quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

7 Circle Roundabout

I would never be able to find my way out of there.

Clark is that you?

In Washington county there are two roundabouts less than 100 yards apart.

Both roundabouts are double lane and I didn’t know if the right lane would be forced to exit. Made it through the first one and thought that want too bad. Then all of a sudden panic mode again for round two

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
We have some here, they are significantly better than 4 way stops for traffic flow, the thing is, the same folks that can't manage a roundabout are the same ones sitting at a 4 way and can't move because they can't remember the rules on who's turn it is...

Exactly.

Around here, they're being installed in place of 4 way stops for new construction, and certain older intersections are getting slowly retrofitted.


When it works, they work much better than 4 way stops for keeping traffic flowing.

When it doesn't work due to idiot drivers, it's no worse than dealing with idiot drivers at a 4 way stop.

So all in all, I'm in favor of them.

I especially like the ones that have a protected right turn/curve lane, so you don't even have to enter the traffic circle if you're wanting to take the first right.

^^^

Could be worse, when they put in a traffic circle in an intersection in Athens, Georgia,

The dumb shits left the stop signs up.

Roundabouts are just one more way that we can show we're as cool as Europe. That's all it is.

Intersections are just fine. They've worked here for 100 years. Aggravating at times? Sure. Worth spending tens of thousands (if not more) converting to a roundabout that nobody knows how to navigate? Nope.

They sure look cool though, and...well...that's important.

it is not just PA,

it is damn near everywhere,


some suck, some make sense,

some are just a pain,

One other fun roundabout feature here in the Yoop: Finding yourself in it with a mining or logging truck which often squeezes you out of your lane!

One of the first here is a double lane one. I would, and still regularly do, either speed up a bit, or more typically slow down, to avoid having a person enter the roundabout at the same time as me. Too often I've seen drivers lane drift and sideswipe another vehicle or turn out inappropriately.

I'm thinking it was a way to get road funding here in MN as they've been popping up all over. The first few I encountered I hated, not because they were roundabouts, but they put them in poor locations (in my opinion no traffic control needed in those locations).

The newer ones have been great and work well as long as everyone knows how to use them.

Earlier this year I followed an elderly lady who took her time entering the roundabout (which I was reasonably OK with, I didn't want to see her get into an accident) only to come to a complete stop while she was still in the roundabout to wave a person on the right in .

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Problems:
For some reason, they build a mound in the middle of it, restricting your vision as to who is on the other side of it.

They do that here too - I wonder if the reasoning is to make people slow down (as in I can't see what's coming, so I'd better slow down). Not that it works that way, we've got more than a few who like to see how fast they can go through them.

In my neck of the woods they call them "calming areas". Not sure that they are properly named.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

7 Circle Roundabout

I would never be able to find my way out of there.

I think if you go fast enough, centrifugal force carries you out automatically:

I treat the ones on Marsh Road here in Clermont like its's a chicane because they have low, sloping curbs. Kiss the right curb on entry, kiss the left curb at apex, kiss the right curb at exit. Results in nearly a straight pass through the roundabout. Done it at 50+ when no one was looking.

50 in a 15 will be a bit hard to explain if I ever get caught, though.

I don’t like them. You should see the rural ones. They always seem to have relatively fresh tire ruts going right through the middle.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:

50 in a 15 will be a bit hard to explain if I ever get caught, though.

Sorry, officer. My hearing aid batteries are low and it's very difficult to distinguish between "fif-teen" and "fif-tee."

There's a local Facebook page here where they were discussing the merits of a roundabout at a particular intersection . One woman was complaining that she had a problem getting through it because " Nobody would let me in " .

The trend here in smaller communities in MN seems to be replacing low traffic 2 or 4 way stops with round abouts - in the SAME FOOT PRINT as a traditional intersection... so now you have at best a 4 way yield that can only fit one car in it at a time. Absolute garbage.

It isn't just Pennsylvania.

My Girlfriend is a Civil Engineer.

She has been working for two years replacing a bridge over an interstate highway.
It formerly had a complex intersection on each end of the bridge, entry/exit ramps to/from the interstate, and several surface streets (feeders) also on each end of the bridge.
Also a Park entrance/exit on one end.

The traffic flow through those intersections sucked, particularly when the local nearby community college is going full blast. 7AM - 9AM and 4PM - 6PM times are particularly bad.

What did they do on the ends of the new bridge over the interstate? Yup, you guessed it. Now there are two roundabouts separated by about one third of a mile.

The horror stories I hear virtually every day.
People driving the wrong direction around the roundabout.
People stopping in the roundabout while they try and figure how to get out of the roundabout.
People driving over the concrete structures in the center of each roundabout. (this usually results in the vehicle undercarriage getting ripped out of the vehicle, and then a tow truck)
As fast as the construction crews plant grass and lay down sod, people drive through it and destroy it.
Signs get knocked down every night.
They can usually pick up a pickup truck bed worth of vehicle plastic front valence panels and front air dams every Monday.

The local vehicle repair shops love the newfound business!

Since the project is a State Highway, the signage for the roundabouts is DOT compliant. The signs are HUGE and repetitive.
I am convinced the vast majority of all drivers are stupid fools and incompetent assholes.
DUH, FOLLOW THE SIGNS!!!
The local community college isn't helping much either, there are lots of the "younger generation" drivers.

I have to remind my Girlfriend about once a week, "You didn't design that clusterfuck, your job is to see that it's built according to the plans"

 
Our newest roundabout, and the best designed, with entering traffic forced to curve left then curve back right to enter at a tangent.
 
However, that stone wall around the big spurs has been rebuilt at least six times, that I know of. Running into it requires jumping 3 4 curbs. The highway where the roundabout is (US 93) is pointed straight at the spurs before you enter the roundabout. I guess some folks are too busy texting or sleeping.
 

This message has been edited. Last edited by: henryaz,

Closest I've ever seen in the US is "Confusion Corner" in downtown Stuart, FL.

Confusion Corner

8 roads converging with a train track. First timers panic and usually end up going someplace other than where they intended, but honestly, once you get used to it, it's no big deal.

I imagine the Swindon roundabout isn't much different.

-Rob

Even Bakersfield has a traffic circle. I couldn't believe it.