Dutch roundabouts
When I was in Ljouwert/Leeuwarden last summer, my hotel was placed next to a huge roundabout. This gave me a great opportunity to observe how the Dutch have managed to make roundabouts that are safe for bikes
– something which so far has been beyond most other countries.
Have a look at the picture on the right, and in particular at the bike (marked with an arrow).
The bike lane is red, and cars are warned with triangles to give way to any bikes. Also, there is a car length between the edge of the cars’ roundabout and the bike lane, so a car can leave the roundabout first and then look out for bikes.
All in all, it seems like an excellent solution. I wonder when we’ll see something similar here in Scotland?
A roundabout in Scotland designed for bikes? hahahaha – probably as likely as us developing a Dutch climate I’m afraid!
It takes slightly more space, bur it’s a big difference. They could easily retrofit Fredensvangs Runddel to this.
@Lars, yes, I agree, it’s worth doing, and it could be retrofitted to lots of roundabouts at a reasonable cost.
An option being considered is to allow bicyclists their choice of riding through the roundabout under the legal definition of a vehicle according to North Carolina law or riding on the sidewalk instead…