Safe Speed Forums

Whilst waiting (again) at my favourite roundabout, cursing the fact that they have now switched the traffic lights on permanetly. I got thinking about how to improve traffic flow and reduce the confusion that reigns when the traffic lights are off (in part time systems) and reduce the frustration of moving 20 yds at a time when you finally get on the roundabout.

My suggestion is this.

1. Only have traffic lights restricting entry onto the roundabout.
2. The traffic lights only show red or flashing amber.
3. Red obvously means stop and can regulate the amount of traffic entering the roundabout (especially from the busiest exits).
4. Flashing amber means join the roundabout with caution giving way to traffic already on the roundabout.
5. At off peak times, the lights would flash amber continually allowing all traffic to enter the roundabout with caution and removing all uncertainty.

What do you think? I am all for the contintental style flashing amber at off peak times for all traffic lights and turning left on red.

I like the roundabout idea. However, the turn-left-on-red needs sliproad entry to the main drag or a dramatic change of driving culture.

Its horses for courses and each roundabout is not the same but I wholeheartedly agree that we're going overboard on the things.

My local favourite has a major D/C as the main through road with a number of minor roads including from an industrial estate - high demand at peak times.

the lights are a menace......no difference at peak but much worse at other times. But too much money has been invested for failure to be admitted.

I don't know why you can't just have lights on the main road restricting access onto the roundabout (effectively switching off the d/c) and thus letting some of the peak demand traffic out of the industrial area.

Also where space permits there should be far greater use of dedicated left turn lanes.

traffic engineers must be on some sort of bulb bonus.

but what do i know?

Aah, ramp metering :lol:

I've thought about this system on roundabouts, and I believe that it would work well.

The traffic signals could be of similar design to French temporary traffic lights; the green light is replaced with an amber light that flashes. This setup would still provide the non-flashing amber stage before red.

I cannot see this happening under current governmental conditions, as it would make driving less stressful!

I personally would prefer it if they did this as you progressed around the roundabout rather than when trying to get onto the roundabout. On some roundabouts it's already hard enough to get on if the enterance to your right is a very popular one, the last thing you want is for the light to go red when there is finally a gap.

When I lived in Liverpool, I used to plan my routes taking into account that certain enterances were basically unuseable at certain times (eg. from Pighue Lane onto the Rathbone Road roundabout at rush hour) and go on diversions to ensure I could enter the roundabout without a 15 minute wait.

If you have two popular enterances to a roundabout, then my version would work better. If there is only one popular enterance then they would work equally well, though people would probably feel better with my version as they are being given a chance to get on where previously none existed, as opposed to being denied a chance to get on when one finally turns up.