lungimsam

Is there a light I can use and keep on a diagonal to flash at them so they can't miss me?
Any other ideas?

I currently wear reflective vest and use 600 Lumens light on bars. I have reflective sidewalls on tires. No room on bars to swivel light at them.

I have tried altering my route. I have a choice of three routes:
1. 3 busy circles (no), got hit there last year by driver entering circle. Too busy.
2. 4 lonely circles (much better). Only last circle has a lot of traffic. Only problem so far at last circle.
3. One single lane country road with no shoulder through bad visibility forested area (you are dead if they are texting or not paying attention), hop off bike at one point and run across 55mph freeway to next stretch of county road.

I am riding on route 2. now. Seems great except for that last circle. Maybe I will be forced to dismount and walk across the circle through ped-crossing.

I despise the circles. They are putting them everywhere. Even one is in a lane that connects two parking lots. It is getting out of hand.

david58

They're getting to think they are a good idea around here, too. I hate 'em, though on my morning commute I usually am early enough to miss the traffic and in the afternoon I take a different route.

My preference for lighting is a steady on my bars and one flashing on my helmet. That way I can aim just by looking. Seems to work, but maybe I am just lucky.

turbo1889

Get one (or more) of the flashing road flare LED alternatives thy make for people to keep in their cars and use as an alternative to a road flare to mark an accident sight, stalled vehicle on road, etc. . . of your choice (different ones from different brands available that take different battery options or have built in rechargeable) and mount it on your bike. Your choice of colors but I would suggest the orange/yellow/amber color for up front and the sides and red color for the rear. The big advantage with them is that they are designed to be highly visible from a wide viewing angle and they have a large area that lights up reasonably well rather then a small sharp pin-point of light which is how many bike lights look to motorists in comparison and may not be noticed as well.

Strategic application of black electric tape on the edges of the lenses facing inward and upwards towards you can be used to keep the wide angle flashing effect out of your eyes so it won't mess with your night vision.

kingsqueak

NJ has had circles for years. For years it has been clear that many drivers can't figure them out among giant cars heh. People just can't handle the mental capacity to judge the merge.

I'd be really cautious if I was cycling through one for sure. I would just assume each entering driver doesn't see me and time my approach so I pass between cars when possible. I wouldn't go with the belief I would be yielded to whether I was right or not.

turbo1889

There are only a select few traffic circles up here around the town of Kalispell mainly in very newly constructed roads. The ones where they put a yield sign on the entry ramps work fine, the ones where they don't put a yield sign on the entry ramps and just assume that drivers are smart enough and educated enough to know that on round-a-bouts and traffic circles entering traffic always yields to traffic already in the circle are absolutely terrible.

Drivers aren't that smart, at least around here (and I strongly suspect just about everywhere else too). You have to put up yield signs on the entry ramps for them to even have a chance of "getting it" and even then there are a sizable percentage that still don't get it especially when it comes to them yielding to a cyclist. Sad but true.

You just have to light yourself up like a Christmas tree and hope for the best and ride to look like your going to ram them and bash their drivers window in with a U-lock and beat them senseless with same while actually being ready to take evasive defensive action and expecting the worst.

spivonious

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I love circles. I wish they'd put more in. Traffic moves so much more smoothly versus a traffic light or 4-way stop.

Is the problem when you're merging, or cars merging in after you're in the circle? Is it dark out? I find that most lights are completely worthless in the daytime.

DX-MAN

Having had some Euro exposure (3 years in Germany), I was pleasantly surprised to see 'roundabouts'(traffic circles) start to show up -- and then I realized:

They Are Another Way For Idiot Drivers To Blow Through An Intersection.

The rules are more relaxed, so for MOST, there ARE no rules. There is ONE place in town where they work better than what was there. They've been put in place in about ten spots.

I was almost run over by a driver one morning when I was already IN the circle; the damned fool slowed, saw "only a bike" -- I know he saw me, because he looked at me with resentment -- and blew on through. Had I not grabbed brakes, I'd have sideswiped his car.

America isn't ready for such innovations, because they require sense and a lack of hubris to handle.

kingsqueak

Yes ^^^this^^^

Brandonub

I don't really see how we're going to get ready if we don't start implementing them. The more of them people see, the more likely they are to become accustomed to the basics rules and rhythm.

no motor?

Helmet light(s) would be the next thing to try. They work great for me.

Wilbur Bud

airzound or other loud horn.

Keith99

Learn to ride like a bat out of hell!

