Dutch junction design - safer for cyclists
BicycleDutchCited 4× on HN, 2016–2022
explainer · general · evergreen · 2016–2022 on HN
A short BicycleDutch episode showing how Dutch junctions with protected cycle paths are laid out. It argues these are proven, non-experimental designs that make intersections safer for cyclists.
Linked as the go-to demonstration that the cyclist-versus-driver conflict at intersections is a solved design problem.
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4 comments from Hacker News
That video doesn’t load for me, but I found a direct link: ▶ this video I’d love to avoid cutting into the bike lane (required for right turns in most of the US), but some of those intersections are massive and the rest (1:18 in the video) replace the sidewalk with a bike lane. I don’t think either of those will be popular in American cities.
This is mostly a good thing. I say "mostly" because it encourages scooter riders to use the sidewalk and pretty much anywhere I've been scooter-share riders are a public menace. One issue with these in NYC at least is the drainage just isn't designed for them. So anytime you get significant rain or snow melt you get pools of water that don't drain because the actual drains are elsewhere. If only the US could adopt Dutch junction design [1]. And don't get me started on the cyclist and pedestrian safety nightmare that is allowing people to turn right at red lights. [1]: ▶ this video
There's usually no need to yield, traffic signals regulate that. The idea here is to create a more forgiving environment where making mistakes is less likely and less harmful. Thousands of these intersections have been build, here's some examples and some US context and research: ▶ this video link link
As a Dutchman living in Stockholm I can tell you one thing: they should fix their goddamn bike lanes. Sure, they have them, which makes them better than 90% of the rest of the world. They're still shit. There's no separation of car- and bike traffic. To turn left a cyclist first has to cross parallel car traffic, making this unsafer for cyclists (and annoying for the people in cars, for that matter). Key issues: - the cyclist and driver should meet at a (near) 90 degree angle, so neither requires eyes in the back of their head - separate the goddamn lanes so neither car nor cyclist feels uncomfortably close to the other - don't require extra space because every square meter counts in a big city Well guess what, we've figured this out decades ago in the Netherlands: link ▶ this video link