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Kirkland Roundabouts

kirklandroundabouts.com

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Re: Kirkland Roundabouts

#151

Post by gs17 »

com2kid wrote: post #147
gs17 wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What they're talking about is basically a small concrete circle (sometimes it's not a circle, but a round-ish shape vaguely near the center) plopped down in a standard residential intersection (sometimes with a lot of stuff in it that blocks the view in case you were worried about knowing if someone is crossing the street on the other side). Better designs likely wouldn't fit without raising the cost a huge amount.

Seattle ones are works of art with trees and native flowers and sometimes art pieces. They are more than just a small concrete circle. :D

Plenty of the ones near me are just a concrete blob, unless a little pole with reflectors counts as an art piece.

Re: Kirkland Roundabouts

#152

Post by dwroberts »

rconti wrote: post #118
dwroberts wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess jaywalking stuff makes this harder? Because in the UK for example, roundabouts will often be surrounded by marked areas for pedestrians to cross, but they are not proper crossings. You don't have to wait or expect traffic to stop for you, you just walk across when it's clear.

I don't understand your comment. * Jaywalking makes.. what harder? * In the UK, roundabouts are marked with areas for pedestrians to cross but they are not crossings? What are they, then? * You don't have to wait * But also you can't expect traffic to stop for you * What do you do if it does not become clear?

> Jaywalking makes.. what harder?

Crossing the road without a crossing or light or whatever explicitly telling you that you can do it.

> In the UK, roundabouts are marked with areas for pedestrians to cross but they are not crossings? What are they, then?

They are indented areas where the road (and often the centre barrier just before the roundabout) is marked for pedestrians but traffic is not obligated to stop. You cross the road when it is safe

> What do you do if it does not become clear?

If it was such total gridlock you can just cross in between traffic that is not moving?

Re: Kirkland Roundabouts

#153

Post by brudgers »

gs17 wrote: post #63
brudgers wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They can and do build them. The problem is that at intersections the normative behavior of American drivers is to queue and wait for your turn. Roundabouts assume a different behavior based on jumping the line. Thus there is a lot of unpredictability regarding other drivers due to generations of driving patterns developed in diverse regional driving cultures...many of which are distinctly not-urban. In addition, this…

> The problem is that at intersections the normative behavior of American drivers is to queue and wait for your turn. Roundabouts assume a different behavior based on jumping the line. I don't think it's that different from turning right on red, or left without an arrow, or even merging on to the highway from an onramp (maybe that's the most similar, traffic in the others aren't flowing the same direction as you).

even merging on to the highway from an onramp

Onramps with traffic lights are a thing in the US. They operate during rush hour.

Re: Kirkland Roundabouts

#154

Post by balfirevic »

arlattimore wrote: post #137

I don't think roundabouts are complex, treat them like a giveway/yield and they are brilliant. The biggest issue is they are an infrequently used traffic control device in the US. So infrequent, I don't think they even appear in the WA drivers handbook which is kind of shocking. As a by product, you see the craziest driver behaviour in Seattle on them: 1) No one uses their indicators/turn signals as they approach. Th…

> No one uses their indicators/turn signals as they approach. This is a major issue because it makes the roundabout incredibly ineffective, as every driver needs to treat it effectively like a 4-way stop because you don't know the intentions of the cars around you.

As another commenter mentioned, roundabouts work just fine even if nobody indicates anything (which they usually don't where I live).

Re: Kirkland Roundabouts

#155

Post by consumer451 »

KennedyHere wrote: post #64

Hey all, I'm the author of this game. I didn't expect to see it on HN! I wrote it to add some fun to all the conversations happening in the local forums about this roundabout. They've been heated at times. And, yes, this roundabout is right next to the Kirkland Costco. I definitely agree with all the critiques of the gameplay - and I have about 100 more. I cut it down to the bare essentials to get it done while it's…

As someone who grew up about 400 feet from that interchange, this is such a weird thing to see.

Re: Kirkland Roundabouts

#156

Post by arlattimore »

spaqin wrote: post #146
arlattimore wrote: post #137

I don't think roundabouts are complex, treat them like a giveway/yield and they are brilliant. The biggest issue is they are an infrequently used traffic control device in the US. So infrequent, I don't think they even appear in the WA drivers handbook which is kind of shocking. As a by product, you see the craziest driver behaviour in Seattle on them: 1) No one uses their indicators/turn signals as they approach. Th…

In Europe most people don't indicate when approaching the roundabout; only if you're taking the first exit. Roundabout is basically a straight road that loops itself, so there's no need for blinkers when you're on. You indicate when you want to leave, and that's how cars approaching from your exit know it's safe to get on. Besides that I'm not surprised Americans don't know how to use them; while nowhere else in the…

The most efficient use of a roundabout is to indicate when you're turning across the roundabout (turning left if you live in the US) and when you exit (whether that is the first, second or fifth exit). This way all traffic entering the roundabout on an entrance ahead of you knows your vehicles intentions & it allows them to treat the entrance like a yield/giveway instead of a stop. #keepthetrafficflowing ;-)

Re: Kirkland Roundabouts

#157

Post by gs17 »

brudgers wrote: post #153
gs17 wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The problem is that at intersections the normative behavior of American drivers is to queue and wait for your turn. Roundabouts assume a different behavior based on jumping the line. I don't think it's that different from turning right on red, or left without an arrow, or even merging on to the highway from an onramp (maybe that's the most similar, traffic in the others aren't flowing the same direction as you).

even merging on to the highway from an onramp Onramps with traffic lights are a thing in the US. They operate during rush hour.

I live near plenty of them, they still require to you merge with traffic after. You do "queue and wait for your turn", but immediately after you have to find a gap to insert yourself into before you run out of road.

Re: Kirkland Roundabouts

#159

Post by KennedyHere »

niwtsol wrote: post #143
KennedyHere wrote: post #64

Hey all, I'm the author of this game. I didn't expect to see it on HN! I wrote it to add some fun to all the conversations happening in the local forums about this roundabout. They've been heated at times. And, yes, this roundabout is right next to the Kirkland Costco. I definitely agree with all the critiques of the gameplay - and I have about 100 more. I cut it down to the bare essentials to get it done while it's…

Just adding a pause in the game would be huge! I'd like to pause and come back to it while waiting for a prompt to finish!

You can kind of do that with the Quit button. Cancel it and the game will resume.
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