Seriously Near my cycling prime I rode to Dodger Stadium for opening day one year. That is the worlds biggest traffic circle (it circles the entire stadium and several parking lots). Minimal problems, but I was going as fast as the cars. I'd have felt like a duck in a shooting gallery if I was doing 15 mph.

Traffic circles force a lot of merges. They are convenient when there is adequate room to merge and the drivers are used to them. And only a small price to pay, a few side to side impacts. Nothing much.... As long as you are in a car. Any impact is significant on a bike.

buzzman

Where is this? google link?

DX-MAN

I just have this crazy idea that the cities that put them in place may want to pursue some serious education about them -- instead of, say a PSA on the evening news once a week on one station. MAYBE, for about six months after installing them, license/registration renewals depend on demonstrating some knowledge about them.

jon c. 

Had a guy on a skateboard cruise into the circle right in front of me once when I was in my truck. Coming off a hill, he was moving at a pretty good pace. Already in the circle, I had the ROW but saw him coming and had no problem slowing enough to let him proceed. One the one hand, I admired his guts. On the other hand, I thought he was crazy. I've had no problems taking this smallish circle on my bike, but I don't ride that road all that often. And I always go in with a bail out option in mind.

nelson249

Ditto.

bengreen79

One or two lane circles? Where in the lane are you positioning yourself?

Looigi

It seems there's a traffic circle resurgence of late in the US. There were a lot of traffic circles in the Northeast (NJ, NY, CT, etc..) 50+ years ago. Seems they went out of favor and many I know were replaced with other types of intersections years ago. Now I'm seeing new ones popping up all over the place.

lungimsam

Sorry about the drawing bobbles. Unsteady hand.
Here is what happened to the best of my recollection. I am the black line, yellow is the driver:


Last year, I got hit in this other circle on the same road like this. Car had plenty of visibility to see oncoming traffic. I had headlight and reflective vest and was in the lane with traffic at night:

FBinNY 

I assume that the rules of the road where you are, are the same as in NY and entering traffic is supposed to yield to traffic in the circle.

If so, understand that a certain percentage of drivers don't. Either because they don't know the law, don't care, or don't look. Here there's a large circle on a bus route (more than one actually) Buses are routinely cut off by entering drivers. Obviously they saw the bus (how could they not) but entered anyway.

While anything you do to help yourself stand out day or night will help, it isn't absolute protection because as the buses prove, some drivers don't care anyway. I ride through the same circle on my bike, and as I pass the entering points, I eyeball the driver and gauge his intent. If he wants to cut me off and enter, I adjust speed and position and let him. This isn't common, and most drivers are OK, but my point is that you can't count of drivers not to hit you, you have to make them not hit you by anticipating and adjusting.

IMO traffic circles are actually safer than other intersections because most offer good sight lines and plenty of room to adjust, but you can't passively assume everybody will play by the rules.

lungimsam

I am thinking that I can just assess it each time I ride through there:
If it is all clear, with no oncoming traffic, ride through. It is easy to see all the oncoming traffic from far away, so easy to see if the circle will remain clear while I ride through.
If it is busy with traffic, hop off and use the cross walk.
Just not worth getting hit.

lungimsam

[QUOTE=FBinNY;16016957]I assume that the rules of the road where you are, are the same as in NY and entering traffic is supposed to yield to traffic in the circle.

Yes.

buzzman

Naturally, it's impossible to offer anything other than general advice without actually riding this road.

But I'm wondering if a basic thought might help as you ride. Yes, light yourself up like a Christmas tree, if you like, make yourself as visible as possible both night and day BUT always ride like you are invisible to all drivers.

I always assume they do NOT see me. Even when they look right at me. Even when they make eye contact. 99% of the time they do see you but it's impossible to know for sure. This way when they do something stupid you will anticipate they would do it because you are working under the premise that they do NOT see you.

Hopefully, this makes sense and while it may sound really basic and like it wouldn't make any difference it actually can make a difference.

10 Wheels

This one works for me on the helmet.

https://www.fasttech.com/products/160...-lumen-blue-le

B. Carfree

I'm just guessing based on your drawings on the aerial photos, but are you hugging the curb on your way into the circle? Motorists entering the circle are looking for traffic in those places where they expect to find other cars. That's where you need to be.

Of course, some folks won't see you until you put a plastic car shell around your bike. Unfortunately we don't require these people to drive specially labelled cars, so you can't tell which cars are being driven by such low-skill operators. That goes for other parts of the road outside the traffic circles too. Always have a plan for those times when you are unexpectedly invisible so that your reactions will be as quick and effective as possible.