Roundabouts

[CD56]

I find them extremely frustrating, anyone else? There was one where I used to live (Syracuse) and now they're building one in my new town (Binghamton).

Are they more efficient than traffic lights? i doubt they're safer. while im in one i feel like im in a real life game of mario-kart.

[spamuell]

One? lol

There is one like every 100 feet in London. Just get used to them, they're no big deal.

They might be more efficient than traffic lights. I rarely see long traffic jams before roundabouts but frequently do before traffic lights, that might be to do with where they choose to build roundabouts/lights though. Also if they're not common, people will probably be hesitant and [censored] up lane changes and do other dangerous things, so lights could well be quicker.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

One benefit is that serious injuries almost never happens since the angle difference between the cars is relatively low.

[swede123]

They are very efficient when it comes to merging traffic from multiple roads. Obviuosly a traffic light will only work for four directions, with a roundabout you can fit five, six or more directions in there.

Swede

[sleight]

I think of them about the same as I think of driving itself. It's a quick/easy (debatable) way of getting around, but people are always going to find a way to screw it up. Always a matter of anticipating the erratic.

Do people in Europe handle those giant ones any better? maybe there aren't that many that are eight lanes across, I don't know.

[Biloxi]

I have to go thru a small one everday on the way to school. Most ppl dont know what yeild means, so it becomes a major pain in the azz. Its in a spot where three roads meet from odd angles

[Brain]

I think it would be nice if there were uniform rules for navigating traffic circles. Some places, you yield to traffic in the circle and some you yield to traffic entering the circle. /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[jdl22]

I think we should have more of them. Especially in parts where they put in a four way stop to slow down traffic and people ignore it. While you don't have to stop the roundabout makes you slow down.

[hoopsie44]

My first experience with these was in Bermuda driving a scooter and being very drunk. Very frightening.

[spamuell]

[ QUOTE ]
Do people in Europe handle those giant ones any better? maybe there aren't that many that are eight lanes across, I don't know.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well obviously I don't know how people in the US handle them, you get a few idiots here but generally people are ok. I'm only talking about London though, I have pretty much no experience driving anywhere else.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Do people in Europe handle those giant ones any better? maybe there aren't that many that are eight lanes across, I don't know.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well obviously I don't know how people in the US handle them, you get a few idiots here but generally people are ok. I'm only talking about London though, I have pretty much no experience driving anywhere else.

[/ QUOTE ]

In London and the rest of UK you have all those idiots who drive through them clockwise /images/graemlins/tongue.gif.

[rusellmj]

WTF is a roundabout?

[Macdaddy Warsaw]

A traffic circle or a rotary.

[Blarg]

If I understand how roundabouts work correctly, they seem inherently quicker. At traffic lights there is always the possibility to have cars backed up at this side or that while there are no cars at all to go through the other way. So non-productivity is pretty much built into the system. Traffic lights are also sometimes very badly timed one to the next, so a car can't travel at speed even as long as a block. There are a million ways for traffic lights to be wasteful even if everyone were a perfect driver.

I think roundabouts might be at their best where people are known to be a little more courteous, just a guess. For instance, in Los Angeles, most people are horrible drivers, reflecting the general egotism and aggressive obliviousness of the place, and if we were to switch to all roundabouts tomorrow, there would be a huge rough adaptation as people began to actually pay attention to their driving and not do it purely mechanically and absent-mindedly. Letting people in your lane is regarded as a dangerous and humiliating admission of inferiority in Los Angeles, so the cooperation to keep a roundabout from completely gumming up would probably rare at first. I can picture the annual freeway shooting season turning from an occasional pleasant pastime into something truly worrisome.

[daveymck]

They can be quick and efficient but if traffic comes more from a certain direction then there can be huge build ups of traffic at the less busier entrances, generally in these cases they add part time traffic lights which often make the queues big at all of them /images/graemlins/crazy.gif.

The more bizarre thing for me in the states was turning right through a red light if you did that over here (but turning left) you would get a ticket but I thought it was a good idea.

[fluxrad]

Roundabouts are becoming more popular in the states because they're safer. IIRC, the rationale is that you have more accidents at roundabouts, but the accidents that happen are:

1. At lower speed.
2. Not head-on or perpindicular to the direction of travel.

So there are significantly fewer injuries caused by accidents in roundabouts.

In my own experience, I really like roundabouts provided people know how to use 'em. Once roundabout etiquitte catches on here I think you'll start to see them all over.

