Australian roundabouts are among the most dangerous for cyclists in the Western world, while in Victoria they are the scene of more than one in 10 crashes between a motor vehicle and a cyclist, a report for government has found.

And inner Melbourne, where cycling is booming, is especially perilous. Between 2006 and 2009 one in every two crashes at a roundabout in Melbourne's eight inner-city municipalities involved a cyclist, a related study found.

The Beach St. Port Melbourne roundabout is among the worst roundabouts for cyclists in Melbourne. Credit:Michael Clayton-Jones

A report released on Thursday found Australian roundabouts are typically designed to maximise traffic flow, not safety. It recommended design changes to reduce driver speed and risk to cyclists. Proposed changes, largely modelled on European roundabouts, include creating tighter curves, reducing visibility to the right to encourage drivers to slow down and look more carefully, and directing cyclists to ''claim the lane'', not hug the gutter.

The report's findings were applauded by Bicycle Network Victoria, although spokesman Garry Brennan said change was long overdue. ''For years we've been making the point that the Australian style of roundabout is completely wrong because drivers do not have to slow down to go through them,'' Mr Brennan said.