Mini roundabouts

Sailingalong

2 days ago, approaching mini roundabout at a T junct and turning right. Nothing on my right and I start turning and a mini comes from the left and turns right into me, hitting my front wheel full on , cutting out the roundabout as well. Just couldn't get out of her way as I'd nowhere to go.
She didn't even look at me as she drove directly at me. Similar thing happened before as well.
Think I'll give it a miss in future. Too risky.

prj45

I think some people don't like going over the spot (indeed it's illegal to do so although I'm sure that's not considered) so they cut the corner (which is also illegal but at least they're not driving over the spot).

Naturally when somebody is doing something they know to be wrong they're more focused on thinking about it than driving their vehicle.

downfader

Sailingalong wrote:

2 days ago, approaching mini roundabout at a T junct and turning right. Nothing on my right and I start turning and a mini comes from the left and turns right into me, hitting my front wheel full on , cutting out the roundabout as well. Just couldn't get out of her way as I'd nowhere to go.
She didn't even look at me as she drove directly at me. Similar thing happened before as well.
Think I'll give it a miss in future. Too risky.

Similar thing happened to me in september on a full roundabout. That was with taking traffic on the left into consideration too. :?

I think a lot of people dont a) understand roundabouts ("just read the f***ing hc" I often think) b) understand cyclist hand signals and think you're gesturing to let them go first

Are you and the bike ok - more importantly are YOU ok? Did the silly woman stop?

Make sure you get back on the bike as soon as possible - why should you give up cycling for idiots like this after all.

chuckcork

I've had very close to what you describe, but every time it has been a near miss, once by only a foot, and a few times requiring evasive action or due to my braking hard, certainly a frightening experience, a good argument for a camera on the bike!

At a roundabout the theory of give way to the right applies, just the same as everywhere else. Unfortunately, like everywhere else drivers will occassionally pretend that doesn't apply to them and simply ignore it when it comes to the cyclist coming from the right, though I've seen near misses with cars as well!

The mini-roundabouts are very hard to avoid and probably overused as a traffic calming measure, only thing you can really do is be as careful as you can, make your intentions known as well as you can, and be prepared to emergency stop or evasive action. If someone looks like they are not going to stop and are not looking at you, then assume the worst and give way to them.

Heck of a lot easier to do that than make a claim for injuries suffered.

chuckcork

Other alternative is find a route that avoids said mini-roundabout. Easier said than done of course, I used to have a route that went around the back of Kingston university and a couple of mini-roundabouts there were highly dangerous elements of a rat-run where of course drivers are focussed on going as fast as they can. the alternative missed that one but involved another and a right turn at a busy set of traffic lights which I preferred top avoid even more.

After a motorist was the target of some 'cycle rage' in the area I made the point in my local rag that perhaps the dangerous driving was what the said aggro cyclist was responding to and that I'd felt that way often enough myself, so maybe the police could make their presence known and enforce some of the traffic laws regarding giving way? Never happened of course....

AndyManc

We must always remember that a sizable proportion of the motoring public haven't got a clue how to drive and are even more clueless about the highway code.

The sooner all bikes are sold with free headcams the better .

prj45

AndyManc wrote:

We must always remember that a sizable proportion of the motoring public haven't got a clue how to drive and are even more clueless about the highway code.

The sooner all bikes are sold with free headcams the better .

The same could be said of the cycling public.

Granted they're not being sh**t vehicle operators in one tonne vehicles capable of reaching very high speeds in very short spaces, but still.

prj45

chuckcork wrote:

IAt a roundabout the theory of give way to the right applies, just the same as everywhere else.

Slightly OT but what the hell.

I find the same when a driver sees me coming down a car lined street.

Many seem to assume it's their right of way and barge down toward me in the middle of the road.

I keep going.

Twice I've been "reprimanded" when it was obvious we weren't going to fit, but then I just say "well, you're on MY side of the road" and point down at the white centre line, to which I'm on the right of, and said five foot wide car is straddling.

I should say if the driver coming the other way pauses before going down the chute then I'm highly likely to wave them on, but if they barge in I'll generally barge in too.

Sailingalong

I saw the cars coming on the left, but it's a busy road and ventured onto the roundabout. I was looking directly to the left at the mini coming at me and I shouted at her as loud as I could and stopped and made myself as "big" as I could and she just drove straight into me. She stopped.... looked at me as though it was my fault... and drove to the left of the roundabout and away down the hill. There I was, stuck in the road, gesturing at her as she drove away and I shouted to everyone did they see that? and..... nobody would answer me. So picked the bike up and walked it over to the pavement when eventually the motorists would allow me to, because all they can now see is a cyclist, on a roundabout looking like an idiot.
Is it me or are things getting worse?

The Chingford Skinhead

If she hit your bike and then drove off that is surely a hit and run and she should have stopped.

Hope you are OK and over the shock.

I have several unavoidable mini-roundabouts on my journey and one is oddly on a T junction but with the top of the T being access to a cycle path across a closed street (so for cyclists it is a cross roads, for motor vehicles a T junction. Busy route with buses etc and they all seem to speed up or slow down when approaching the roundabout to ensure that there is never a safe space for you to cross onto the roundabout unless you are prepared to take your life into your own hands. I'm not so oftne find myself sitting at the junction seething for ages with cars behind me beeping demanding that I risk my life so they can get home 2 minutes earlier.

gs3

You have to report the incident to the police as soon as possible with as much detail as you can remember including time, car type, colour, reg. if you got it and details of damage/ injury sustained.

