Safe Speed Forums

In our once quite rural village with a few "give-way" entrances onto the main road, we now have no fewer than four "white humps" in the middle of the road. In three cases, there is virtually no way to negotiate these "properly" if turning right without at least the rear o/s wheel riding over the hump. At one of these I perceive it as more efficient and no less safe to go to the wrong side of the blob - and do so, although I understand that because the blob is raised this is committing a moving traffic offence?

Often I see confusion when two or more arrive at roughly the same time. Occasionally I witness minor scrapes at one of these. Previously in the give-way scenario I can remember nothing that would have raised eyebrows . Pedestrians also get confused as, by and large, people use indicators at these blobs to say "look what I've just done".

Are these really a safe method of traffic control? What is the reason for this proliferation? If it is to avoid congestion it is a spectacular own goal.

Don't know if Highway code has been changed, but originally Mini roundabouts were essentially just a way of setting priorities at a junction. i.e give way to the right. It was quite within the code to drive over the roundabout, provided you observed the relevant traffic priorities.

Either the code has changed, or (more likely) the decision to put a hump on the roundabout has been done by someone who has zero understanding of the reason for the roundabout being there. This only ever applied to miniroundabouts, and the term was coined to distinguish them from 'regular' roundabouts, as the rules for them were different.

This is why mini roundabouts in the past were only ever painted circles, as it was realised that at small junctions it was not sensible or safe to behave as though it were a full sized roundabout at a major junction.

I agree, there are more and more of these with bumps in them and they are totally impractical- no doubt part of the overall strategy to make your driving experience as miserable as possible in the uk. Check the highway code if you have a copy, as it may in fact be perfectly correct to drive over/around the other way. This of course would not apply to 'regular' roundabouts - there has to be a mini roundabout sign. Feel free to correct this if it's wrong, as the code may have actually changed.

The Highway Code section relevant is 164:

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/17.shtml#164



I think what it essentially means is that driving over *part* of the markings is ok if unavoidable, but only HGVs etc. can drive straight through the markings because negotiating them in any meaningful way is impossible.

Gareth

I once damaged a car at a mini roundabout as follows:



I was driving car A. Partway round the roundabout I realised I was under attack from Car B approaching at a fair speed from my right. By accelerating hard I was able to get out of the way of car B, but ran into the kerb quite hard.

Car B didn't stop. It was at least a minute later I realised that Car B had, in effect, been going the wrong way round the mini roundabout. Earlier I'd though that if I was under attack from the right it must have been my fault.

The impact with the kerb wrote off the roadwheel and damaged a suspension component.

This particular mini roundabout is (was?) in Richmond Park, and the incident was about 1986. The odd offset design of the roundabout was the result of modifying a "T" junction.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

A road I "know" well had between visits been modified to look similar to your drawing, though not quite so dramatically daft, where previously there was a give-way. It's a built up road, but this was late and I was on the main drag going towards "car B" in your drawing, doing, I guess, around 50 when "car A" appeared. However, despite the (as I thought wrongly) priorities, I'd already decided he was going to pull out in front of me, so I'd already slowed enough to let him get out before gunning past him. However, I hit the hump hard with my left front, almost ricocheting me off the road! In fact carA driver probably didn't realise that I'd taken evasive action. But I had - quite a swerve as I first (almost) straddled the hump and then brought hte car back under control from a hump-induced slide as I went past him.

The farce of it is that road - a cul-de-sac - never used to have more than one car queuing to get out - and without the hump, if he had pulled out, the evasion would have been a comparatively minor manouvre that I'm sure would not have remained in my brain for more than a few seconds.

they are all ridiculous! I see so much confusion because they are so small and people dont know who has right of way (in fact neither do I for certain, you must give way to the right for people already on the roundabout which is easy for a large one, but when everyone arrives at the same time at a mini one they all just stop and wait for someone to take the initiative).

