The article did not adequately address pedestrian safety (although one commenter did). In the U.S. (at least in most states), intersections are defined as legal places for pedestrians to cross streets. The way things are now, the law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians at intersections and pedestrians have a reasonable expectation that drivers will stop at stop signs and traffic lights, so they can get across.
In a roundabout, there may be no cessation in traffic and little opportunity to cross a street safely. Also trafic law may have to be amended to deal with the issue of pedestrians at roundabouts.
When I was last in England, English traffic law did not give right-of-way to pedestrians at intersections, only at marked crosswalks. I never saw a crosswalk at or near a roundabout, so I wondered how pedestrians were supposed to get to where they were going if it was on the other side of the street.
Yes. It's for this reason, I think, that my local council (the City of Edinburgh) has for some years had a roundabout removal policy. Roundabouts generally keep traffic moving in a very satisfyingly swift-looking way, but they do tend to attract accidents and in particular they're not safe for cyclists or for pedestrians. Edinburgh has been steadily taking them out and replacing them with traffic light junctions which have many more (and/or more conveniently situated) pedestrian crossings, and better bicycle lanes too.
All the accidents I've had in my car have been at roundabouts :-)
In a roundabout, there may be no cessation in traffic and little opportunity to cross a street safely. Also traffic law may have to be amended to deal with the issue of pedestrians at roundabouts.
Where traffic circles exist already in the US, they have presumably been addressed in regard to pedestrian safety. Where they do not, of course, they would need to be addressed.
There's likely no cessation of traffic *within* a traffic circle, true, but I wouldn't think that having pedestrians go straight across a traffic circle would be the only way (or best) to deal with foot traffic. Traffic *entering* a circle _does_ have to stop, or at least give way.
When I was last in England, English traffic law did not give right-of-way to pedestrians at intersections, only at marked crosswalks.
I believe the same thing is true here, the difference being that interesections are routinely marked as crosswalks.
I never saw a crosswalk at or near a roundabout, so I wondered how pedestrians were supposed to get to where they were going if it was on the other side of the street.
That's very curious, as most of the traffic circles that I recall encountering walking in London had pedestrian crossings nearby. Not *in* the circle, but on the streets nearby approaching it.
It's for this reason, I think, that my local council (the City of Edinburgh) has for some years had a roundabout removal policy. ...Edinburgh has been steadily taking them out and replacing them with traffic light junctions which have many more (and/or more conveniently situated) pedestrian crossings, and better bicycle lanes too.
I'm very sorry to hear that. Roundabouts are *much* safer and more efficient for traffic flow. It seems to me that the sensible thing would be to find ways to engineer them better for pedestrians rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater and go backwards to wasteful, unsafe, time-consuming traffic lights.
I started to comment that there is another great article from the book I recently read called "Traffic" but then I saw that it's pretty much from the book!
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-07-21 12:51 pm (UTC)In a roundabout, there may be no cessation in traffic and little opportunity to cross a street safely. Also trafic law may have to be amended to deal with the issue of pedestrians at roundabouts.
When I was last in England, English traffic law did not give right-of-way to pedestrians at intersections, only at marked crosswalks. I never saw a crosswalk at or near a roundabout, so I wondered how pedestrians were supposed to get to where they were going if it was on the other side of the street.
Maybe Doreen has some insight on this issue.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-21 01:18 pm (UTC)All the accidents I've had in my car have been at roundabouts :-)
no subject
Date: 2009-07-21 02:04 pm (UTC)Where traffic circles exist already in the US, they have presumably been addressed in regard to pedestrian safety. Where they do not, of course, they would need to be addressed.
There's likely no cessation of traffic *within* a traffic circle, true, but I wouldn't think that having pedestrians go straight across a traffic circle would be the only way (or best) to deal with foot traffic. Traffic *entering* a circle _does_ have to stop, or at least give way.
When I was last in England, English traffic law did not give right-of-way to pedestrians at intersections, only at marked crosswalks.
I believe the same thing is true here, the difference being that interesections are routinely marked as crosswalks.
I never saw a crosswalk at or near a roundabout, so I wondered how pedestrians were supposed to get to where they were going if it was on the other side of the street.
That's very curious, as most of the traffic circles that I recall encountering walking in London had pedestrian crossings nearby. Not *in* the circle, but on the streets nearby approaching it.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-21 02:06 pm (UTC)I'm very sorry to hear that. Roundabouts are *much* safer and more efficient for traffic flow. It seems to me that the sensible thing would be to find ways to engineer them better for pedestrians rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater and go backwards to wasteful, unsafe, time-consuming traffic lights.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-21 06:50 pm (UTC)