sassyangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,456
Jun 26, 2014 23:58:32 GMT
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Post by sassyangel on Aug 14, 2020 4:26:37 GMT
You know what I really miss? Chicanes, Australian suburban roads are famous for them when they’re trying to low you down. They come in rally-car worthy configurations. 😂
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Post by tentoes on Aug 14, 2020 4:27:04 GMT
I hate them.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Aug 14, 2020 5:01:51 GMT
I only voted nay because other people don’t use them properly. People don’t know how to zipper merge either.
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,294
Location: Colorado
Apr 26, 2017 6:14:47 GMT
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Post by snyder on Aug 14, 2020 5:07:48 GMT
The United States does not know how to use or build them. The ones here are way small and really defeat the true purpose of their intent to get traffic flowing in different directions in a quick manner. They do help prevent t-bone accidents.
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LeaP
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,939
Location: Los Angeles, CA where 405 meets 101
Jun 26, 2014 23:17:22 GMT
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Post by LeaP on Aug 14, 2020 5:21:57 GMT
I loved them in New Zealand. So sensible.
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Post by darkchami on Aug 14, 2020 5:39:35 GMT
It depends on the roundabout. Love the multi lane roundabout. Everyone can tell where everyone else is going, so traffic flows well.
The tiny one lane roundabout on a ridiculously busy road is a pain. You can’t tell if the person is continuing around, so you can’t go. Finding the perfect break in traffic takes forever. Oh, and did I mention that it is so small that the semi trucks have to go over the curbing? Why would semi trucks use it? Oh, because it’s the main road between the interstate and the main highway heading out of state.
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cycworker
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,387
Jun 26, 2014 0:42:38 GMT
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Post by cycworker on Aug 14, 2020 5:58:54 GMT
I need an answer that's somewhere between yay & nay. I certainly prefer a 4 way stop (though people can mess those up, too) but I don't think they're totally awful, either. That said, we don't have multi=lane ones here so ours aren't super complicated.
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Post by malibou on Aug 14, 2020 6:29:00 GMT
I love how brilliantly they work in the UK. Here in the US, not so much. No one seems to know what to do, then they are anxious, and that leads to some pretty horrific road rage.
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Post by jameynz on Aug 14, 2020 6:40:13 GMT
Common in NZ and it does keep the flow of traffic moving....don't have any problem with them at all.
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Post by vsimone on Aug 14, 2020 6:53:10 GMT
Love them. They are everywhere in Australia and people know how to use them. They are great for keeping traffic flowing
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Dallie
Full Member
Posts: 490
Feb 25, 2020 16:33:25 GMT
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Post by Dallie on Aug 14, 2020 7:26:03 GMT
The town where we lived in the midwest grew rapidly with lots more traffic, so they widened roads and decided to put in roundabouts. The idea was to reduce accidents and increase speed of traffic flow compared to four way stops.
It was a nightmare because most people had never seen one before in their lives and never driven one. People did not know how to use them.
They had signs put up, newspaper articles, programs on the local cable shows, cops come into the high school...
Then cops started ticketing drivers. People soon learned if you went to city court and contested it, the judge would always kill the ticket. Judge hated the roundabouts and refused to uphold any ticket involving them.
They had plans to put in a bunch of them. After the first one went in, the next traffic meeting was the most heavily attended city meeting in history. Everyone was against adding more.
Wonder if has gotten any better over time.
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Post by Jockscrap on Aug 14, 2020 7:50:34 GMT
I’m in the UK but visit my friend in Spain every year. She is a brilliant driver and totally comfortable driving ‘on the wrong side of the road’ but I couldn’t get my head round how she drove at roundabouts. She says in Spain, you only drive in the outside lane and don’t take the inner lane for going anything over 180 degrees like we do in the UK. It seems to work for Spain, but I wonder how many Brits driving there are aware that roundabouts don’t work the same way. I know I’ve heard of another country where you give way to folk coming onto the roundabout. UK roundabouts seem to work pretty efficiently on the whole but I hate the multi lane ones with lights on them.
