Bike lanes have been part of urban planning and traffic distribution in cities for a long time. With them, cyclists and the increasingly popular electric scooters can move more comfortably and safely, separated from pedestrians and other vehicles.
However, even though they are so widespread and easy to use, they often get complicated when the bike lane reaches an intersection, a busy junction or a roundabout. This is where the Dutch roundabouts emerge.
The Dutch roundabout is a normal roundabout that also incorporates an outer lane with a bike lane, so that bicycles and electric scooters can circulate on it. It can have a single two-way bike lane, or several segregated ones for each direction of travel.
It gets its name from the fact that it originated in the Netherlands and that is where they have the greatest presence. Although in Spain and the rest of Europe they are not as abundant, they can already be found in some cities and are increasingly common.
And their advantages are obvious: they provide greater safety and comfort to traffic, both for the cyclists themselves and for other drivers. Of course, for them to be effective and safe, it is imperative to know how to navigate these roundabouts.
Inside the Dutch roundabout the same priority rules apply as in the rest of the traffic. That is, pedestrians have the highest priority, followed by cyclists and other methods of personal mobility, and finally, vehicles.
In any case, although pedestrians have priority when crossing at the zebra crossings located at these roundabouts, they must ensure that they are seen by both cyclists and drivers, stop and do not cross until they are properly given way.
For their part, cyclists must stop at the pedestrian crossings located at the entrance or exit of the roundabout whenever there is a person ready to cross. When entering the roundabout, they must respect the priority of cyclists who are already traveling through it. They must also make sure they are visible to drivers and properly sign when they are going to exit the roundabout.
As for drivers, they must also allow pedestrians to cross and access the roundabout when there are no bikes circulating on the bike lane. When entering the roundabout, they must give priority to the cars that are already circulating on it. The most convenient thing is to stay in the inside lane until you reach your exit, at which point you will progressively change to the outside lane until you take your exit, always signaling with your turn signals.