I usually just drive straight over the white circles as they tend to put them in such a position that you have to go past the junction and come back on yourself if you want to avoid the circle. Then you get people who have driven the road for years and are used to the priorities, when they come across the roundabout they just ignore it which could be very dangerous if someone else is expecting them to stop.

I really dont know why all the councils are going so mad with them - one road I know has 3 of the things in a couple of hundred yards and is now far more dangerous than it used to be.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/17.shtml#165

That one is a joke, there is no way that blue car is going to get through that gap without hitting the red car or going on the circle.

Maybe we ought to get the illustrators of the HC to draw to scale!

But agree - the overall road design and lay-out cause more problems than it solves!

Wonder how many accidents do occur on these in relation to other junctions?

Seems to me that defensive driving requires different techniques according to the circumstances. If, on approach, there is another vehicle expecting to enter from the left (so should give way to me), I would take the longer way round in case the other vehicle decides to pass ahead of me assuming I WILL take the longer and slower way round. On the other hand, if there is no conflicting traffic, I would take the shortest line but (usually) not so as to pass right over or completely the wrong side of a raised roundabout.

I have a mate who lives next to a new double mini roundabout in a small village in Essex. The two blobs have caused so much confusion that my mate has observed (and heard) several crashes since they have been installed.

Heh, the bloody things are cropping up everywhere - they seem to be the latest 'in' thing for traffic planners. Near to my school is one that not only has the central hump extremely raised (it's too small to go round properly, of course, so everyone gets a nasty jolt from going over it - perhaps to remind us who's god?) but also has the white lines before it widened and angled to try and force you to go 'around' it (it's still impossible, but they won't stop trying). Not only this, but these widened lines are raised from the ground by about 4 inches! More than the main 'hump' in the middle, and extremely unpleasant - and dangerous - if you should be tempted to drive straight over it. There is, of course, nothing to warn you of the raised nature of these lines.

Fortunately, the only time I've ever been 'over' one of these was in someone else's car!

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-mike[F]
Caught in the rush of the crowd, lost in a wall of sound..

For 'adventurous' traffic planning visit Swindon, there is a junction containing a ring of mini roundabouts (6?) I have only been through there in the afternoon, what it is like in the rush hour I dread to think.

That'll be the famous "Magic Roundabout", and it actually seems to work OK. There are other, similar rings elsewhere (High Wycombe has one), but this is the grandaddy. For a list, see http://www.pberry.plus.com/ukroads/magicroundabouts/index.html.

Radio Swindon, demonstrating a sense of humour rare in local radio, has the "Magic Roundabout" theme music as a background to its traffic bulletins.

I sometimes think, I am too cynical for this life !

Would the prolification be due to the fact the council only pays for half the cost and the govt pays the balance. Thus the local council can keep they very often locally employed team working .... at half price..??

The govt might be paying half the cost as their contribution to ""get these cars off the road" allegedly from Tony B's own mouth in the year 2000.


nooooooooo it couldn't be like that could it ?

rgds

I'm sure it's all part of the "do something, anything" approach to traffic management. If you can get grants for them as well, it's at least worth a try. If others are doing it then it can't be completely wrong, and if it's only drivers who are inconvenienced then that's fine.

Mini roundabouts are seen as a traffic calming feature or a speed reducing feature if they are observed correctly.

Funding for them can come from many sources, normally on the basis of accident reductions.

Obviously their effectiveness is reliant on their observance by motorists.

I take it you mean this one, what an absolute beast, apperently its pretty good thou. I pefer them to traffic lights thou.

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The way the roads of North Wales are policed is WRONG and it must stop NOW.

BRUNSTROM OUT

somewhere there is a sight dedicated to "magic round abouts " they work !

rgds
bill

Why's that better than just one big roundabout?

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-mike[F]
Caught in the rush of the crowd, lost in a wall of sound..

Somebody pointed out to me that whatever your chosen exit, there are always two possible routes across the roundabout. I responded:

"Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run,
there's still time to change the road you're on"