The Wisconsin State Journal has an article about a new roundabout at Lien, Thompson and Zeier roads near East Towne Mall HERE<http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/276342> .
Several recent European studies indicate that depending upon roundabout design details, placement, and other factors, roundabouts can increase cyclist injuries and fatalities. In one recent study roundabouts increased fatal or serious injuries to cyclists by 41–46% (see below). While I have not seen the proposed roundabout design, I am concerned that the designers may not be aware of some of these recent studies. I hope that some members of the Bikes list can bring them to the attention of the appropriate people so that some of the design considerations can be incorporated into the new roundabout. If you need the complete articles, please email me to make arrangements. The articles of interest are (tinyURLs listed in case the HTML linkage does not work): Safety effects of roundabouts in Flanders: signal type, speed limits and vulnerable road users. Accid Anal Prev. 2007 May;39(3):591-9. Epub 2006 Nov 21. LINK <http://tinyurl.com/2qtpx5> *http://tinyurl.com/2qtpx5* "... roundabouts are not always effective. Serious injury accidents are estimated to increase by 117% on 70 km/h x 50 km/h intersections equipped with signalization before the roundabout. The number of injury accidents involving vulnerable road users is also found to increase (28%) on 50 km/h x 50 km/h junctions that were originally signalized. Moreover, the vulnerable road user is more likely to get fatally or seriously injured. ..." The effect of roundabout design features on cyclist accident rate Accident Analysis & Prevention, Volume 39, Issue 2, March 2007, Pages 300-307. LINK <http://tinyurl.com/3dvob5> *http://tinyurl.com/3dvob5* The effects of roundabouts on traffic safety for bicyclists: An observational study Accident Analysis & Prevention, In Press. LINK <http://tinyurl.com/2tawug> *http://tinyurl.com/2tawug* "... conversion of intersections into roundabouts produces a significant 27% increase in the number of injury accidents involving bicyclists on or nearby the roundabouts. The increase is even higher for accidents involving fatal or serious injuries (41–46%). Compared to the proven favourable effects of roundabouts on safety in general, this result is unexpectedly poor. However, the effects of roundabouts on bicycle accidents differ depending on whether these roundabouts are built inside or outside built-up areas. When inside built-up areas, the construction of roundabouts increased the number of injury accidents involving bicyclists by 48%. For accidents causing fatal or serious injuries inside built-up areas, an average increase of 77% was found. ..." Cyclists' perception of risk in roundabouts Accident Analysis & Prevention, In Press. LINK <http://tinyurl.com/3a4tub> *http://tinyurl.com/3a4tub* "Converting an intersection into a roundabout improves motor vehicle safety, but a similar safety effect is not found for car–bicycle collisions. Very little is known about the reasons behind these collisions. In this study a first step towards an understanding of the reasons behind these collisions is taken..." Thank you.
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