As a pedestrian i HATE roundabouts. No lights, no stop signs, i just have to hope that maybe a car will see me and stop
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Are roundabouts safer for pedestrians?
Even better: a "Dutch roundabout" with protected cycle lanes.

For any north American panicking at the idea of a roundabout, come in France. In a week you'll have seen more roundabouts than in your entire life in the US.
Are bikes presumed to have right of way or do both cars and bikes slow down and wave each other on? Or is the concept of slower moving vehicles not always having right of way a uniquely Yank phenomena?
If you take this example, you see a line indicating that cars should cede way to bikes.
In this particular example, bikes have right if way. There are also roundabouts where they don't, or where cars have right of way, but I think it's usually bikes.
That looks like a great way to get hit by a car
Why? It's made specifically so that cyclists and pedestrians can be at an angle where it's easy to see them from a car. Motorists have a better view of cyclists and pedestrians than in a + intersection.
They are rare here in Montreal but we have a few like this on Nun's Island and they work fine without any traffic lights.
Because cars will hit you if you cross their lane.
If you're in their lane, they ride behind you and you don't have to cross in front of them.
Not shown here. Usually the pedestrian and cyclists crossing is elevated. Along with the tiny island that narrows the access to the roundabout, they act as a speed reduction measures. Both intentional. It makes the drivers go slower, paying more attention and the traffic flow gets smoother. Coincidentally this makes this roundabout faster overall, as it prevents sudden brakes and full stops. Most drivers are in and out without noticing since they're too focused.
Edit: the cycle path is usually a level above the asphalt, like sidewalks, all the way through.
That sucks. Then I would definitely ride in the road so I don't have to climb.
Bicycles shouldn't be second-class vehicles on the roads.
And then of course there's monstrosities like this

They build roundabouts pretty regularly in my area of Iowa, its just that we have a lot of fucking idiots that can't bother to try to figure them out, so even though I know how to drive through one, I tend to avoid them so I don't risk getting hit.
Yeah Ohio has been slowly switching to roundabouts for over a decade. Then i moved to the PNW where they're definitely slower to making the switch but still doing it.
Major intersections it's still rare, but I've lived in a small town where the primary intersection was a roundabout
Its funny you mention the PNW, I lived in WA for most of my life and the shitshow that went down at the new at the time roundabout the next town over is 100% responsible for my avoidance of them today. I saw an older driver turning left into it and drove against traffic despite very clear signage and a clear flow of traffic.
Roundabouts are still quite dangerous for cyclists. Ban cars in populated areas.
north america:
safer means removing all public transut, all bike lanes, and all sidewalks. if there are no pedestrians, its safer
<.<
he didn't say more efficient AND safer. Just making an intersection that currently exists, only ...safer.
Roundabouts are very safe for drivers - they suck for pedestrians and cyclists tho. Especially pedestrians have to cover longer distances.
They're neat for areas with high car volumes, really bad for everywhere else
Yeah. It's always a bit pathetic to watch or read about the efforts of cities to make things safer around here.
The scheme that is very popular here to "secure" intersections is to add an exclusive pedestrian phase (a scramble) to the traffic lights cycle. So everyone has to wait for everyone. No pedestrians are crossing while cars are moving through an intersection, and no cars are crossing the intersection while pedestrians are. But it's tuned for cars and pedestrians have to wait an eternity to have their exclusive phase. So what happens? Pedestrians are eventually losing patience and cross traffic like chickens.
Exclusive phases are also encouraging car drivers never to yield to pedestrians or cyclists, because they never have to. So in some cities where they mainly have this type of crossing, car drivers are not stopping where there's no traffic lights. Some cities even have to leave orange flags on the side of the road so that pedestrians can wave them in front or cars while crossing.
And don't get me wrong, scrambles are wonderful for pedestrians when they are in the majority, and when they are configured for pedestrians first. It's just that some cities here put them at every intersection as a way to separate cars and pedestrians, for safety, and it's frustrating. And then they scold pedestrians for not waiting "their" turn.
As a pedestrian and cyclist, it's one of the things I see when I change city. I really don't like walking in Québec City for this because you have to let cars pass in all the directions first before you are allowed to cross. In Montréal everyone crosses at the same time but they put straight arrows on green lights for a few seconds at the beginning of the cycle, so pedestrians and cyclists have a few seconds to start crossing before cars can try to crush them. And I prefer this. A lot.
Americans simply can't roundabouts. They're to complicated.

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