Does nobody indicate at roundabouts these days?

chris_bass

I'm not sure if i'm a bit sensitive to this issue having been hit by a car on a roundabout but pretty much no one indicates on roundabouts, it seems like its just chance if they are in the right lane. It makes it a nightmare to work out when its safe to go or not!

LiveGiantly

When I get to roundabouts I make sure that I signal so that drivers know where I'm going and then I ride onto the roundabout hoping for the best (with a whole load of shoulder checking, making myself more visible by waving my arms around in the air if I have to and lane hogging)...

chris_bass

LiveGiantly wrote:

When I get to roundabouts I make sure that I signal so that drivers know where I'm going and then I ride onto the roundabout hoping for the best (with a whole load of shoulder checking, making myself more visible by waving my arms around in the air if I have to and lane hogging)...

yeah, same here, try and get eye contact with any drivers i can too.

the problem i have is with the cars already going round the roundabout

macleod113

God no! noone does it round here. we have an especially small roundabout a mile into my commute with an Asda and McDonalds on it as well as 3 roads and its a bleedin' nightmare. the council recently decided to close the junction for 4 days simply to repaint the arrows on the ground to make it clearer which lane you need to be in but i still close my eyes and hope for the best when turning into it!
as for other roundabouts its best to wait and wait and wait and then go. i cant chance it at the roundabout at J27 of the M1. bedlam!

chris_bass

MacLeod113 wrote:

God no! noone does it round here. we have an especially small roundabout a mile into my commute with an Asda and McDonalds on it as well as 3 roads and its a bleedin' nightmare. the council recently decided to close the junction for 4 days simply to repaint the arrows on the ground to make it clearer which lane you need to be in but i still close my eyes and hope for the best when turning into it!
as for other roundabouts its best to wait and wait and wait and then go. i cant chance it at the roundabout at J27 of the M1. bedlam!

sounds the same here too!

the only problem with the wait stratergy is that i was waiting to go onto a busy roundabout when the car behind wasnt looking forward and pulled off and drover straight over me! luckily witnesses said that she was looking right as she entered the roundabout and she admitted full liability.

andyrr

In equal proportions to no indication I see drivers indicating at ALL times so as they approach from one side and are going straight across they insist on indicating right then indicate left - no need ! Big roundabouts lead to major confusion for many drivers as they have no clue what lane to take and sometimes take a turning 3/4 way around from their entry point despite travelling in the outer lane or they take an inner lane to exit 1/2 way around. Be forceful and wary - that's my attitude !

markhewitt1978

The roundabout near my house, only has three arms, i.e. one for left and one for straight on. The amount of people who indicate right when they are going straight on! The worst part is that quite often traffic does do U-turns here to get to the petrol station, but other drivers are so accustomed to those indicating right to go straight on that if you are doing a U-turn you get pulled out on.

monkimark

I think the only reason they put indicators on cars these days is so that you can put you hazard lights on when you park on double yellow lines outside the fag shop.
They certainly don't get used much to advise of potential direction changes round here (or they go on half way through the manouevre, thus making them pointless)

adr82

Chris Bass wrote:

I'm not sure if i'm a bit sensitive to this issue having been hit by a car on a roundabout but pretty much no one indicates on roundabouts, it seems like its just chance if they are in the right lane. It makes it a nightmare to work out when its safe to go or not!

Nobody indicates, full stop. It's not just roundabouts, although it can be particularly dangerous when it happens there. Also happens at all types of junctions and when changing lanes. Most drivers just don't seem to care enough to flick a lever that's literally at their fingertips. It's ridiculous.

monkimark wrote:

They certainly don't get used much to advise of potential direction changes round here (or they go on half way through the manouevre, thus making them pointless)

Yes! That's the other thing that you see all the time - why even bother turning them on for half a second when you've already started the turn you're supposed to be signalling?

mr_evil

It varies greatly across the country. Having seen this thread earlier, I paid close attention today, and would estimate that 90% of drivers indicated correctly at all the roundabouts I passed. I have been to other regions that are much worse.

chris_bass

Mr Evil wrote:

It varies greatly across the country. Having seen this thread earlier, I paid close attention today, and would estimate that 90% of drivers indicated correctly at all the roundabouts I passed. I have been to other regions that are much worse.

really? where is this magical place, or magic roundabout if you like!

i've been keeping my eye on it for a while now and I'm not exaggerating when I say it is about a quarter of cars round here and probably less that indicate at all, and some of the ones that do don't indicate the right direction!

mr_evil

Chris Bass wrote:

really? where is this magical place, or magic roundabout if you like!..

I live in the South West. I'm not saying that the drivers here are good, but they are a lot better than some places I've been, such as Cardiff, where traffic lights are treated like an optional suggestion.

cyberknight

I call my area " the land of the lost indicator"

Juddlinski

I would describe myself as a cycling beginner, so I often get off at roundabouts and try and find a pedestrian route across.

I can just about handle turning left at a roundabout, but a right turn on a busy roundabout? Not for me.

Sounds like I'm the only chicken here though :?

slowbike

Juddlinski wrote:

I would describe myself as a cycling beginner, so I often get off at roundabouts and try and find a pedestrian route across.

I can just about handle turning left at a roundabout, but a right turn on a busy roundabout? Not for me.

Sounds like I'm the only chicken here though :?

Depends on the roundabout! There are some where the traffic comes on and goes around so quickly that unless you're a sprinting champ you'll never get up to a speed where you can command the roundabout without seriously pissing off the other users - unless you can find a milkfloat or a tractor to follow! Plenty of places where it's more sensible to find the under/over passes.

It does help if you can be confident - but even then you have to weigh up the pros & cons - I'm confident enough, but there's one roundabout that breaks up a dual carriageway - it has an overpass for pedestrians and cyclists - I use the overpass, it's slower, but I don't have to interact with the traffic at all so seems sensible.