Traffic Roundabouts

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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/us/19roundabouts.html?_r=1&hp
Love them? Hate them? Dont know what they are?

Of the Six years that I have lived in Europe I only had a car 1.5 years.....these things made me nervous and I tried to avoid them. Upon moving to Washington State in 2004 I was surprised unpleasantly to find three within two miles of my house, one of which is almost impossible for me to avoid.

I kinda like them now. The wait to get through tends to be less than for a light, I am guessing that roundabouts are more efficient than are intersections.

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I like them. I agree that they keep traffic flowing- at least here where people know and follow the rules.

Believe it or not, there's one roundabout (we call it a circle) in south Jersey that I have to take to get to my sister's house. Once when I used to live in Haddonfield and I was going to my sister's house in May's Landing, this lady drove right into the side of my car - she tried to go straight or something - and she left the car and fled the scene of the accident.
They found out later - she'd escaped from Ancora (the mental hospital down there).
I'd never known what 'Ancora' was when a teacher I worked with used to say, 'These kids are gonna drive me straight into Ancora'.
That's how I found out what Ancora was.

Here, people use them so much that they know what they're doing and the traffic doesn't back up trying to get into and off of the roundabout - but that one in NJ - I think it's the only one left and it's like a crashcar derby - nobody knows what to do.

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@aidan,

Quote:

NJ - I think it's the only one left and it's like a crashcar derby - nobody knows what to do.

I see some of that in spite of a huge effort to educate people, which I attribute to newbies or visitors. I have seen some close calls, but almost no accidents in a circle. The claim is that even if there is an accident it will be at less than 10mph and will be low damage with no possibility of loss of life.

I have also noticed that the cops often sit down at the circles watching for seat belt law evaders (got me once)...I wonder if they also stop people who are confused and try to educate them.

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@hawkeye10,

Roundabouts breed overnight in the UK ! We now find "mini-roundabouts" (about 3 yards diameter) sprouting up on side roads. Of course the great advantage of roundabouts is that if you are not sure of your exit road you can keep rotating while you make a decision Smile

.

(BTW. The French, in the vive la difference spirit of the Pompidou Centre with its pipes on the outside, also have "square-abouts" !)

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@hawkeye10,

I don't mind them - the only problem with them is that so many people do not know who to drive when approaching one and causes major back ups.

I think we need to have a driving course on these.

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i blame Yes

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I like them. The whole problem with them is that people get nervous and don't know what to do. If people would just DRIVE, the whole thing sorts itself out quick.

Cycloptichorn

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@Cycloptichorn,

I like them, too. Very efficient use of the space. Once people get the hang of the rules it'll be even better.

How Do I Use a Roundabout? - Drivers

Approach
Reduce your speed.
Watch for signs that may help you find your exit.
Watch for people using the crosswalk, and be ready to stop.
Yield
Yield to traffic already in the roundabout that comes from your immediate left before you enter.
Enter
Enter the roundabout to your right (a counter clockwise direction) when there is a gap in traffic and you feel it is safe to do so.
Continue until you reach your exit.
Exit
Never come to a full stop in a roundabout unless traffic conditions require it.
Use your right turn signal to let other road users know where you plan to exit.
Exit at a slow speed.
As you exit, watch for people using the crosswalk, and be ready to stop.
If you miss your exit, keep going around the roundabout until you reach it again.

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@Mame,

Now if everyone followed these rules - then no problem. I see people coming to a dead stop before entering even when it is clear there is room to enter - and also come to a complete stop to exit out.

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i like to drive round and round with my left turn signal on

or i pretend i'm a nascar driver

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@djjd62,

Of course you do, dear.

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@Mame,

Mame wrote:

I like them, too. Very efficient use of the space. Once people get the
hang of the rules it'll be even better.

How Do I Use a Roundabout? - Drivers

Approach
Reduce your speed.
Watch for signs that may help you find your exit.
Watch for people using the crosswalk, and be ready to stop.
Yield
Yield to traffic already in the roundabout that comes from your
immediate left before you enter.
Enter
Enter the roundabout to your right (a counter clockwise direction) when
there is a gap in traffic and you feel it is safe to do so.
Continue until you reach your exit.
Exit
Never come to a full stop in a roundabout unless traffic conditions
require it.
Use your right turn signal to let other road users know where you plan
to exit.
Exit at a slow speed.
As you exit, watch for people using the crosswalk, and be ready to stop.
If you miss your exit, keep going around the roundabout until you reach
it again.

Here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (God Bless Her!), these are
considered signs of weakness.

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Oh, and they're called "rotaries".

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I like them, I find them easy to drive. I thought only people from Saskatchewan couldn't drive them, at least here anyway... Saskatchwanites can't seem to handle curves. lol

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@Ceili,

How's the snow where you are, Ceili? We got about 6"

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@Mame,

We didn't get the dump you guys did, maybe 4".. But it's freakin' cold out there. Bought some big ugly white boots so I can take the dog for a walk and not freeze, fingers crossed.

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@Ceili,

I opened the door to sign for a package and was pretty near frozen when I closed it. But I have my parka, my gloves and my Sorels, so I'm good to go. Yuck, though. It feels it came early but it probably didn't. Likely it was because the day before it snowed it was 14 deg.

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We have one 3 mile stretch of neighborhood with about 5 roundabouts and I like them as they're nicely planted in the middle. Before, it was a straight road with
lots of stop signs, now it's a beautiful landscaped street and those 5 roundabouts
look quite nice, aside from being highly functional as traffic flows so much better now...

Here is one of the 5 roundabouts

http://ljblog.info/image_store/uploads/2/3/8/0/5/ar128797458550832.jpg

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Traffic circles of this kind are not to ubiquitous in the United States, but neither are they all that uncommon. I've seen many a small town with a little park-like space in the center of town, and a traffic circle around it. I've not ever seen one which appeared to cause any trouble for people. You see them in small towns in Ontario, too.

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@Setanta,

Quote:

I've not ever seen one which appeared to cause any trouble for people

The ones that tend to give newbies fits are the two lane roundabouts, because you need to get in the correct lane before entering and people who are in the inside circle dont trust that the person next to them in the outside circle wont hit them as they exit. The trouble for us pro's is that when the people who dont know what they are doing dont do what they are supposed to do we all have to try to avoid a crash. In Washington State Roundabouts are used on busy roads as well a light residentual, the one nearest to me has a lot of semi's on it which is interesting because when they go around they take not only both lanes but also part of the center.

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