Sustainable Safety
Functionality – This roundabout is at an intersection of two distributor roads, it replaces a need for a traffic signal and increases the safety of cars, bikes and pedestrians moving through the intersection. This roundabout allows traffic to flow much more smoothly than a traffic light and maximizes the capacity of the single lane roads coming into the intersection of these two roads. Another function of this roundabout is to allow bus and tram traffic to operate in their own lanes with first priority over pedestrians and cyclists. Warning signals have been placed for pedestrians, cars, and bikes for when the public transport is running to stop them and give the transport priority (boxed in yellow). This roundabout also has a function to allow bikes and pedestrians to get to shopping centers on both sides of the road. The safe crossing for pedestrians and the two way cycle track allow this movement easily and safely.
Recognizability – This roundabout on its own is a very common and recognizable feature in the Netherlands and consistency between these roundabouts helps driver understanding what they are approaching. These rounadbouts also have several features of recognizability for drivers entering and exiting the roundabout. All entering and exiting car traffic have raised crossings across them (circled in red), these crossings act as speed bumps to warn drivers to pay attention to the pedestrian and bike crossings and they further enforce the yield “shark teeth” to make sure the driver yields. Further more visual obstructions in the form of high grass mounds in the center of the roundabout prevent cars from being able to see the other side of the roundabout. This slows car speeds and gives drivers further alert that a change in the road is coming up (Boxed in orange).
Homogeneity – The separation of cars, bikes and pedestrians is done in this round about by allowing bikes and pedestrians to each have their own paths going around the roundabout. The bikes and pedestrians are given priority with raised crossings and shark teeth yield markers for cars. But to further slow car speed the approaches to the roundabout come into the roundabout in a way that forces the cars to make a sharp turn to enter. A further bonus to this separation is the distance between the roundabout and the cycle and pedestrian tracks, this distance allows cars to queue and not block the roundabout if they have to stop for a bike or pedestrian and gives the car a bit more time to react if they did not see a biker or pedestrian when they first attempted to exit the roundabout.
(Chase)