Well, we have in the Keston Kent area, a new roundabout just about to open being a month behind schedule, according to what I read some months ago. This roundabout replaces a dodgy Y-junction where the main Westerham Rd meets Heathfield Rd coming from Hayes and Keston.
At the moment the new roundabout is being re-surfaced and everyting getting ready for normal traffic and many weeks of traffic lights control.
From what I have seen, and bearing in mind that double decker buses have to negotiate this new roundabout I can foresee problems but I'm a typical pessimist perhaps.
In order to accentuate its rounabout status, sinuous kerbs have been built out at various parts where I can see some vehicles hitting or mounting these nasty edges but no doubt most traffic will manage to miss them, with sufficient illumination and observation.
The centre piece is fashioned from blockwork and is also level with the road surface only in places where I can imagine it would be impossible for large vehicle to negotiate the roundabout if it had a raised kerb. However, diagonally opposite, there are raised kerbs on the centre area and so its geometry is not consistent and I suppose, like painted circles on mini-roundabouts, they want to encourage traffic to keep to the tarmac.
I am sceptical as to how well this will work but hope it will alleviate the morning and evening traffic jams we had befored, with traffic queueing to exit Heathfield Rd onto the main Westerham Rd. However I can see the possibiltiy of damaged wheels or blown tyres on the unobserved and unexpected projecting kerbs.
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No traffic lights to disrupt the flow?
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I'm in Biggin Hill so know exactly where you mean, i avoided going up past the Chicken Farm for a while now because of the delays, by the looks of things part of road about is cobbled stones not tarmac, I can see that being an issue with different levels of grip exiting the roundabout.
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The Edinburgh cobbles are good for an ABS and traction control check when wet. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sat 17 Dec 16 at 13:23
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>> I'm in Biggin Hill so know exactly where you mean, i avoided going up past
>> the Chicken Farm for a while now because of the delays, by the looks of
>> things part of road about is cobbled stones not tarmac, I can see that being
>> an issue with different levels of grip exiting the roundabout.
>>
Yes. all the centre area is 'cobbled' stones and is level with the tarmac if coming from Biggin Hill, say, and then wanting to continue on the A233 to Keston Mark. This would have to be like this to enable the buses to navigate the roundabout successfully without hitting any central kerbstones.
I expect that it will be fully finished and open next week and I hope newcomers keep themselves alert for those new curvy projections making it more of a roundabout and stopping us sweeping off, swiftly to the left should we want to go to Hayes, instead - all slow down now!
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Went across this roundabout late last night, very foggy, seems all to finished but for the road surfaces on entry/exits.
Coming from BH to Bromley the lane is way too narrow and curved for any bus or HGV not to use the raised cobbled inner ring (can see why it would be there if it wasn't to be used), coming back the other way hasn't changed much, this was always the 'main' route so cars will go straight over RB with minimal slowing down.
Not convinced that this whole project will have much benefit for all, as far as I know it's never been a accident black-spot, just in rush-hour drivers from the side road have to wait a few minutes to join the main road.
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Yes, I don't know whether this was all a waste of money but hope it will relieve the jams at the rush hours at least enabling traffic to get out from Heathfield Rd onto the main road without those long queues.
Very occasionally, some traffic coming from Keston Mark wanted to sort of make a U-turn at the old junction to go back towards Keston Fox and Hayes Common and then the old system made it a bit awkward which a roundabout should relieve.
I hope the road signers/painters get out some of their lurid paints and make the projecting grey raised kerb stones on the near side more obvious, to the unwary.
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Well, the roundabout is now open to all traffic and so months of interminable road works and traffic lights control is over.
I have to say, it looks good but still maintain, from my point of view, that on certain approaches it has too many jutty out pieces which, given poor light or visibility may cause problems, damaged wheels or deflated tyres.
Coming from Biggin Hill and wanting to take the first exit to Hayes/Keston, there are some projections to make traffic slow down and a bus stop has been moulded into one of these! Clearly, traffic taking the second exit will trample across the blocked centre area instead of circulating neatly around the road 'proper' but that's the nature of things.
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New Roundabouts - Old Navy