I recently had a white van strike me with the door mirror as it passed (travelling in the same direction as I was), slow down then speed off. All I got was the name on the back of the van, it's colour and type but no reg. Police took all my details and traced the driver within 1 day and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident, failing to report it and driving without due care and attention.
I had no independant witnesses but still got a result. Said driver may think a bit more in future about not leaving space when passing a cyclist (this was on a clear A-class road - not in the town).

In your case the vehicle in question broke the rules of the road in that a mini-roundabout should be treated as a normal roundabout and driven 'around' whilst still giving way to traffic from the right where applicable, not over or dodged past.

You may not get a result as I did but the police will still have the details on record - it may not be the first time this driver has done such a thing.

.

downfader

Sailingalong wrote:

I saw the cars coming on the left, but it's a busy road and ventured onto the roundabout. I was looking directly to the left at the mini coming at me and I shouted at her as loud as I could and stopped and made myself as "big" as I could and she just drove straight into me. She stopped.... looked at me as though it was my fault... and drove to the left of the roundabout and away down the hill. There I was, stuck in the road, gesturing at her as she drove away and I shouted to everyone did they see that? and..... nobody would answer me. So picked the bike up and walked it over to the pavement when eventually the motorists would allow me to, because all they can now see is a cyclist, on a roundabout looking like an idiot.
Is it me or are things getting worse?

You NEED to go and see the police pronto! She has left the scene of an accident and ignored the highway code. Next time she could kill someone and is obviously a very selfish and dangerous person and in no way should be allowed behind a wheel

As said already you need to give as much detail to the police as possible, chances are she's local or heads that way often (although will probably be avoiding the area for a while now I'd imagine)

dondare

prj45 wrote:

I think some people don't like going over the spot (indeed it's illegal to do so although I'm sure that's not considered) so they cut the corner (which is also illegal but at least they're not driving over the spot).

Naturally when somebody is doing something they know to be wrong they're more focused on thinking about it than driving their vehicle.

I don't think that this is illegal, although if I'm wrong I don't mind being corrected.

Some motorists treat mini-roundabouts like ordinary junctions which can lead to accidents such as this one.

prj45

dondare wrote:

I don't think that this is illegal, although if I'm wrong I don't mind being corrected.

With pleasure:

Highway Code wrote:

188
Mini-roundabouts. Approach these in the same way as normal roundabouts. All vehicles MUST [this means it is the law] pass round the central markings except large vehicles which are physically incapable of doing so. Remember, there is less space to manoeuvre and less time to signal. Avoid making U-turns at mini-roundabouts. Beware of others doing this.


[Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10(1) & 16(1)]

prj45

downfader wrote:

You NEED to go and see the police pronto!

In fact, if you don't YOU are also breaking the law by not reporting an RTA.

Don't report it late (24 hours I think) or they COULD arrest you on the spot.

downfader

prj45 wrote:

downfader wrote:

You NEED to go and see the police pronto!

In fact, if you don't YOU are also breaking the law by not reporting an RTA.

Don't report it late (24 hours I think) or they COULD arrest you on the spot.

I dont think they will, but it will make them wonder why you left it. :?

snooks

downfader wrote:

prj45 wrote:

downfader wrote:

You NEED to go and see the police pronto!

In fact, if you don't YOU are also breaking the law by not reporting an RTA.

Don't report it late (24 hours I think) or they COULD arrest you on the spot.

I dont think they will, but it will make them wonder why you left it. :?

According to this you only need to report it if you are driving a motor vehicle, not a bicycle :

"Legal requirements
The law requires that if you have been the driver of a motor vehicle on a road involved in an accident resulting in injury or damage to another person's property or involving some types of animals, you, the driver, must stop and if required by any person having reasonable grounds, provide your name and address, insurance company and name and address of the owner of the vehicle you are driving and its registration mark.

If you do not provide these details, for whatever reason, you must, as soon as possible, and in any event within twenty-four hours of the accident, report the incident to a police officer or at a police station. For full details of the legal requirements consult section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

There may be reasons why, in addition to the circumstances above, you may wish to report the accident. In such circumstances, the amount of detail recorded by police, if at all, will vary according to the circumstances or the seriousness of the accident."

from here http://www.dft.gov.uk/collisionreporting/reporting.asp[/url]

chuckcork

That reads as an accident to someone elses property, not your own. If you wrecked your motorbike you wouldn't have to report it, for example.

Ditto with the others by the way, report it. More hit and runs reported, even if not solved, makes for statistics perhaps but after a while they become embarrasing statistics and something might be done about it. What police force wants a large number of unsolved hit and runs on its books?

NWLondoner

I always approach roundabouts with the attitude that i am like any other road vehicle and position myself like a car.

I have found that if i cycle like a motorist (obeying the road laws) i tend to be treated with more respect. It seems that if you show any weakness when out cycling then they will eat you alive. A sad fact (IME) and not ideal but has helped me ride more confident with NO problems with drivers shouting,beeping horns or any other kind of abuse.

gtvlusso

You can get great air of mini round-a-bout humps....

dirk_van_gently

I hate mini-roundabouts, they are the biggest FU of all road traffic management. Most road users seem to have no idea how to use them.