Cycling at Roundabouts

Many of us are familiar with some roundabouts in Singapore, particularly Newton Circus. Although it has been shown that roundabouts are safer than normal traffic junctions for motorists, this is not true for cyclists. In fact, roundabouts are much more dangerous than normal junctions for cyclists.


Source: wikipedia.org

Wikipedia says that an analysis of the national crash database in New Zealand for the period 1996–2000 shows that cyclists were involved in 26% of the reported injury crashes at roundabouts, compared to 6% at traffic signals and 13% at priority controlled intersections. Cyclists are therefore two to three times as likely to be in a crash at a multi-lane roundabout than at a traffic signal.

The most common roundabout crash type for cyclists involves a motor vehicle entering the roundabout and colliding with a cyclist who is already travelling around the roundabout (generally just over 50% of all cyclist/roundabout crashes fall into this category). The next most common crash type involves motorists leaving the roundabout, colliding with cyclists who are continuing further around the roundabout carriageway. Roundabout designs that have marked perimeter cycle lanes are found by research data to be even less safe than those without them.

Here's a Youtube video on the dangers of some roundabouts.



I wonder if any Singaporean will ever film a video like this.

For any aspiring activist who plans to petition the Land Transport Authority about improving our roundabouts:
Commentary on Dutch style roundabouts
Benefits of modern roundabout designs