designs
As a long distance cyclist in the past, today I would find it alarming the speed of vehicles has increased. I tend to drive slower when I cannot see around bends etc. On the sports cycle I used to avoid main roads where possible. Better to have back roads made into cycle super by ways then deal with this. Good luck to all that attempt it.
Totally agree, Cal. Am an experienced, female cyclist taught to ride 50 years ago by my dear dad. His key rules were to be confident when making manoeuvres at tricky junctions, with proper shoulder safety checks to catch the driver’s eye. These checks are often totally missed out now by some fellow cyclists who seem to assume that drivers can read their mind!
What an excellent idea! If it makes car drivers apprehensive then so much the better ~ they will approach SLOWLY so that it is easy to avoid and collision (and if there is one it will be far less likely to cause serious injury/damage). Petrolheads will hate any restriction but giving priority in town to pedestrians and cyclist [non – polluting traffic] is completely right. Well done Cambridge!
Once this is up & running, you’ll then have to get cyclists to use it properly. If you go to Bristol, you’ll find most cyclists ignore cycle paths & still use the roads & then moan because roads have been narrowed to accommodate the paths & so cars pass too closely to them. You couldn’t make it up. It’s a complete waste of money which would be far better used repairing potholes.
Madness….spend the money on better ways to improve area,I used to drive a coach in Cambridge and London… Cycle riders (not all) seem to think highway code does apply to them,and do stupid things and are totally unaware of danger they are putting themselves at…Just because you can ride a bike doesn’t mean you know how to do so safely.
Whenever I see an innovative idea giving priority to pedestrisns and cyclists -many plans banning cars from certain areas- I wonder if anyone gives a thought about those of us who find it difficult or aren’t able to walk any distance. We may not be ready for a wheelchair or motorised scooter so in effect we are excluded from areas simply because cars are prohibited. I find councils are the worst culprits in their eagerness to be front runners if new conceprs.
And here was me thinking “BREXIT means BREXIT!” 🙂
Great idea, but it needs serious road humps at the approaches, permanent CCTV and immediate prosecutions of drivers who abuse it in order to make it work safely and become a model across the country. As a courteous driver, motorcyclist AND cyclist myself, I see the vast majority of drivers, riders and cyclists behaving with similar courtesy. I see the odd few exceptions on either ‘side’ but only one of those sides is in control of a lethal two tonne plus high powered block of metal. With great power comes great responsibility and the odd few motorists don’t have the mental faculty to match the power of their vehicles. Remove those from the roads permanently, get more people walking and cycling and less people driving and we can all rub along very nicely on less congested roads.
Lord Robert Winston is forgetting that if the car infrastructure is already saturated, as it is already much of the time in Cambridge this will not delay cars any more. Also, if it encourages more people to cycle and not take the car then that reduces pollution and congestion. Short journeys in Cambridge of up to 3 miles (from the City to the Science Park for example) are quicker by bike at almost any time of the working day, and MUCH quicker during rush hour.
People need to get used to Dutch style roundabouts, but they aren’t that hard to understand. I’ve used them as a driver and a cyclist when living in the Netherlands. If you do everything you can to encourage cycling, it introduces daily exercise for many people which can lead to reduced pressure on the NHS, as well as reducing congestion and pollution. Also benefits mental health. It’s a win-win.
So the motorist, who pays some of the highest fuel taxes in the modern world, plus increased hikes in car excise duty, are to get the least priority after cyclists and pedestrians. Sounds about right for this barmy Country we live in today.
All well and good, spending nearly 1million on a vanity project but how about maintaining roads properly first. I refer, of course, to the proliferation of potholes and uneven road surfaces. That’s as much of a danger to cyclists than cars and lorries.
We are of course also assuming that cyclists will stay in the designated road space, rather than try to cut across. There are miles of separated cycle paths but how often do cyclists use them? The majority still use the main carriageway and still think they own the road, weaving sliver, because of potholes, and often riding two or three abreast.
Similarly, if cyclists want respect from other road users, they need to reciprocate by not weaving in and out of traffic at traffic lights, riding down the outside of cars at lights then cutting across to turn right. The list goes on.
In summary, if a cyclist rides with respect to other road users, highway code and the law, I will give them the same respect, otherwise forget it, especially the ‘boy racers’ who think they’re competing in the Tour de France.
