The Huntingfield Roundabout

[mcdurdin]

Guys, what do you think of the new Huntingfield Roundabout in Kingston? It has bike lanes, great but actually not great (at least, that's what I think). Full details on my blog of course: http://marc.durdin.net/2011/11/new-hunt ... lanes.html

I'm starting to get positively opinionated on bicycle issues...

[doggatas]

Another great post, even if it is a bit of bad news about some new infrastructure.

Can see how this roundabout setup is going to cause confusion, potentially creating more angst between the motorist and cyclist.

Just want to vent here... On my way home last night riding up Tolosa St cooling down from some hard efforts on the Domain thanks to you Marc. Some w@ank3r drove past me, then pulled over directly in front of me to drop someone off. To say I was pissed is an understatement.

[mcdurdin]

Thanks Doggatas

When I get cut off I tend to get pretty upset... It's always good to remember that stress and high blood pressure is for car drivers -- take a deep breath and relax, you're on a bike and life is better that way... Now for me to follow my own advice (sometimes I manage it!)

[m@]

Yep, it's a pretty stupid design. Including a roundabout at all means all they're doing is shifting the bottleneck that used to build up at the Maccas roundabout a few Km southward... I meant to comment on this during the consultation period, but never got around to it. From memory it was the only glaringly bad aspect of the design though, which isn't too bad given Kingborough Council's record

On the upside, the Channel Highway must be a very nice bike path now that 90% of motorised traffic is on the bypass!

[mcdurdin]

I don't think the roundabout is a bad idea -- the Huntingfield intersection used to be a nightmare and a roundabout is the best way to get good traffic flow through. It won't be anything like the bottleneck that the Maccas Roundabout had:

• The Maccas roundabout has traffic from Kingston town centre and Summerleas Rd as well as from south -- i.e. far more traffic
• It's a much bigger roundabout than Maccas, which means traffic can flow through faster
• It's a 'turbo roundabout' design, which improves traffic flow and makes it significantly safer (for cars)
• Margate->Hobart traffic bypasses the roundabout anyway

[il padrone]

The Dutch approach to roundabout design that provides for cyclists' safety is much better. We need more designs like this in Australia........ but I'm not holding my breath

[RobRollin]

Anyone see the article in the paper?

http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/11/28/280261_tasmania-news.html

[LG]

To me - those cycle lanes look like a deathtrap for the unwary. Cyclists have 'priority' while on the green paint, but vehicular traffic has right of way turning off the roundabout. Cyclists are expected to stop whenever the green paint ends I think I would have preferred to take a traffic lane and manage my safety that way.

[Giant Pete]

Another good, clear write-up, Marc.

I congratulate Kingborough Council for their forward thinking in many areas, but I really think they need a road-infrastructure expert.
So far, apart from the "Boulevard" through the main centre, everything they touch turns to sh|t.
I like the fact there's an underpass beneath Algona Road from the Antarctic Division, but even that's a poor attempt at connecting the bike track from the new bypass.

Like you Marc, I just jump in the lane and go for it. I figure I'm going the same speed as the traffic (ish), so they shouldn't complain too much.

As an experiment, I sat through three hours of a council meeting one night. They're an interesting bunch, for sure. You should try it

[m@]

I don't think the roundabout is a bad idea -- the Huntingfield intersection used to be a nightmare and a roundabout is the best way to get good traffic flow through. It won't be anything like the bottleneck that the Maccas Roundabout had:

• The Maccas roundabout has traffic from Kingston town centre and Summerleas Rd as well as from south -- i.e. far more traffic
• It's a much bigger roundabout than Maccas, which means traffic can flow through faster
• It's a 'turbo roundabout' design, which improves traffic flow and makes it significantly safer (for cars)
• Margate->Hobart traffic bypasses the roundabout anyway

I guess I should withold judgment until I've actually seen it... but in the ACT*, they're ripping out the high-speed roundabouts for traffic flow and safety reasons. I know from experience that they can be pretty hairy, but maybe there are subtle differences in this design I'm not seeing...
*Australia's undisputed roundabout capital

[mcdurdin]

The "turbo" roundabout design is slightly different to the ACT roundabouts, most of which were designed 30+ years ago AFAIK. Wikipedia has a good discussion on how they work.

[mcdurdin]

Another good, clear write-up, Marc.

I congratulate Kingborough Council for their forward thinking in many areas, but I really think they need a road-infrastructure expert.
So far, apart from the "Boulevard" through the main centre, everything they touch turns to sh|t.
I like the fact there's an underpass beneath Algona Road from the Antarctic Division, but even that's a poor attempt at connecting the bike track from the new bypass.

Like you Marc, I just jump in the lane and go for it. I figure I'm going the same speed as the traffic (ish), so they shouldn't complain too much.

As an experiment, I sat through three hours of a council meeting one night. They're an interesting bunch, for sure. You should try it

Thank ye kind sir. Not sure if we should blame Kingborough for this though given it is a DIER project! They've also made plans to extend the bike lanes on Beach Rd through to Kingston Beach, give them some time...