Roundabout opinion

 

I'm starting to see many new roundabouts around the US Southeast. I just read many older drivers don't like them. I'm 63, and am a fan.

It seems to me "Yield to traffic in circle" is much less confusing that the usual 4 way stop quandry of I think I was here first.

So, I'm curious: What's your opinion?

Like? Dislike? Why?

Roy Adams
Atlanta and Tampa

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Definitely interesting and informative

I've looked at the various video clips and rather surprised in how many different possible configurations there actually can be.

It certainly must be confusing for someone who's not from the area and going through for the very first time. After seeing the above, I'm not sure I'd succeed in getting to my destination on my first try grin

I've been in Florida after a hurricane and a "normal" intersection with a high volume of cars and no traffic lights is scary & can only imagine going through these roundabouts during a power failure shock

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Nüvi 255WT with nüMaps Lifetime North America born on 602117815 / Nüvi 3597LMTHD born on 805972514 / I love Friday’s except when I’m on holidays ~ canuk

Yup...

They've installed a few roundabouts in some areas recently to slow traffic down, and to "quaint-ify", the neighborhoods. I have no problem with them, but it seems that to some folks, it can be a real challenge.

Down here in the Orlando/Central Florida area, we have a mixture of brain-dead tourists, senile old folks (I'm 67, but still have some brain cells), and drunk college kids (some all the time, and some seasonally). It can be a very entertaining mix.

Most people think that some tourists (British) would be used to them, but remember, they are used to going through a roundabout in the LEFT lane, so all bets are off. My favorites are the Old Folks... they either sit waiting to go through until ALL traffic in the circle is clear (why not, they have time), or barrel through with their eyes straight ahead and damned be to everyone else! Of course, there's always at least one who can't figure out which direction they are supposed to drive in one, or how to exit.... they make at least two full trips around the circle, usually more.

...I try not to ride my motorcycle near them....it's dangerous enough just getting through a regular intersection.

--
"Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks" ~ Excerpt from the notebooks of Lazarus Long, from Robert Heinlein's "Time Enough for Love"

Popping up in the Midwest

City of Peoria thinks round-abouts are the greatest way to take a busy intersection and turn it into a demolition derby. Drivers are slowly but surely getting used to driving around them.

Really hard to ride your bike across/through one of them ... because NOBODY stops their cars for riders or walkers

--
Garmin 205, 260W, 1450LMT, 2460LMT, HEREwego for iPhone ... all still mapping strong.

Like

I vote for them.

Much better than 4 way stops.

Kingston NY

There is a modern roundabout which was installed at the NY State Thruway entrance in Kingston NY. At worst, during the rush hour, there is moderate traffic.

Local drivers are very slow and cautious. This is a rural area far from NYC. That doesn't help since many drivers do not know the rules of the road for roundabouts. I enter it with extreme caution but there is no predicting what will happen next!

dobs108 smile

I actually like them. It got

I actually like them. It got some getting used to when I was in EU, but if it proliferates here, great.

Example of someone not knowing when to yield

This past week I had someone not yield as I was very clearly in the roundabout. Check the video from ~45-65 seconds for what I am sure is a common experience. She was quite a bit more cautious at the second roundabout though. I think this was the first time I've used my car horn this year.

https://youtu.be/dzKzlmDjbY4

We have one nearby

We have one nearby at the border of MD & Washington, DC.
It's not a problem unless drivers entering the circle ignore the postings which say right of way is for those in the circle already. We have had some crashes where those entering the circle ignore that, come in way too fast, & hit vehicles already in the outer lane of the traffic circle.

So, it's a mixed bag, but one which saves money for the government if they do not have to install traffic lights etc.

Fred

Thanks for sharing

iagemini wrote:

https://youtu.be/dzKzlmDjbY4

Nothing better than to see it "live" & very impressive on how clear the footage is cool

--
Nüvi 255WT with nüMaps Lifetime North America born on 602117815 / Nüvi 3597LMTHD born on 805972514 / I love Friday’s except when I’m on holidays ~ canuk

ROUNDABOUTS - NO!

those things are plain ol' STUPID! keep them in Europe!...

How come the video shows,

How come the video shows, show so many more wipeouts at 4way stops than roundabouts
learning to drive, around the new objects, is still a requirement

--
the title of my autiobiography "Mistakes have been made"

Stupid?

stewartle wrote:

those things are plain ol' STUPID! keep them in Europe!...

Just because you don't like them doesn't make them stupid. Personally, I like them better than 4-way intersections. Then again, "these things" are more common in New England than in other parts of the country.

--
"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job." --Douglas Adams

Simple Roudabouts vs Complex ones

Totally in favor of simple, single lane roundabouts. But ones with more than one lane can be difficult. The ones in DC with 3-4 lanes and traffic lights as you're going around the circle are nuts.

