People's minds blown after trying to figure out how new 'protected intersection' works

People have been left confused after seeing how a new design of an intersection is laid out.

It's called a 'protected intersection' and the way it's laid out has left many people feeling more than a little perplexed.

A regular intersection is a more simple layout, with the two roads crossing over and traffic lights controlling when traffic can move across and turn left or right.

Or if you live in a different country, it could be laid out as a roundabout with four or more exits.

However, this particular style of intersection is designed with the safety of all road users.

If you're at all familiar with the Netherlands and roads users in the Netherlands, you'll know that in this country in particular this is far from confined to just cars, buses, and lorries.

That's because there are a lot of people who cycle, and this kind of intersection is built with the safety of cyclists in mind.

It makes sense, really, as even if the smallest of cars hits a cyclist it's pretty clear who's going to come off worse.

Intersections can be particularly dangerous for cyclists. (TommL / Getty)

Not only that but junctions are typically hotspots for collisions, so if you want to reduce the number of crashes then improving junctions is an obvious thing to focus on.

So how do these intersections work?

The main principle is that it completely separates cycle lanes from the car lanes on the intersection and acts to calm traffic as it passes.

The cycle lane clearly marked out, with bikes being given right of way as they turn on the junction, or continue on.

You might also have noticed that there are also small islands with curbs placed on the corners of the junction.

These serve two functions. Firstly, they act as a barrier between cyclists and motorists, and secondly, they tighten the corners that motorists have to take when they turn.

Changing the layout can make intersections much safer for everyone. (Adria Puig/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

This means that when a motorist tries to make the turn they will be forced to do so at a lower speed, which is safer for everyone.

Not only that, but there are shorter and clearly marked crossings for pedestrians as well.

The intersection have also been rolled out in the US, with the National Association of City Transportation Officials in San Francisco saying: “In San Francisco, a protected intersection design resulted in 98% of drivers yielding to people on bikes, and 100% yielding to people walking.

“A study in New York found that protected intersections had fewer vehicle-bike conflicts than even a dedicated turn lane with a dedicated bike signal phase.”

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