Southwark Council is introducing the first ‘double Dutch style’ roundabouts in the UK, a design which gives cyclists and pedestrians priority over other vehicles.
The ‘unique’ design enables cyclists to pass through the junctions completely separate from motorists, with the cyclist and pedestrian crossings running side by side, across the roads that lead onto and away from the roundabouts.
The Transport for London funded roundabouts have been developed by Southwark Council, working closely with the London Boroughs of Bromley and Lewisham, and are set for completion in April.
They are located at Crystal Palace Parade – an area which has had two consecutive roundabouts (between Fountain Drive and Sydenham Hill) for many years. Southwark Council says the area is very busy and lacks facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
The council adds that the roundabouts will provide key pedestrian and cycle access to nearby train stations, schools and Crystal Palace Park and National Sports Centre.
Ian Wingfield, Southwark Council’s cabinet member for environment and the public realm, said: “Crystal Palace Parade is the first example in the country of this innovative double roundabout layout. We hope it will help cyclists and pedestrians feel much safer, whilst ensuring minimal delay to buses and other traffic.”
Ben Plowden, TfL’s director of project and programme sponsorship, said: “We’re really pleased to see that our funding has helped bring this new design from the Netherlands to Southwark, which will make walking and cycling in Crystal Palace safer and easier.
“Innovative improvements such as this make a real difference in encouraging Londoners to walk and cycle more often and we’ll continue to work closely with Southwark Council to make walking and cycling facilities across the borough even better.”
@Charles, I would suggest that such roundabouts work in the Netherlands – much like the Embankment superhighway works in London – because they are genuinely attractive places to cycle which provide safe, complete routes.
They *don’t* function because they’re mandatory.
Tim Lennon
+3
Seems to me to be an exercise on how to spend monies as there seems to be little reason to spend so much public monies on two roundabouts which have not actually generated a specific problem to road users. This road alongside Crystal Palace does not generate a great number of crashes at all. One look at CRASHMAPS over the last 5 years and one sees that there have been 5 minor non serious cycling accidents at these two roundabouts. The most southern/western one has had 4 recorded incident in 5 years and the other a mere one and so I wonder just how it can be financially justified. There are far worse roundabout that need redesigning.
Bob Craven
--5
I wonder what makes the grandees of Southwark think that cyclists will opt for the longer, slower and more tortuous cycle route provided by the new roundabouts design, rather than using the “car” lanes? In the Netherlands they can work because cycle paths can be mandatory for cyclists there.
Charles, England
+2