1 million for a roundabout seems like a bit much
Personally, I think that pedestrians deserve considerable consideration – but as far as I can see they already get it. As far as cyclists are concerned, I think it is high time that they paid more attention to the havoc and disruption that their presence is already causing on the roads, and stop kidding themselves that they deserve to lord it all over the entire road system. I frequently come across cyclists who are holding up loads of traffic because they are struggling to make their way up a hill, and no one can pass them because they’re weaving around and struggling and the road is narrow. Any one who is determined to be a cyclist has just got to live with our roads the way they are, and make absolutely sure that they abide by the existing rules. If you can’t take the heat, keep off the roads. After all, it’s highly unlikely our country will ever provide ALL roads with a dedicated cyclist and pedestrian path
Can’t take the heat keep off the roads? So if I can’t cycle at 30 mph up a steep country hill then I should keep off the roads? All we ask is that we’re given room when you “squeeze” past. If a tractor was slow moving up the same hill and you had to move fully over to the right in order to pass, would that be equally as annoying? So I’d suggest cyclists are happy to live with the roads the way they are, it’s the motorists who apparently are not. And I am both. Just saying.
It is not the single cyclist that is a problem to the motorist it is a lot of cycling clubs who ride at weekend’s three or four abreast and refuse to move into single file to stop a build up of motorists and lorries behind them .
Hi AJAJ
How about giving everyone else room when you squeeze past. Have a look at youtube cyclists in London. Racing handlebars are there so that cyclists can get through narrower gaps aren’t they?
As an advanced driver and (purely social) cyclist I despair on the quality of driving and riding, so anything that can be done to improve safety is worth a go. If it saves just one life it’s worth it for economic reasons alone, let alone the human cost.
well it look good on paper, put when it comes to get trucks around it, it will come unstuck it will not work.
Already been done, another total waste of money.
Roundabout at southern end of Chelsea bridge. Doesn’t work as cyclists don’t use it as it was designed. Until all cyclists obey the law as set out in the Highway Code.
Why do the powers that be keep wasting time effort and money? The law needs to be changed, whereby if there is a designated cycle lane cyclists must by law use it. This in itself will dramatically reduce cycling accidents.
I drive a truck in London every weekday, I’d be a very rich man if I got £20 for every cyclist that jumps red lights, fail to stop at zebra crossings.
It’s the cyclists that need to change and adapt. When winter comes all these super cycle highways in London are almost completely empty. What’s the point of wasting millions on these when they hardly get used for 6 months of the year. Pandering to a minority again. Stop taking risks, if it doesn’t look 100% safe don’t do it.
Oh boy, I do sympathise with you: London must be a nightmare for lorry drivers due to the narrow streets anyway without the addition of cycle lanes narrowing them even further – especially those with kerbing to separate them from the normal road: the brainchild of the erstwhile Mayor, Boris, I think. They leave you with nowhere to move off the main carriageway should an emergency vehicle requoire you to do so. The paramedics in particular are so much against them; people could die due to the delays they create.
The sooner some one realises that London roads were designed for horse and carriage and not 40′ artics the better it will be. When will these vehicles be banned as they are in most continental towns.
Rebcan….. how will everything be delivered to the shops….. including your food ???
It’s obvious Michael – by bicycle!
Do cyclists have insurance and ROAD TAX as all other road users do? By all means, build a road beside the pavements for cyclists.
No one pays Road tax, we pay Vehicle Excise Duty and that’s based upon vehicle emissions. I’ve seen the emissions from a horse and whilst they don’t pay either they do have emissions. Shock fact most cyclists also own cars so pay VED as much as other car drivers. Why not move the conversation on?
OK let’s get one thing clear, it IS a road tax whatever it’s called. I own a car and if it’s stuck on my driveway it costs nothing, but if I want to drive it on a road I have to PAY the Excise Duty and that makes it a tax to drive on the road.
Road Tax is only used to build & maintain motorways & major roads not local roads which are paid for out of the local council budget, maybe if it was used to maintain all our roads we might have better roads & not all the potholes we have at present.
The money raised from vehicle excise duty goes into the general taxation pot – there is no link between what motorists pay and how much is spent on roads.
I have a electric car what do I pay to put it on the road?
Hopefully the same as a dirty diesel as the pollution created by electricity generation is dumped somewhere else.
The only problem with building separate cycle roads as in Holland is we do not have the space & Holland have been designing this system into their roads for many years allowing the space to do so which we just do not have.
A few years ago 2 of my regular journeys were badly disrupted by road-works. Going into Chester they were adding traffic lights to a roundabout. Going into Poynton they were REMOVING traffic lights from a staggered crossroad and building a ridiculous shared priority junction with 2 overlapping roundabouts, so that drivers don’t know which car has priority.
