My Canadian province has been on a big roundabout building spree. Nothing fancy just one lane or two lane types. I like them but many people fear them for some reason I suspect because they don't understand them. Some people actually go the wrong way when entering (against traffic). Some people will cross from an outside lane over the inner lane nearly crashing into cars.
Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
51–60 of 199 posts
Re: Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
#52[deleted]
Re: Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
#53I guess what this shows is two things:
1. Scaring people into slowing down is a viable way to avoid accidents.
2. Perceived scariness of an intersection is not indicative of how dangerous it actually is.
Re: Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
#54Imagine coming from mainland europe and having to drive on the other side of the road (thus also taking roundabouts the other way round), and then navigating this baby...
I strongly believe that the biggest reason people struggle with the Magic Roundabout is because it's called a roundabout, when it's actually just a collection of 5 roundabouts. If you tackle it one roundabout at a time it's actually not that bad at all, it could be much much better , but it's not bad .
I prefer magic roundabouts to the strange concoction which I've only ever seen in the Staines / Heathrow area; A roundabout with one road continuing straight through the roundabout. In order to run right you need to be left most lane approaching it. Turning right from the side road, it's ambiguous whether you are supposed to turn right onto the section of the main road going straight through or continue all the way around.
Re: Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
#55A better solution for high traffic flow is the turbo roundabout[0] which is getting increasingly popular in Netherland. Before you enter the roundabout, you select the lane for the direction you want to go. You only cross traffic when entering the roundabout for the first time. After that, you simply follow your lane and it delivery you where you want to go. It looks complicated from above, but it's very simple once…
I don't understand how the turbo roundabout is any different than a typical two-lane roundabout. It looks like a regular two-lane roundabout from that picture in your link.
Re: Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
#56A better solution for high traffic flow is the turbo roundabout[0] which is getting increasingly popular in Netherland. Before you enter the roundabout, you select the lane for the direction you want to go. You only cross traffic when entering the roundabout for the first time. After that, you simply follow your lane and it delivery you where you want to go. It looks complicated from above, but it's very simple once…
I don't understand how the turbo roundabout is any different than a typical two-lane roundabout. It looks like a regular two-lane roundabout from that picture in your link.
I think it just is a regular two-lane roundabout? We have one of these nearby me in Cleveland, it works pretty well.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/41%C2%B027'58.2%22N+81%C2%...
Re: Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
#57Hanger Lane Gyratory System - the most frightening roundabout in the UK (or possibly anywhere) - https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/ealings-noto...
Re: Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
#58My Canadian province has been on a big roundabout building spree. Nothing fancy just one lane or two lane types. I like them but many people fear them for some reason I suspect because they don't understand them. Some people actually go the wrong way when entering (against traffic). Some people will cross from an outside lane over the inner lane nearly crashing into cars.
If you live or learned to drive somewhere that doesn't have them I can understand being confused or scared by it. I love them but frequently see people stop in the middle of one because they think they need to yield to those entering
Re: Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
#59My Canadian province has been on a big roundabout building spree. Nothing fancy just one lane or two lane types. I like them but many people fear them for some reason I suspect because they don't understand them. Some people actually go the wrong way when entering (against traffic). Some people will cross from an outside lane over the inner lane nearly crashing into cars.
Brit from Ontario here and have to agree. The problem is roundabouts were never on the Canadian drivers test until a few years ago and no one knows the rules.
Plus, the Canadian design of putting the pedestrian crosswalk, right at the roundabout and having cars stop in the roundabout to yield to a waiting pedestrian adds additional risk.
Re: Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
#60A better solution for high traffic flow is the turbo roundabout[0] which is getting increasingly popular in Netherland. Before you enter the roundabout, you select the lane for the direction you want to go. You only cross traffic when entering the roundabout for the first time. After that, you simply follow your lane and it delivery you where you want to go. It looks complicated from above, but it's very simple once…
That's neat. How does it handle more than 4 junctions? The Magic Roundabout was devised as a means to efficiently handle the junction of 5 or more roads.
I tried searching for that, but couldn't find a very good example. I don't see why that wouldn't work, though: just split into more lanes before you enter the roundabout.
Although it appears that Dutch traffic design tries to avoid intersections with more than 4 directions. Better merge a couple of them before the intersection.