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Post by gale w on Aug 14, 2020 8:34:30 GMT
I mostly don't mind them but it bugs me that so many people around here don't seem to know exactly how to use them. There's one that I do hate. If you stay in the right lane as you approach it, you have to turn right, but there's no sign indicating this. And it's far enough away that I haven't driven through it enough to remember that every time.
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joelise
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,649
Jul 1, 2014 6:33:14 GMT
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Post by joelise on Aug 14, 2020 8:47:12 GMT
Anyone who hates roundabouts should never drive in the UK! They are literally everywhere. A five minute drive from my house means I have to go round at least 8 roundabouts.
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joelise
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,649
Jul 1, 2014 6:33:14 GMT
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Post by joelise on Aug 14, 2020 8:50:20 GMT
She says in Spain, you only drive in the outside lane and don’t take the inner lane for going anything over 180 degrees like we do in the UK. It seems to work for Spain, but I wonder how many Brits driving there are aware that roundabouts don’t work the same way. I can’t picture how this works! You take the inner lane if you’re coming off at an earlier exit?
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Post by unknown pea on Aug 14, 2020 8:51:14 GMT
I didn’t mind them once I got used to them. However, I have twice seen a person in the roundabout stop completely to let someone into the roundabout. We also have A new one that for some reason I cannot understand, has the painted arrows pointing the wrong way and it’s confusing everyone!
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Post by gar on Aug 14, 2020 8:52:36 GMT
Being in England I use them multiple times daily...you couldn't avid them.
So why don't a lot of people in the US know how to use them?
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Post by Basket1lady on Aug 14, 2020 10:45:29 GMT
I don’t mind them over here. People know how to use them and they are really useful if you miss your turn—you just keep going around for another go at it!
But I first encountered them in New Jersey and they were the devil’s work. Different rules for different circles, roads going through them, traffic lights, no one knew how to use them... there was one in Cherry Hill that we called the circle of death. We actively avoided that one.
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Post by bratkar on Aug 14, 2020 11:05:27 GMT
The ones here at home (USA) totally fine with and understand them and have no issues except for the drivers that dont understand them.
Now the one around The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, I about lost my mind and swore hubby would be driving the next time we had to come through that area. (We avoided it the rest of the trip, except when we were on foot)
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 6, 2024 17:47:12 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2020 11:10:51 GMT
I'm in the UK so have grown up with Roundabouts all my life, they work well and are much safer. I guess non of these kind of roundabouts will appear in the US any time soon then
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Post by Patter on Aug 14, 2020 11:23:58 GMT
I grew up in Europe (England and Germany). I am used to them. I find a lot of people in the U.S. have no clue how to use them properly so I do get annoyed. Now if the majority used them correctly, they are great. What I hate are the 5-point intersections. Oh my word! They are horrendous.
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Post by peasapie on Aug 14, 2020 11:28:24 GMT
Nope! No one understands them and they just run through. We've also got some kind of figure 8 shit coming off the freeway that makes me want to surrender my divers license, because of the people driving on the wrong side of the road. Totally agree! I’ve almost been killed several times by people who can’t negotiate our local circle. It’s a very busy intersection and def should not have a circle. Traffic circles were fine when cars drove 25 mph but they are sooo outdated now.
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iluvpink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,370
Location: Michigan
Jul 13, 2014 12:40:31 GMT
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Post by iluvpink on Aug 14, 2020 11:33:27 GMT
I am growing to not mind them as much and they do sere a purpose.
I was first exposed to them about 15 years ago I think when they built three in a town not far away. Right off a freeway entrance/exit and near a busy shopping center. They scared me to death and they still do. There are three right in a row and between that, the traffic and the freeway those are a nightmare still.