Whilst on holiday in The Netherlands last year and the year before, we encountered these roundabouts when driving and cycling. The roundabouts we cycled around, certainly kept you away from vehicles by having a physical barrier, of what looked like a third of a car tyre, made in solid metal, set into the road surface. However, cyclists did not have right of way over vehicles. It was still an effective system and made you feel safer as a cyclist!
I use a bicycle and a car. Think about it. If you are ON the roundabout, you HAVE priority over other vehicles entering and exiting. As other commenters have said, the most important thing is that you are seen, and follow the highway code. This type of roundabout work smells of pandering to the radical cyclist lobby.
Try this scheme on the Magic Roundabout in Swindon, which has 5 mini roundabouts round a large main roundabout.
In Norfolk there is a new Northern Distributor road, it has roundabouts on it, and each has a cycle track with halt signs for cyclists, but the cycle tracks are about 3 metres long, and built on the pavement round the edge of the roundabout. So cyclists already on the roadand wanting to go round the roundabout leave the road, go on to the path, then wait for a gap so they can cross a road to continue their journey on a road they were already on but had to leave to use the short bit of cycle path. To add to the confusion for motorists and lorry drivers, the roads leading to the distributor road have markings showing they go straight ahead. If in the left hand lane, the straight on arrow on the road turns into a left turn arrow about 20 metres from the roundabout, meaning you have to quickly change lanes much to the annoyance of following traffic.Add cyclists in to the mix when they need to first go straight on to get on their mini cycle path to turn right instead of being in the correct lane in the first instance and riding round the roundabout, and you have potential accidents waiting to happen.
Locals quickly become aware of the situation, but tourists and visitors have no idea what to do.
I predict there will be lots of road rage in Cambridge when this idea gets built. I have already seen considerable numbers of all types of road users showing people they have a middle finger on one hand on these roundabouts, whilst doing that they sometimes come dangerously close to hitting traffic because they are not concentrating.
Memo to self…avoid Cambridge. And don’t even think of driving into Norwich where cyclists already rule the roads.
The new road in Norwich is lethal: 13 roundabouts in as many miles and:
Inconsistent & insufficient nearside verge markers. Near side verges drop away and no ARMCO or warnings. Only protection wooden posts and wire .
Concrete drainage surrounds over length of A1270 will raise and create impact hazard over time. Evidence of poor drainage after light rain.
Circular Red slow down roundabout signs are not close enough to the roundabouts
Nor are the green direction signs.
No lighting on r/bouts gives poor depth distance perception at night. Remember old people can’t see as well.
Temporary road signs and mounts still litter the road.
Merge and turn signs on all side roads are a joke for what are little more than narrow country roads.
Slow down sign at little Plumstead roundabout obscures green directional sign. LH Lane is left turn only! Inconsistent with rest of A1270.
Wooden fences and wire are hardly going too protect pedestrians and cycle riders!
Damaged ARMCO has yet to be repaired.
Chevrons on R/bouts not repaired.
Island signs flattened and unrepaired.
Chevrons nor kerbing not repaired at R/bouts
Random Traffic Cones and sign stands everywhere
Verges in random shape, likely soggy after rain due to poor drainage
Embankments nothing short of lethal: Cars likely to roll if they leave the road
Clearway signs are dull and barely visible.
Some ArmCos right up against the carriageway and on the other side is 15 feet of gravel to the edge of the road with drains that look distinctly iffy surrounded by concrete and with fairly steep slopes into them? Cars leaving the road will be deflected back onto it but not necessarily under control. Evidence of poor drainage after light rain.
In many places there are some fairly steep drop offs on the nearside carriageway. Roll risk.
Gravel verge areas already filling up with grass.
Limited visibility to at least one roundabout sign on slip road
Westbound Cromer Road Roundabout barely visible and brickwork in dire need of a clean. Exit signage for slip still not repaired – been like that since that stretch opened
Exiting difficult this roundabout difficult due to speed of traffic coming off Cromer road inbound to City especially at peak times. Not helped by short distance between Cromer Road Exit and A1270 entrance onto roundabout.
Damaged Black and white chevrons on Exit roundabout to Cromer Road still not repaired
Cycle Path around Roundabout has “End” & stop line but white line after suggests it still exists!
Green r/bout sign from the Cromer Road giving directions on the RH side of the road when it should be on the LHS?
Red & Green R/bout signs seem some distance away from r/bouts
Chevrons and kerbs on Cromer Road Exit for PETANS r/bout completely gone. Random cones and warning triangle on stranded car on rt/bout only warning. Car presumably went on roundabout as no chevrons to help judge distance.
Inconsistent and random edge warning signs on Eastbound verge of carriageway No obvious reason why they are there.
Inconsistent signage on verges of carriageway.
