“Only a matter of time before someone gets hurt”: Cyclist calls for “clearer signage” after close pass montage on new Dutch-style roundabout, but others argue the “hidden danger is motorists not driving according to rules” + more on the live blog

It seems that there’s a certain back-and-forth going on in the court of public opinion regarding the new Dutch-style roundabout in Chichester. The £950,000 roundabout, the third of its kind in the UK after Cambridge and Sheffield, was first blasted by “furious locals” who claimed the “nightmare project is wasting taxes”.

But just two weeks later, both cyclists and drivers from West Sussex city seemed to warm up to it, the reports showing that locals had apparently given it the “seal of approval” and was making people “feel safe”.

Now, an anonymous cyclist has turned the tide against the roundabout once again, making a montage of the near misses they’ve had while commuting to their work using the roundabout, and blamed it on the poor signage and unclear markings, which make it difficult for the drivers to see cyclists in time.

> "There's space and a feeling it's safe": New cycling roundabout impresses drivers and cyclists, weeks after furious locals claimed "nightmare" project is wasting taxes

The cyclist, who’s lived in the area for 30 years, shared the video showing the numerous near misses with Sussex World. “I cycle to work and have been doing so for about four years, taking the same route every morning and evening. In all that time, I never had a single near miss while riding on the road,” they said.

“But in the two weeks since this Dutch-style roundabout opened, I’ve already experienced around eight near misses. It’s made me much more cautious — I’ve had to slow right down and even steer off a few times to avoid being hit.

"The issue is that motorists just don’t see cyclists in time. The way this roundabout is designed, cyclists are often in a driver’s blind spot. The first time a driver actually sees a cyclist could be when they are already right beside or in front of them, and by then, it’s often too late to react safely.”

The cyclist added that as a motorist themself, they could see why it could be “confusing” for drivers who need to be “looking over their shoulder for cyclists, checking for pedestrians on both sides, and watching the cars in front, all at the same time”.

> “Good to see those who don’t pay road tax getting priority”: New “unsafe” Dutch-style roundabout will create “chaos” and add 45 minutes to journeys in hilly city where “most people can’t cycle”, confused drivers say

They continued: “A colleague from Holland told me the problem is that this roundabout is too small. Traditional Dutch roundabouts are bigger, giving both cyclists and drivers more time to see each other. Here, cyclists approach at such an angle that drivers almost have to look backwards to spot them in time.

“I’ve even seen cyclists avoiding it altogether—one woman actually got off her bike, crossed as a pedestrian, then got back on after the roundabout. That just shows the level of distrust people have for how safe it is.

“I’ve started wearing a GoPro because of this roundabout. I’ve never felt the need before, but now I feel I need that protection in case something happens.

“With the amount of money spent on this roundabout, you’d expect it to work better. I understand there’s an adjustment period, but if thousands of cars are passing through daily, and every driver has to make multiple split-second decisions, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt.”

> “Pandering to the few that don’t even pay to be on the roads”: New Dutch-style roundabout branded an “expensive disaster area” by drivers – but cyclists say it’s “100% safer” and the “start of better cycling infrastructure”

While some people in the comments seemed to agree with the cyclists, others also pointed out that the current signage is clear enough, and the only guilty party the drivers who either aren’t used to navigatinh around a Dutch-style roundabout yet, or don’t care about cyclists.

“See, I am Dutch and there is a thing wrong with this roundabout,” wrote one person. “Where are the marks that show who has the right of way? Here in the Netherlands, there are almost always those shark’s teeth on the road so cars know who has the right of way same goes for the cyclists.”

However, another person disagreed, replying: “From the road markings, we can see that cyclists have the priority. It’s a problem of it being new and drivers not respecting rules.”

One person commented under the YouTube video: “The roundabout layout isn’t the issue, it’s buffoons not understanding basic road markings that have been around for generations.”

Another person concurred, saying: “This. I came here to comment that the 'hidden' danger here is motorists not driving according to the rules. That is the same danger not so well hidden on all our other road junctions.”

What do you think? Is the roundabout too small to safely accommodate a Dutch-style cycling infrastructure? Or, are their not enough, clear markings to help cyclists and drivers? Or, are drivers at fault for not using the roundabout with due care and caution? Let us know in the comments!

With treacherous weather on the cards, and many deeming conditions as unraceable, a new UCI regulation which allows the race commissaires to lead the peloton and dictate the tempo at a safe pace until the conditions improve made its debut.

"Safety car" protocol officially debuts in cycling.#ParisNice pic.twitter.com/Ldaqzoc2fo

— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) March 12, 2025

Here’s the full UCI guidelines: “In the event that, after the start of an event or stage, the weather conditions do not permit a safe and fair race and such conditions had not been anticipated, the President of the Commissaires' Panel should neutralise the race the speed will be reduced behind the race director's car and/or commissaire cars) before consulting stakeholders and then making a decision on whether to resume the race.

“If the race is restarted after a neutralisation, the Commissaires' Panel shall decide whether or not to reinstate any time gaps between groups prior to the neutralisation depending on the race situation.”

The fourth stage of Paris-Nice yesterday put the peloton through the cold, miserable and harsh weather, with temperatures falling as low as two degrees and rain and hail forcing the race to be neutralised. However, with the downpour going away from the course, the organisers decided to resume the race.

But as the riders made their way to the summit finish in La Loge des Gardes, it was evident that they were struggling, many constantly shaking and jerking their arms, while Pavel Sivakov even used the motorcycle engines to warm up their hands.

Fighting the chill... Pavel Sivakov warms his hand on the engine of a motorbike at Paris-Nice stage four (@faustocoppi60 on Twitter/X)

Vingegaard, who was a mere 50 metres away from the finish line before UAE Team Emirates’ João Almeida snuck up with a powerful last-gasp attack to steal the win from the two-time Tour de France winner, was seen struggling with the lower temperature weather and did not hold back as to what he thought about the race going forward.

“I have mixed feelings, although… I’m just not happy at all. We should never have ridden this finale. It was freezing and no one in the peloton felt any warmth. After the restart, I didn’t get warm anymore and even now I still feel hypothermic,” the Danish rider, who currently sits at the top of the general classification, said in the post-race interview. 

He also shared his thoughts about losing the stage win to Almeida at the last minute, saying: “Well, that’s very disappointing, but that’s part of cycling, I think. I just felt good today and we also did well in the chase for Foss.”