Now that I've used more in lower traffic areas and not near the freeway I don't mind them so much. They built one in a somewhat busy intersection in our small area and that one is great. I love it.
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Post by gar on Aug 14, 2020 11:39:01 GMT
Nope! No one understands them and they just run through. We've also got some kind of figure 8 shit coming off the freeway that makes me want to surrender my divers license, because of the people driving on the wrong side of the road. Totally agree! I’ve almost been killed several times by people who can’t negotiate our local circle. It’s a very busy intersection and def should not have a circle. Traffic circles were fine when cars drove 25 mph but they are sooo outdated now. I have to disagree 🙂 How can they be outdated when we have them everywhere (and you’re seeing more of them generally in the US)? They’re efficient and safe on the whole and we don’t drive at 25 mph. It sounds more as though if they’re becoming more common in the US there needs to be more education/information on how to use them correctly.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Aug 14, 2020 11:45:58 GMT
You have a sick sense of fun. 😁 For the record, I hate them.
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,891
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Aug 14, 2020 11:49:49 GMT
I grew up having to use one to get to my house. I was fine with it - but I learned at a young age just how bad other drivers are. They are absolutely clueless when it comes to rotaries.
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,891
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Aug 14, 2020 11:50:31 GMT
I only voted nay because other people don’t use them properly. People don’t know how to zipper merge either. Absolute truth.
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Dallie
Full Member
Posts: 490
Feb 25, 2020 16:33:25 GMT
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Post by Dallie on Aug 14, 2020 12:12:48 GMT
Being in England I use them multiple times daily...you couldn't avid them. So why don't a lot of people in the US know how to use them? Because they are new to most Americans. They have been uncommon and many people may go their entire lives without seeing/using one. Not taught in driver ed even a few years ago. As an example, I can still remember the first time I encountered one. I was 20 something and was driving on Cape Cod in MA on vacation. I had probably been driving for ten years and this was new to me. I had ZERO idea what the hell I was supposed to do with this weird circle. Did not see one again for over thirty years, living in several different places. As noted in my post above, when they put them in our Midwestern city, no one there had any idea what they were. I saw people drive right over the center hump many times -- they finally planted trees in the middle to inform people that was not the right way to do it. To compound it, some roundabouts you yield to drivers coming IN to the circle and others, those coming in yield to those already inside. Your only warning of which way it is is a sign right at the circle, if that.
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Post by peasapie on Aug 14, 2020 12:22:14 GMT
Totally agree! I’ve almost been killed several times by people who can’t negotiate our local circle. It’s a very busy intersection and def should not have a circle. Traffic circles were fine when cars drove 25 mph but they are sooo outdated now. I have to disagree 🙂 How can they be outdated when we have them everywhere (and you’re seeing more of them generally in the US)? They’re efficient and safe on the whole and we don’t drive at 25 mph. It sounds more as though if they’re becoming more common in the US there needs to be more education/information on how to use them correctly. They were very common here before we had the level of traffic we have now, but as towns (in my area of the Northeast, anyway) became more congested they cannot handle the volume properly. They are not made for high-volume traffic areas. I do agree drivers don't know how to negotiate them.
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Post by gar on Aug 14, 2020 12:23:28 GMT
Being in England I use them multiple times daily...you couldn't avid them. So why don't a lot of people in the US know how to use them? They have been uncommon and many people may go their entire lives without seeing/using one. Not taught in driver ed even a few years ago. As an example, I can still remember the first time I encountered one. I was 20 something and was driving on Cape Cod in MA on vacation. I had probably been driving for ten years and this was new to me. I had ZERO idea what the hell I was supposed to do with this weird circle. Did not see one again for over thirty years. As noted in my post above, when they put them in our Midwestern city, no one there had any idea what they were. I saw people.drive right over the center hump many times -- they finally planted trees in the middle to inform people that was not the right way to do it. Oh goodness! So if they're becoming more common are they being taught in driver's ed now? Or is it dependent on where you live?
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