Exit signage for Roads damaged & still not repaired
Poor Lighting on all red and green signs
This is a new Road would you believe?
Great idea, S – L – O – W D – O – W – N the traffic, get the over weight drivers on push bikes
The statistic of 1 in 4 cycling is only true if you live in the City Centre. Otherwise it is 1 in 14. Yes there are lots of cycleways but the majority are well underused by cyclists
I’m a cyclist and a car driver, this is too complicated and complexity will increase mistakes. I would avoid any roundabout using this layout.
Only last week I had a kid on a bike fly off the pavement in front of me to cross to the other side of the rd, he didn’t bother slowing down or looking. It was a good thing I was slowing down approaching a junction otherwise I would have hit him. If I had I would have sued the family for whatever damage was done to my car. I always have dashcam on, front and back so could show the little #&%£ was at fault.
This looks soooo confusing for drivers. And no doubt traffic will back up for miles. Yet another plan to drive cars (and therefore business) away from towns.
Cyclists that go through red lights, and don’t have lights at night should be banned from the road and have their cycles confiscated: they are a danger to all other road users – they cannot care about safety.
Bob, whilst basically I agree with you, it would never work until cyclists can be identified and thus prosecuted/banned. And of course if the police could be bothered to intervene. They could pull in significant revenue if they chose, especially if they were licenced and insured. Has anyone ever found a cyclist to have Third Party Insurance?
This could well backfire at the cyclists and force them to take out insurance and register their bikes with the MOT, even to the point of needing a number plate!
NB: I am a cyclist and a car driver.
Rush Hour is the problem. Everyone (commuters) trying to use the roads at the same time.
Cyclists + pedestrians on pavement = Risk.
Vehicles + cyclists on roads = Risk.
You can separate us physically, but that’s expensive.
…or you can separate us in Time. Some countries prohibit HGVs in the rush hour. Hauliers screamed and said it wouldn’t work, but they quickly adapted and saved on fuel burnt when sitting in traffic jams.
In many businesses, people don’t need to work 9-to-5. I could also work partly from home, only coming on site for meetings. So I (and my employers) should be incentivised to stay off the roads in the rush hours.
Even shifting some people’s work patterns from 9-to-5 over to 8-to-4 would have a significant impact upon the “combatative” struggle between all road users. ( Why do so many companies have all their staff working 9-to-5? )
If we have 50% fewer people on the roads (as above), there will be less congestion, leading to better traffic flow, less stress, shorter journey times, and less pollution. And that’s a key factor in improving safety: traffic that’s “flowing”, as vs gridlock type situations, means cyclists aren’t weaving in and out to get around slower motor vehicles. We’ll all find it easier to follow the rules of the road — particularly the biggest danger of lane changing — in moving traffic.
As for cyclists + motor vehicles together on roundabouts. In the France, where I’ve lived, there used to be a rule of “give way to the right”. That gave priority to anyone ENTERING the roundabout. (They’ve mostly dropped this rule now: giving priority to whoever’s ON the roundabout.) However, if we have priority to anyone entering the roundabout, motor vehicle drivers would only need to look to their left. (We’d have “give way to the left.) The result is that at busy times the roundabout becomes gridlocked. That’s good. Because we’re now reliant on courtesy or nobody is going anywhere, and the effect is to slow things down when the road becomes congested, while allowing normal free-flow at quieter times. …s-l-o-w-l-y negotiating a roundabout, reliant on the courtesy of fellow road users, and focusing the driver’s attention on giving way to the left could be the answer.
Oh, one last point: in the UK roundabouts are cambered (like a speedway track) to keep you on the road however fast you hit the curve. When I lived in France, roundabouts were cambered so that the slope tries to throw you off the road. The idea was that we don’t want boy racers on French roads. If they approach a roundabout too fast, their excess speed will physically eject them off the roundabout. Nice.
Traffic queuing to get off a roundabout because they have to give way as they exit cannot be a good idea. It changes normal behaviour. The car behind may not be expecting the car in front to stop either. Idea good, execution poor…
why not just close the road and turn it into a green field !! What a wast of £1 million of taxpayers hard-earned money.
For better cyclist safety why not ensure every cyclist wears a helmet, has good breaks, has working lights, wears visible clothing and is not wearing clippy pedals on a public highway.
Re-introduce the green-cross code for pedestrians and pedestrian bridges.
When are cyclists going to start paying road-fund tax if roads are being taken away from vehicles.
https://youtu.be/41XBzAOmmIU is an English language Dutch video that explains the Netherlands concept of roundabout design.
What worries me is the increasing “MOBS” of club cyclists who already show a flagrant disregard to all rules of the road.
