Technology

#New research highlights roundabouts as a cycling safety hazard

“New research highlights roundabouts as a cycling safety hazard”

This week, new research found that roundabouts are overrepresented in bike accidents. 

Dutch traffic bureau VIA looked at registered accidents at intersections that involved cyclists between 2014 and 2021. It found most of the intersection bike crashes in the Netherlands occur at roundabouts. Specifically, 12% of the total bike crashes involved intersections or almost one in eight.

Roundabouts are designed to improve traffic flow — particularly for car drivers — by removing stop signs and traffic lights. They reduce the number of conflict points between road users, and the speed of vehicles at intersections. 

VIA Traffic expert Erik Donkers told Het Parool that with ebikes, cyclists no longer move at the same speed. This makes it more difficult for drivers to gauge whether they have time to enter the intersection:

 “A roundabout is more complicated anyway: as a road user you have four conflict points. If a car hits a bicycle on a roundabout, even at low speed, things quickly go wrong.”

He suggests that the solution is changing current rules regarding priority at roundabouts, which now favor those on bicycles.

“Reversing the right of way gives the cyclist more responsibility and possibly prevents a false sense of safety.” 

Existing research offers an incomplete picture of the cyclist roundabout experience 

roundabout at night
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