Traffic Circles - what say you?

Was reading @Breeze147 “screwed up my faith in humanity” thread and this subject came up. I didn’t want to hijack his thread; so after reading the comments thought I’d try a thread to elicit more responses about how others feel about the ever growing traffic circles, roundabouts, whatever you call them.

Here’s mine:

The Traffic Circle

First I look left, then I look right
gripping the steering wheel with all of my might
I enter the circle with dread in my mind
hoping and praying I’m not hit from behind

Which lane am I in, I do not know
So I open my eyes and oh, no!
I gun it and just hope for the best
It’s so hard to remember all the rest

Cars zipping left and finger salutes
Horns a honking by brutes in their suits
In my rear view mirror, flashing lights appear
Help has arrived as I exit in fear

The ticket is issued, to home I arrive
My first roundabout, thank god I’m alive.

 

If used properly a great way to manage traffic. If used in the way they are normally approached sheer terror and an insurance adjusters worst enemy.

 

That's the thing: does everybody use it properly? (Myself included....)

I think I'll google this. There's no roundabouts that I know of where I live.

 

I experienced these in England and found them functional and time saving. Then maybe the Brits didn't want to destroy my 1947 MG TC.

 

Yep. Where I used to live has had one for maybe the last 5 years to enter/exit the interstate. I thought it would be a terrible idea especially since it's a 2 lane circle and traffic in one direction is directed to shift lanes when entering the circle. But once all the locals figured it out, it actually works really well. And before that, the stop sign would cause traffic to back up all the way up the exit ramp during rush hour. You just have to be careful when someone new to it enters it of course.

Unfortunately, no. Unfamiliar drivers usually are confused as hell. The first "modern roundabout" placed in the US is in Summerlin.

 

This is what I figured. After everyone figures out the roundabout, most times it will go smoothly unless there is that occasional jerk who feels the world evolves around him.

For new drivers entering I can imagine the horror....the horror....

 

Yep I was nervous the first few times going through but got use to it quickly. It is a good way to keep traffic moving.

 

This made me chuckle! I forget they aren't normal everywhere. We have some of these bad boys:



They are fine if people use thier indicators properly, alas, some have forgoten what the blinky stick is for.

 

In DC, there is a neighborhood called Truxton Circle, so named because they used to have a traffic circle that was removed somewhere along the line. The thing is, streets named after a state are virtually always diagonal streets, so with no circle you have to make a left hand turn across a MASSIVE number of lanes. Circles can help people enter and exit traffic without having to do that, and candidly, I can envision how a circle may have been the better option there, and some older residents who can remember it still rue its removal.

 

Wow, traffic circles within traffic circles!

Around here (Omaha area) they are fairly new and lots of folks don't like them.

You'll get into endless-loop discussions about what to call them. I always called them a traffic circle, but in Baaaaaston they call them a rotary and some other places (haven't really figured out the origin) they call them a roundabout.

Omaha is such a melting pot that some places you will see a "Roundabout Ahead" sign and other places a "Traffic Circle Ahead" sign. Kinda like you hear both "soda" and "pop" here.

 

I like them. Don't have them in IL where I live, but plenty up in WI, where I travel frequently for work.

Much better than having to stop at a red light for a minute, to watch one or two cars go thru the intersection.

 

Love this one

 

Yep they are called roundabouts here in the UK.

 

I like to drive around them a few times before exiting.

 

They are very efficient in traffic control. One near us was so bad BEFORE we got it, they had a traffic cop there part time to direct traffic. Now it flows very well.

The biggest problem with them? People that stop for no reason either entering, or while in it. KEEP MOVING FOLKS.

 

Around here we call 'em "Bluehair Mindgames."

 

Roundabouts are fine, and are becoming ever more popular globally as the ability to study traffic flow with proper data grows. They are just a better way of doing it.

Doesn't mean there aren't examples of ill conceived ones. And they are also worse for an area the less common they are, because you get more user error.

 

I can take them or leave them...assuming I can find the exit

 

Do you also like to point out Parliament and Big Ben?

 

We recently had one built within a mile of our house at busy intersection. I would've bet the house that it would cause more accidents that it prevented. I was wrong and it has made the intersection much easier to manage.