𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞'𝐬 𝐂𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝

Thursday 20th June 2024

𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞'𝐬 𝐂𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐲?

A new 'Cyclops' roundabout in Cambridge, designed to prioritise cyclists and pedestrians, has raised concerns among residents about confusion and safety [1]. While the design aims to improve cycling safety, recent Dutch research suggests that roundabouts, in general, might be becoming riskier for cyclists [2].

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐂𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐬
Manchester's existing Cyclops junction offers some insights. Similar to Cambridge, residents initially expressed confusion [3]. However, the segregated lanes in Cyclops designs could still offer safety benefits for cyclists compared to traditional roundabouts.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐲
Dutch research [2] highlights a potential concern: increased complexity from increased mixed traffic volume, diverse cycle types, and convoluted roundabout designs might contribute to more collisions involving cyclists.

𝐀 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞
While Manchester City Council seems positive about their Cyclops junction, long-term (longitudinal) user experience data is limited. Here's how Cambridge can navigate this:

𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺: Track collision rates to see if the Cyclops design achieves its safety goals, considering the Dutch research on roundabout complexity.
𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬: Conduct surveys (both one-off and over time) to understand user experiences (cyclists, pedestrians, drivers) and identify areas for improvement in design or education.
𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘨-𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦: Initial confusion is likely, but user acceptance of the Cyclops design might increase as users adjust, similar to Manchester.

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭
By learning from Manchester, considering the Dutch research on roundabout complexity, and implementing the following, Cambridge can optimise its 'Cyclops' roundabout:

𝘍𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.
𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯.
𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬.

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗧𝗡 𝟭/𝟮𝟬 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀?

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[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/18/cyclops-roundabout-traffic-lights-open-
cambridge-local
[2] https://road.cc/content/news/dutch-research-cyclists-increasingly-risk-roundabouts-293043
[3] ttps://www.manchesterworld.uk/news/confusion-council-burnage-active-travel-junction-
viability-consultation-3925389