Last Sunday had to follow such a mob (~30 of them) 2/3 abreast strung out along some 150M of road. You had to overtake the lot, on the wrong side of the road to get past. Let them loose on a roundabout like this and you may as well park up your car
What does the law say about this blockage of the roads and anti-social behaviour?
If cyclists want to have THEIR needs considered, they need to consider others.
Defo stay away form this anti car council, give my money to another area, that’snot discriminating against car drivers
Death trap waiting to happen. Its bad enough trying to watch other vehicle drivers that don’t indicate on roundabouts, so you have no idea which way they are going, let alone putting pedestrians and idiot cyclists in the mix as well. Folks with too many brains and not enough common sense that think they are clever. May have a high IQ but common sense is lacking so they are just as thick as everyone else.
I agree that cyclists need training especially the highway code, otherwise cyclists will still jump red lights as one did in front of me this week. I only wish I had been a police patrol car!! In this situation cyclists make themselves vulnerable.
No, just No! keep junctions basic, they are dangerous enough without this idea.
Where I live is central to the Annual Bike Ride instituted by Boris Johnson, it closes access roads all around, and I notice that the route goes nowhere where he lived! Although one might say that the disruption caused is only for one day, this is not the case, as for most Sundays, the cyclists are practicing the route. The roads are in a shocking state with many potholes to the near side – thus the cyclists swerve out to avoid, with never a glance behind for overtaking traffic.Also, these cyclists tend to ride several abreast and take up much of the carriageway. One waved me past – approaching a blind lefthand bend – stupid or what!
I echo the correspondent who queries whether cyclists have insurance against causing accidents.
“Road Tax” as a definition has been replaced by ‘vehicle exise duty’ – still a tax, but not linked to funding of roadways.
The positioning of pedestrian zebra crossings immediately after the exit from roundabouts is stupid, as traffic
exiting from the roundabout is prevented from proceeding and will block the roundabout.
maybe it would be an idea to licence cyclists to display a registration number which can be identified from a dashcam,
if an incident occurs?
When we visit family in Alberta I have to remember that pedestrians and,probably, cyclists have priority – everywhere!
What a stupid idea! Either everyone (bikes and motor vehicles) needs to obey the identical rules; or else bikes and pedestrians need exclusive access for a limited period of time, regulated by traffic lights. As the roundabout is proposed, it will cause uncertainty and confusion which will lead to accidents. It’s the same hare-brained thinking as the shared-access roads where no-one knows who has priority over whom at any instant. Any idiot can design a safer road by slowing the traffic down to a crawl; it takes skill to design a road which is safer and yet does not (to a noticeable extent) penalise anyone.
This will never work here in the uk. simplistically, some cyclist need road educating and about time government brought in tax and insurance for cyclist as a minimum – tax for cycle lanes to be maintained and insurance esp if cyclist cause accidents.
Also it would never work here in the uk as we do not have the room in this country for all the roundabouts to look like these from the netherlands, but also does anyone take into account HGV’s and service buses that can’t bend round corners like cars??!! Like to see an experimental of 1 of these here and I would laugh like a drain in seeing hgv’s just decimating the roundabout to a pulp!!
How much road tax is the cyclist paying towards this scheme? Looks like the driver is going to be the cash cow again.
I’ve had some very flagrant disregard for the road from cyclists.
Very often I see them in the nearby road I frequently use to get to places instead of using the cycle path that is clearly marked at the beginning and end. I also often see them without helmets and shake my head in equal measures of disgust and concern.
I had one decide that he would ride up the nearside and ride across the front of my car as I was executing a right turn in a marked right hand turn lane because I accidentally pulled out in front of him a moment earlier. He wasn’t wearing any high visibility gear at all (it was getting dark and no cycle light was on) and when I did notice him mid pull I gave him enough room to fit the pigging Titanic between us. Once he’d gotten across the front of the car (I did brake when I saw him on the nearside corner about to go right in front of me) he proceeded to mouth off what I guess was some abuse (probably because I was alone at the time and apparently lone women are such easy targets) but I simply stuck up my middle finger at him (I was pretty cheesed off at this point but I wasn’t going to open my window and risk him grabbing me) and drove on.
I could have so easily ran him over when he started mouthing off and correctly claimed that he rode up my nearside as I was executing a signalled right hand turn and thus engaging in dangerous riding and had simply became a cropper of it.
Drivers are no angels either and I have some similarly horrific stories with other drivers but whereas drivers can be pulled from the road when they ar proven to be a danger, there is no legal redress for dangerous cyclists. If that was addressed, then the roads would be safer for everyone.