Magic Roundabout (Hemel Hempstead)

littleprawn

Afternoon guys,

I have driven 'round' this crazy roundabout in Hemel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Roun ... _Hempstead) and it is a terrible design. It must be one of the worse roundabouts for cyclists or are there others?

jonginge

Pah, a johnny-come-lately* to the original:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Roun ... Swindon%29

I've ridden over the swindon one quite a few times. Quite fun TBH.

* ok by a year

optimisticbiker

littleprawn wrote:

Afternoon guys,

I have driven 'round' this crazy roundabout in Hemel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Roun ... _Hempstead) and it is a terrible design. It must be one of the worse roundabouts for cyclists or are there others?

Ridden around it many times... its not so bad, just need to keep your eyes wide open... esp if traversing it anticlockwise

mar_k

I use both Swindon and the Hemel magic round abouts regular,
They are not as bad as people think, aslong as you know how to use a rounds about.

bails87

Despite its name, the magic roundabout is not actually magic,[citation needed]

good ol' wikipedia

Widgey

I live in Hemel Hempstead and have cycled/driven around it many a time.. Its really not a problem, at peak times it becomes a one at a time system, so as long as your quick off the mark you can shoot through.

The big problem is the braking down one of the hills that approaches it, always a tad more scary!

Tricycleboy

I was doing a bit of design work nearby there last year and we floated the idea of a redesign of that roundabout with the council, as its unbelievably difficult for pedestrians/ anyone who isn't local to navigate safely.

The traffic guys said that when they modelled it the software simply couldn't take it's complexity and the amount of movements on it. Cos its really 6 (IIRC) small roundabouts in a circle and in the grand scheme of things traffic actually moves round it the opposite way to normal roundabout.

Basically you're stuck with it for the time being as its too complicated to redesign in any sort of logical way!

EKE_38BPM

I'm not a local, but I have driven around the Magic Roundabout. It's not hard to navigate if you have a brain in your head.

I do wonder what a Sat Nav says as you approach it though.

Jay dubbleU

Cheap copy - no wonder it doesn't work properly

optimisticbiker

Went round 1/3 of it again today

t4tomo

Tricycleboy wrote:

. Cos its really 6 (IIRC) small roundabouts in a circle and in the grand scheme of things traffic actually moves round it the opposite way to normal roundabout.

Traffic moves around it both ways. Its like a giant two way roundabout with a roundabout on each exit.

I think it works fine, give way to your right, use your indicators correctly and crack on.

bompington

Can't really see the problem, it's just a small ring road with a lot of roundabouts along it.

I find it much scarier crossing roundabouts on dual carriageways where drivers are crossing with an expectation that they won't have to slow down below 50mph