[Dan Rutter]

They built one on a semi-busy street about 1/2 a mile away from my house. I do not like it. I think that some of the village council people thought it would be a neat thing to do, since no other city in the area has one. It also makes crossing it harder while walking, and it is located in a major area for kids walking to school.

In the winter some lady ended up crashing her car, because it had snowed out and before the plow came she was driving. Well, the roundabout was still covered and she ended up driving right on top of the roundabout, and did not follow the circular path. I do not know how she did not see the yield signs, or anything, but it happened. When I was driving past it they were digging her out.

[astroglide]

http://www.civil.ubc.ca/research/ite/content/content_images/roundabout%20large.jpg

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/safety/motorist/roaddesign/roundabout-works.htm

i've never heard of them before. seems like you can't go replacing stoplights with them due to how much space they take, maybe it's cool for new installations though.

[Yeti]

[ QUOTE ]
I think it would be nice if there were uniform rules for navigating traffic circles. Some places, you yield to traffic in the circle and some you yield to traffic entering the circle. /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Really?

[fluxrad]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think it would be nice if there were uniform rules for navigating traffic circles. Some places, you yield to traffic in the circle and some you yield to traffic entering the circle. /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Really?

[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't this essentially the same thing? My understanding is you basically should yield to any car that could hit you.

[Brainwalter]

[ QUOTE ]
Obviuosly a traffic light will only work for four directions

[/ QUOTE ]

False!

[Brain]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think it would be nice if there were uniform rules for navigating traffic circles. Some places, you yield to traffic in the circle and some you yield to traffic entering the circle. /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Really?

[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't this essentially the same thing? My understanding is you basically should yield to any car that could hit you.

[/ QUOTE ]

First one: Traffic coming into the circle yields to traffic already going around and around. (I think this should be SOP, IMO.)

Second one: Traffic in the circle going around and around yields to traffic coming into the circle. (Seems kinda silly to me because everybody's going to get backed up)

If you don't know which one this is supposed to be, you're gonna get rear-ended. Those are the cars that I'm worried about hitting me.

Yes, I know there should be signs to help you. But I'm in New Jersey where they sometimes to forget to put signs in helpful places. /images/graemlins/mad.gif

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
They can be quick and efficient but if traffic comes more from a certain direction then there can be huge build ups of traffic at the less busier entrances, generally in these cases they add part time traffic lights which often make the queues big at all of them /images/graemlins/crazy.gif.

The more bizarre thing for me in the states was turning right through a red light if you did that over here (but turning left) you would get a ticket but I thought it was a good idea.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, the right turn on red is one of the best ideas ever invented, right up there with the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule, and washing your hands after you go to the bathroom.

[gunt]

they have them everywhere in massachusetts... its funny seeing people drive on them for the first time.... " hey kids, big ben, parliament... big ben, parliament."

[BeerMoney]

[ QUOTE ]
they have them everywhere in massachusetts... its funny seeing people drive on them for the first time.... " hey kids, big ben, parliament... big ben, parliament."

[/ QUOTE ]

WTF r u talking about?

[Brain]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
they have them everywhere in massachusetts... its funny seeing people drive on them for the first time.... " hey kids, big ben, parliament... big ben, parliament."

[/ QUOTE ]

WTF r u talking about?

[/ QUOTE ]

"Clark, you're on the wrong side of the road."
"Yes, I know, honey. I'm also on the wrong side of the car."

[Arnfinn Madsen]

[ QUOTE ]
they have them everywhere in massachusetts... its funny seeing people drive on them for the first time.... " hey kids, big ben, parliament... big ben, parliament."

[/ QUOTE ]

Kudos.
Just as text message, ATMs etc.. Maybe you let the child move out of the house too early /images/graemlins/wink.gif.

[Mason Hellmuth]

http://www.swindonweb.com/life/lifemagi1.jpg

The Magic Roundabout (http://www.swindonweb.com/life/lifemagi0.htm) in Swindon, UK. Five clockwise roundabouts surrounding a counter-clockwise one. Think we could handle that in the States?

[astroglide]

he may "pork" her, russ.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

It is challenging to drive the ones in the UK as I am used to right-side driving and in Roundabout the where to look and which lane etc. is complicating when you are used to everything being opposite.

If you want challenge though go to Paris around Arch Triump (no marked lanes even if they make six or seven, high speed, many exits):

http://www.aboutromania.com/Paris102.jpg

[Brain]

I've heard too many horror stories about the Arc de Triomphe from my boss to want to ever drive there. I'm walking in Paris (or hitching a ride with Lance).

[Blarg]

Damn, that is really cool.

I predict that one of those in America would probably need a permanent SWAT team in residence.