Here in leafy Bucks the authorities have odd attitudes to roundabouts:
a) They put advertising signs on them, facing the approach roads. Why risk diverting drivers' attention away from negotiating the hazard safely?
b) Some of the roundabouts are high and planted with flowers. Pretty, but with the result that when approaching/waiting to enter (or crossing an entry/exit road as a pedestrian) you can't see what is coming round - sometimes not until the vehicle is almost upon you.
Oh, and on the subject of vision and visibility, there are those roundabouts that have thoughtfully planted greenery that obscure your RH vision until the last moment...
Pah! :-(
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Done for a reason. Items are put up to inhibit drivers vision. The idea being the driver becomes nervous, and slows down or stops at the juntion.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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TVM is quite correct, our local anti-car authority spent huge amounts on narrowing main roads, adding islands, humps on minor roads, revenue cameras, lower speed limits and lots of extra traffic lights, phased to cause increased congestion.
(Probably to justify future road pricing!).
However after a number of accidents at a roundabout altered to reduce visibility, sense and public protests finally prevailed and it was changed back to its earlier low profile.
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Done for a reason. Items are put up to inhibit drivers vision. The idea being the driver becomes nervous and slows down or stops at the juntion.
Or, human nature being what it is, said driver ploughs on regardless and boshes into some poor sap coming round the roundabout minding their own business.
In response to which, the local authority will suffer an acute bout of cognitive dissonance and claim that this proves their point that the road is dangerous, and that further measures will now be needed, e.g. humps, cameras etc.
Trying to increase road safety by making the roads less safe - now there's a paradox if ever I saw one.
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No its not a paradox. It works. Its not a matter of making the road less safe, its a matter of making the percieved risk greater.
An example is the "shared road space" idea that came from Holland. No-one has right of way, no barriers, no crossings, no kerbs, no pavement, no street furniture, no speed limit signs (tho a limit is in force - but how do you know what it is? best be ubber slow then) hazards in your way, chicanes.
It works. Beyond your wildest imagination it works - I have driven such streets, 99.9% of drivers are ultra cautious. Injuries and incidents plumet in such environments. Of course the .1%, the scalleys, in a stolen motor will cause mayhem and bloodshed. But then they would have anyway.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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An example is the "shared road space" idea that came from Holland... ...It works. Beyond your wildest imagination it works - I have driven such streets 99.9% of drivers are ultra cautious. Injuries and incidents plumet in such environments. Of course the .1% the scalleys in a stolen motor will cause mayhem and bloodshed. But then they would have anyway.
Shared road space is fine - I've seen much the same as you describe in France and damn right, it makes you slow down - so it's a good idea in that context.
What I do not, and will never agree with is artificially restricting visibility at roundabouts and junctions. I have seen roundabouts on out-of-town, NSL dual carriageways with bloomin' great fences put up to prevent people being able to see what's coming towards them until they're right on top of it. I do not see how that can ever be justified on safety grounds.
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"I do not see how that can ever be justified on safety grounds"
They make most people go slower which we are told by the pro speed camera lot, makes it a lot safer. Remember, speed kills.
Ah, that's OK then.
;-)
--
Top Turkey - the fastest hands in Brum
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And up here in Northumberland they remove private advertising boards from the roadside for safety reasons in case they distract motorists but placing sponsors boards on roundabouts is ok !!.
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I've seen those near Amble! "This roondaboot is sponsored by Amble Nisa, mind, get yerself doon the braid" or something similar....
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Oh and on the subject of vision and visibility there are those roundabouts that have thoughtfully planted greenery that obscure your RH vision until the last moment...
More local authority car-hating carp ! In doing this, they are creating instant congestion, as having to almost stop before seeing if it is safe to proceed is going to give the roundabout a much smaller 'throughput'.
In parts of France they have done this to extremes, so that you can only see a few yards around the roundabout, and have to gingerly creep out of the entry road onto the circle.
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Thats only becuase the French can not grasp the prinicple of a roundabout, and they all think they have right of way.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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It doesn't just cause congestion. It is dangerous, uses more fuel, causes pollution and irritates drivers which is also dangerous.
Councils that put greenery or fences on the approaches to roundabouts for this reason ought to be lined up and shot.
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It doesn't just cause congestion. It is dangerous uses more fuel causes pollution and irritates drivers which is also dangerous. Councils that put greenery or fences on the approaches to roundabouts for this reason ought to be lined up and shot.
I totally agree. One should be able to enter a roundabout and have ample vision to one's right so as to assess whether the necessary caution is necessary and whether any other vehicles are approaching from said direction.
If not, then one can proceed without having to stop or creep forward, wondering if one's front offside is going to be bashed in because one cannot see over any over-tall shrubs or fences or whatever - It just does not make sense to obscure right hand vision, in any way, on the approach to roundabouts.
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It could be worse, you could have the German method which totally screws traffic flow.
In the UK the general rule is you give some kind of indication of where you are going before you get to the roundabout, unless going straight on.
In Germany, you only indicate when leaving the roundabout so you could be going all the way round and no-one has the faintest...You approach a roundabout, see no indicators so have to assume they are coming round for them to exit while lighting a fag, no indicator. Everything has stopped for no reason. Totally senseless...
Stevied I know what you mean about the Amble roundabout I'm now waiting for the "Ga'an canny or Divn't yark it" instead of the usual speed camera signs.
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