--
NUVI 350

Don't

MikeSid wrote:

The ones in DC with 3-4 lanes and traffic lights as you're going around the circle are nuts.

You know it! Multiple stoplights, in the circle, on the corners of the circle..

Many of the round-abouts in DC are at best confusing and conveluted.

Just like the positions in DC.

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

New Roundabout in Lakeland, FL.

They just installed a new roundabout here in Lakeland, Florida. It's great except for the people who think they have to stop before entering instead of yielding and proceeding slowly.

Education on driving in a roundabout seems to be the problem. Other than that, it is fantastic at the intersection it was installed at to replace an awkward angular three way stop with a even more awkward yield on one side.

I don't care for the

I don't care for the roundabouts. I've recently encountered them in a Modesto, California since June and still cannot adjust to them if there is a lot of traffic. It seems that I have to be aggressive to "jump" into the circle of circling cars. It's not too bad if there are few or no cars in the circle. It's especially bad at night when it's poorly lit and to find the correct exit. I much prefer the 4 way stop signs because it's easier to go through the intersection without looking out for the multiple cars circling. I'm also in my early 60's.

Dupont and Logan circles

MikeSid wrote:

Totally in favor of simple, single lane roundabouts. But ones with more than one lane can be difficult. The ones in DC with 3-4 lanes and traffic lights as you're going around the circle are nuts.

are two that come to mind immediately. You also need to remember theses circles were in place long before motor vehicles as some date back to pre-Civil War and may have been in L'Enfant's original design.

Having driven in the city for more than 20 years, the circles aren't that difficult to navigate but they can be frustrating when the lights get out of sync. But then, a lot of the problem comes from the drivers themselves always driving faster than the engineered times for the signals.

--
ɐ‾nsǝɹ Just one click away from the end of the Internet

One or the other

a_user wrote:

...

Having driven in the city for more than 20 years, the circles aren't that difficult to navigate but they can be frustrating when the lights get out of sync. But then, a lot of the problem comes from the drivers themselves always driving faster than the engineered times for the signals.

My opinion is that you should have only a runabout OR lights, not both. Having anything else, like stop light, stop signs, etc. just makes it more confusing and defeats the purpose of the roundabout which is safe slower but continuous movement of vehicles. The only situation where one should have to stop is when yielding to cars already in the circle.

Traffic Circle, Rotary, Roundabout

What comes around, goes around; or so they say.

I don't mind them if they're implemented properly. As mentioned before, not when combined with a light or stop sign, etc.

There is one not far from me, that's two lanes wide, and at least half of the five streets feeding in our out of it is also two lanes, but it also has stop signs at all five entry points.

The thing that's the worst is when a vehicle enters the "left" lane and immediately cuts over to the right lane and cutting someone else off. I see this happen a LOT.

Oh - and as Clark Griswald said in European Vacation, "Look Kids: Big Ben. Parliament".

--
And now, back to your regularly scheduled forum - already in progress . . .

Hilton Head Island

I found the circle in Hilton Head Island, SC to work well. All the right turns (if it was a conventional intersection) use a separate merge lane that doesn’t enter the circle. It’s separated by a real median so once committed there is no changing your mind. That puts a lot less cars in the circle. With everyone in the circle going at least two exits, the merging seems to flow smoother.

32.155531, -80.762803

Clearwater Beach, FL

When the roundabout first opened in Clearwater beach, FL there were traffic accidents occurring on a daily basis. People in the area were unfamiliar with using it. The biggest problem was that a large fountain was constructed in the center, and the wind blew water into the roundabout causing visibility problems. The expensive fountain was removed and replaced with grass, which has improved safety.

WHAT!!!!!

EV Driver wrote:

When the roundabout first opened in Clearwater beach, FL there were traffic accidents occurring on a daily basis. People in the area were unfamiliar with using it. The biggest problem was that a large fountain was constructed in the center, and the wind blew water into the roundabout causing visibility problems. The expensive fountain was removed and replaced with grass, which has improved safety.

You mean they didnt turn it into a putting green complete with cup, flag, ball washing station, restroom / shower and a small snack bar?

I'm so disapointed!! razz

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

Not a fan, even though they

Not a fan, even though they work well in light traffic areas. However, where traffic is light today does not mean it will be light tomorrow. Population is expanding (until nature steps in) which means more and more drivers everyday.

This thread is dying

I saw this thread a few days ago. I couldn't resist sharing what I saw earlier today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj9qbULbTXE

This roundabout has about 12,000 unique vehicles per day. The city wants to put in another roundabout at an intersection that has about 30,000 unique vehicles per day. Ugh!

