Australian who lived in Washington state for 4.5 years. Very happy to see those kind of changes. Much better and safer than 4-way stop intersections and I hope American drivers will figure out eventually how to use them
We're excited about our new roundabout
21–30 of 316 posts
Re: We're excited about our new roundabout
#22I'm glad they're excited, but I hope I never encounter this.
It may be unusual there, but in the UK we have loads. Some are smaller than this: the minimum roundabout is just a paint circle. They aren't a problem
Most people here actually prefer roundabouts to traffic lights because you keep moving (although this is partly selection bias- traffic lights are deployed at junctions where a roundabout would fail to evenly arbitrate the different flows )
Re: We're excited about our new roundabout
#23Apparently I'm sticking my neck out here, but it really doesn't seem that hard. Overhead, I can intuit the path I would take, and if I imagine it first-person, it seems even more obvious. It's frustrating riding with certain other American drivers in other countries. I've met numerous folks now that seem upset that they have to actually pay attention to their driving and the traffic. Meanwhile I'm horrified that they…
I'll take a traditional cross with traffic signals or stop signs on all sides, it's simple and effective. Roundabouts are a waste of space, disrupt traffic, and take more brain processing than I care to afford if I can help it. This particular example isn't even round.
How is a roundabout more disruptive than a 4 way junction with stop signs.
In terms of brain processing, you get used to it and it becomes second nature. It is a skill.
Re: We're excited about our new roundabout
#24Apparently I'm sticking my neck out here, but it really doesn't seem that hard. Overhead, I can intuit the path I would take, and if I imagine it first-person, it seems even more obvious. It's frustrating riding with certain other American drivers in other countries. I've met numerous folks now that seem upset that they have to actually pay attention to their driving and the traffic. Meanwhile I'm horrified that they…
I'll take a traditional cross with traffic signals or stop signs on all sides, it's simple and effective. Roundabouts are a waste of space, disrupt traffic, and take more brain processing than I care to afford if I can help it. This particular example isn't even round.
I vastly prefer roundabouts, with a single exception. If traffic is heavy and dominated by the same entry and exit points, it can be hard to get a turn if you're coming from the side. Our nearest roundabout is this way.
I once saw a roundabout with stop signs. I assume it was an attempt to address this situation.
Re: We're excited about our new roundabout
#25Australian who lived in Washington state for 4.5 years. Very happy to see those kind of changes. Much better and safer than 4-way stop intersections and I hope American drivers will figure out eventually how to use them
Aside from one old lady that I saw doing laps a few years ago after our nearby roundabout first opened, it seems like most people figure it out pretty quickly. But they're too comfortable with it, and most people blast through without even hitting the brakes. That brings its own problems.
Re: We're excited about our new roundabout
#26US here. There seems to be an obsession at the moment with adding roundabouts in my area. They don’t always fit where they are put. Some of them have a stop sign in the roundabout? When asked why, the answer is reducing “points of conflict”, which is a static variable. There aren’t actually studies being done before or after to see if makes the flow of traffic better. They are also adding them in walkable areas with…
> Some of them have a stop sign in the roundabout?
Traffic gets much heavier and we'll need stop signs at our roundabout near my house. During rush hour it has predominantly one flow of traffic and nobody slows down below 30-35 mph so getting into the roundabout can be difficult. A stop sign would defeat some of the point of a roundabout but it may become necessary to enforce safety.
Re: We're excited about our new roundabout
#27I'm glad they're excited, but I hope I never encounter this.
It may be unusual there, but in the UK we have loads. Some are smaller than this: the minimum roundabout is just a paint circle. They aren't a problem Most people here actually prefer roundabouts to traffic lights because you keep moving (although this is partly selection bias- traffic lights are deployed at junctions where a roundabout would fail to evenly arbitrate the different flows )
You may feel less enthusiastic about it once you watch the linked video. I wouldn’t exactly call it a roundabout. That’s only what’s at the center of it.
Re: We're excited about our new roundabout
#28I would recommend some yield signs; the dashed line on the ground is easy to miss.
Re: We're excited about our new roundabout
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'll take a traditional cross with traffic signals or stop signs on all sides, it's simple and effective. Roundabouts are a waste of space, disrupt traffic, and take more brain processing than I care to afford if I can help it. This particular example isn't even round.
I vastly prefer roundabouts, with a single exception. If traffic is heavy and dominated by the same entry and exit points, it can be hard to get a turn if you're coming from the side. Our nearest roundabout is this way. I once saw a roundabout with stop signs. I assume it was an attempt to address this situation.
In the UK, you get roundabouts with traffic lights at the entrances, sometimes only operational at peak times, and off most of the time. Works well
Re: We're excited about our new roundabout
#30Keep in mind that a lot of these traffic devices look way more confusing from above than they actually look while on the ground. From above you can see the whole device at once, and trying to trace a path through it can feel overwhelming, but when you're actually going through it your view is usually restricted in ways that limit your perceived choices at any point in time.
Never underestimate how confused people can get with the unfamiliar. I live a couple of blocks from a fairly standard roundabout and see people trying to exit the roundabout through an entrance to the roundabout or try to go clockwise in the roundabout (this is in Canada) several times a year. This happens even though the design of the roundabout, the road markings, and the signage make it perfectly clear how you are supposed to go through it.
Then there is the less obvious stuff that happens multiple times per hour, like entering in the wrong lane given the desired exit (even though it is marked), vehicles inside the roundabout yielding to vehicles entering the roundabout (even though there is signage), or vehicles entering the roundabout failing to yield to vehicles inside of it (same signage).
As for non-standard roundabouts, those can confuse just about anyone since people often don't realize that it is a roundabout.