I think you misjudge the size of the standard city roundabout in Europe.
Let’s take a standard one lane each way road. Reaching the roundabout, the space barely widens. It’s not a giant ring highway, just a circle. There’s a zebra crossing at each entrance, so I (as a pedestrian) have the right of way.
The roundabout slows cars down to a 20-30 km/h speed, so they have ample time to see me and brake. Still for the car driver it’s quicker than standing at a traffic light.
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Roundabouts are very safe for drivers - they suck for pedestrians and cyclists tho. Especially pedestrians have to cover longer distances.
They’re neat for areas with high car volumes, really bad for everywhere else
I think you misjudge the size of the standard city roundabout in Europe.
Let’s take a standard one lane each way road. Reaching the roundabout, the space barely widens. It’s not a giant ring highway, just a circle. There’s a zebra crossing at each entrance, so I (as a pedestrian) have the right of way.
The roundabout slows cars down to a 20-30 km/h speed, so they have ample time to see me and brake. Still for the car driver it’s quicker than standing at a traffic light.
It depends what we are talking about.
Either way it’s an annoying detour for pedestrians. That’s why this kind of intersection has no place in locations with a lot of foot traffic.
That’s not necessarily the case, and depends on a lot of factors. They’re generally great for cyclists. For pedestrians it varies.