Talk About Being STUPID...!

spokybob wrote:

US65 in western MO is a high speed divided highway. It is always dangerous where a county road intersects. The DOT has a modification in a few places. All cross-traffic on the county road,must turn right, then proceed about a quarter mile, then do a U turn through a crossover, then continue back to the road and turn right. Left-turning traffic on US65 must continue past the road, then U-turn and come back, then turn right. Cross traffic is very sparse at those locations.

Talk About Being STUPID...! NO, not you "Spoky Bob". I can't believe surprised the confused engineers decided to use such a screwed up way rolleyes to route traffic.

Of course, considering it's some form of the government that did it, I can understand. wink

Nuvi1300WTGPS

--
I'm not really lost.... just temporarily misplaced!

20 Minutes To Go Straight...

spullis wrote:

It depends on how they are constructed. There's one at Auburn University in Montgomery (AUM) that, it has been said, once you get into it, you're never heard from again (LOL). One good point about them is that if you miss your exit, you can always go around again.

Don't laugh. grin The first time I used a round-about/traffic circle I ended up in the far left inner circle lane during heavy traffic. From "Spullis's" post above, it must have been the one at AMU because every time I tried to move right to exit, other vehicles kept me where I was.

About 7 minutes into my circling, a city cop happened to pull in behind me. After going round and round for about the forth time (with him following me), he lit me up... which had the fortunate effect of opening up the surrounding traffic. I was then able to pull off to one of the side feeders.

After explaining to the cop that not only wasn't I from the area, but this was the first round-about that I had ever used. He laughed, gave me some directions as to where I wanted to go, wished me a good day... and off I went.

Do I like round-about/traffic circles (?)... heck NO!

Nuvi1300WTGPS

--
I'm not really lost.... just temporarily misplaced!

thats it, they have to be learned to drive

thats it, Nuvi1300WTGPS, they have to be learned, and there are so many kinds being made with altered rules,

Anything that is not intuitive is a bad idea on the road
Aus has roundabouts everywhere, on single lane roads no problems,
on multilane roads, the signs start miles back,

Quote:

if you are going here you must be in this lane

still problems,
and in Aus there was never rotaries and circles before with different rules, to unlearn, just roundabouts

I like em, my neighbourhood has heaps, but my neighbourhood only has local roads

--
the title of my autiobiography "Mistakes have been made"

Not a new wrinkle in Michigan

In response to SpokeyBob's comment . .. ...

Michigan, for years, has had "no left turn" at heavily travelled intersections. You have to go straight through the intersection, make a U-turn about a quarter block past the intersection {there are special U-turn lanes}, and then make a right turn.

--
Arvin Coon Rapids. MN

@Arvin

You can see this solution in Illinois on divided highways when there is no traffic lights. Practically only solution to left turn on higher speed multi-lanes roads.

MDOTs aren't so bad

I heard UDOT is experimenting in a Salt Lake City suburb (West Valley City, iirc) by making would-be left-turning traffic cross oncoming traffic 1/4 early, drive on their left of oncoming traffic on a lane that's divided from the main street, freeflow through the "intersection" (still separated from other traffic), go another 1/4 mile, then cross back over.

Think that's bad? At one freeway exit in Paris, traffic on the overpass crosses over to the left at its first offramp/onramp, then crosses back over to the right at the last offramp/onramp. I think the theory is that traffic exiting the freeway can turn either direction against a red light if there's no cross traffic.

Michigan Left Turns

Arvin wrote:

In response to SpokeyBob's comment . .. ...

Michigan, for years, has had "no left turn" at heavily travelled intersections. You have to go straight through the intersection, make a U-turn about a quarter block past the intersection {there are special U-turn lanes}, and then make a right turn.

And surprisingly, my Nuvi's know this and route us accordingly. In some of those intersections, I want to turn left, but the Nuvi appropriately directs me to turn right, then make a U-turn in the special U-turn lane that is provided for that purpose.

Like em most of the time

I like them for the most part except for the really big-busy roads. One was recently put in near my house where there used to be a three way intersection. Traffic now backs up for a 1/4 - 1/2 mi during rush hour. That was never the case before. In my opinion the made the circle too small. Big semi trucks can't get through there at any speed and it slows down everyone in all directions.
Got another one in town that works great. Most of the time you don't have to stop at all to get in and get through.

--
Garmin Nüvi 660 & 3490LMT with ecoRoute HD, Nüvi 855 gone to GPS heaven

Have a couple Traffic

Have a couple Traffic Circle's around my house and I don't find them an issue at all. They are mostly there to 'calm' traffic for the area where speeding was done on longer stretches.

They seem to work OK if ...

... the drivers understand the rules (not too hard) and follow them (al lot harder in the "Me first" society we apparently live in).

