Stupid that I can't spell check!The west to ready was meant to readwest to eastand remember lost a r in my first post.A retired senior transport planner living in Ealing, having checked the latest version of the roundabout standard found that the new zebra complies with the minimum dimension of 5m back from the stop line. The standard says"If a stand-alone crossing is provided close to the give way line, there will inevitably be consequences for the operation of the roundabout and possibly for safety. An informal or zebra crossing is normally preferred as it avoids the possibility that drivers will confuse the green signal with one controlling flow into the roundabout."This comment recognises that there is a trade-off to be made between the roundabout's operation and pedestrian convenience. I asked him to do a site visit and found pedestrians were certainly finding the new layout much more convenient than the old one, and as a cyclist himself he found it quicker to get through the junction.He also checked the council's Q&A consultation document relating to this zebra crossing last year, which said:Q Zebra crossings are proposed on the north and south arms of the Church Road junction, but often when these are positioned on the exits to roundabouts they are perceived as dangerous as traffic leaving the roundabout is not expecting to stop again and if there are large numbers of pedestrians, they could cause hold-ups.A Zebra crossings on roundabout exits are a common design feature within London and are not considered to pose a safety hazard. The zebra crossings proposed as part of this scheme will be on a raised section (aiding visibility and pedestrian priority) and similar such features installed in other areas of Ealing have not led to any issues. Roundabout operations have been tested with advanced modelling techniques (micro simulation) which predict the effects of the interaction between pedestrians and traffic. The impact assessment conducted suggests that, under the observed traffic and pedestrian flows, the junction would operate within capacity, without excessive delays or queues occurring.He agreed about the visibility issue and will be making the Transport Planning department aware of my concern.
Ben Owen ● 4433d