Magic roundabout swindon why

Built at the crossroads of five large roadways, this juggernaut of a junction opened in September designed by engineer Frank Blackmore of the British Transport and Road Research Laboratory. In it was voted the fourth scariest junction in Britain. Though there have been 14 serious accidents and just over a hundred lesser ones recorded in 25 years, that rate is less than one would expect for such a busy junction.

Most accidents have involved cyclists and motorcyclists and now a cycle lane running right round the outside of the roundabout, with pelican crossings, should ensure that the Magic Roundabout becomes as safe as it is efficient.

To use information contained on this site is to do so at your own risk. The website is for information purposes only and we assume no liability for decisions made as a result of the information provided here. You are still completely responsible for your decisions, your actions, and your safety. Share YOUR roads! We've more than Well according to Ray Harper, the man responsible for bringing the magic to Swindon, it's all down to a transport ministry boffin, a two week crash course on design and a council willing to experiment.

That was actually on my drawing board, being designed, when I took this junction to Frank Blackmore. For those who not in the know on the history of the roundabout… Frank Blackmore was not only the man behind the invention of the mini-roundabout but the boffin that came up with the idea of the 'multi-ringed junction' in answer to Swindon's Drove Road Roundabout problem.

But just coming up with the idea, wouldn't prove to be enough, it would also take a local council willing to experiment on an unwitting local populace to make it a reality.

A local council like Swindon Borough Council:. So with a bus parked in the middle of the new roundabout, and a bevy of pioneer roundabout designers busily counting cars, Swindon's guinea pig drivers were put through their paces, through an ever changing array of roundabout systems marked out with white painted tyres:. So that's the one we adopted.

And thirty years on it's still the one that's being used. In fact it's proved so successful that Swindon has even gone and got itself another one:. With two Magics and, it's claimed, more mini-roundabouts then residents… Swindon has become the undisputed roundabout capital of Britain. The roundabout consists of five mini-roundabouts dotted around a sixth central anti-clockwise roundabout.

Until the roundabouts creation, the area had been an absolute nightmare to venture across especially during rush hour, regularly failing to handle the sheer volume of traffic which merged on it from five different directions. Despite the unconventional design, the roundabout has an excellent safety record. Most accidents have ultimately involved cyclists and motorcyclists. But fear not two wheeled thrill seekers as the addition of a designated cycle route and pelican crossings, mean no matter how you travel you can still be safe.

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