--
Nuvi 2460

circle

There are a few in the town I live in now. I like them mostly. Its the drivers who are in the circle that stop at every entrance, or the drivers who don't yield that I don't like.

Dont worry

jfulton wrote:

There are a few in the town I live in now. I like them mostly. Its the drivers who are in the circle that stop at every entrance, or the drivers who don't yield that I don't like.

Soon we will have these buggies that will autonegociate round-abouts, on/off ramps, take us to places we need to go instead of where we want to go.

I personally hope the manufacturers install opaque Windows So the passengers / occupants cant see out.

Instead of seeing the surroundings and the other cars I hope they put up images of places like driving through Yosemote or YellowStone.

It's kinda like soilent green.

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

Netherlands LIVE CAM roundabout

http://youtu.be/Z1agHAa6eG8

Notice how diligent the drivers are yielding to pedestrians and bicyclists

--
Garmin 38 - Magellan Gold - Garmin Yellow eTrex - Nuvi 260 - Nuvi 2460LMT - Google Nexus 7 - Toyota Entune NAV

First saw them in England in

First saw them in England in 1990. They were physically larger than the one's in the States, and therefore higher speed.
They've been near our Chicagoland home since 1992 or so.
We've seen them in other states... And there are here in mountains of NC where we've retired.

I think they improve the throughput of traffic compared to a 4 way stop.

But when there are more than 4 roads in the roundabout, it is a Definite Improvement over a 5 or 6 way intersection!

--
A 2689LMT in both our cars that we love... and a Nuvi 660 with Lifetime Maps that we have had literally forever.... And a 2011 Ford Escape with Nav System that is totally ignored!

interesting

flaco wrote:

http://youtu.be/Z1agHAa6eG8

Notice how diligent the drivers are yielding to pedestrians and bicyclists

I just watched this for a few minutes, not a single case of merging, everyone basically went straight, of course it was 2050 hours (8:50pm) and not a lot of traffic. No pedestrians, but quite a few bicyclists. It appears the bikes have a paved road of some sort alongside the highway, no bikes in the street and every one of them had a lit headlight and taillight.

Thanks for the link, I'll have to look again during what would be their daytime.

--
. 2 Garmin DriveSmart 61 LMT-S, Nuvi 2689, 2 Nuvi 2460, Zumo 550, Zumo 450, Uniden R3 radar detector with GPS built in, includes RLC info. Uconnect 430N Garmin based, built into my Jeep. .

Watched some more ...

soberbyker wrote:
flaco wrote:

http://youtu.be/Z1agHAa6eG8

Notice how diligent the drivers are yielding to pedestrians and bicyclists

I just watched this for a few minutes, not a single case of merging, everyone basically went straight, of course it was 2050 hours (8:50pm) and not a lot of traffic. No pedestrians, but quite a few bicyclists. It appears the bikes have a paved road of some sort alongside the highway, no bikes in the street and every one of them had a lit headlight and taillight.

Thanks for the link, I'll have to look again during what would be their daytime.

OK, I don't know if I'm just that bored, but I kind of got lost in watching that circle. This time around it was noon their time, and it was a lot more chaotic, but not among the cars, it was the people, bicycles and scooters.

For the most part the car knew exactly how to handle the circle, although I did see one car not yield for a bicycle.

Some of the bicycles were all over the place this time, most stayed in their lane but a few were in the vehicle lanes went left instead of right around the circle and a couple were in the pedestrian lane. What surprised me here was that a lot of the bicyclists were actually using hand signals when turning. Here in Philly I'm surprised bicyclists don't get killed a lot with the way they ride, and PA laws says they need to follow motor vehicle rules of the road, they don't.

Then there were the scooters, some on the bicycle paths, some in the road.

I'd like to see how all of them would handle a multi-lane circle.

--
. 2 Garmin DriveSmart 61 LMT-S, Nuvi 2689, 2 Nuvi 2460, Zumo 550, Zumo 450, Uniden R3 radar detector with GPS built in, includes RLC info. Uconnect 430N Garmin based, built into my Jeep. .

Here's one in Malta, multi

Here's one in Malta, multi lane a lot more chaotic and they only show a portion of the circle on the cam.

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/de/webcam/malta/malta/traffic...

--
. 2 Garmin DriveSmart 61 LMT-S, Nuvi 2689, 2 Nuvi 2460, Zumo 550, Zumo 450, Uniden R3 radar detector with GPS built in, includes RLC info. Uconnect 430N Garmin based, built into my Jeep. .

one more cam, 3 lanes wide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zME4DDgSpwA

Singapore SUNTEC Fountain of Wealth circle Live

--
. 2 Garmin DriveSmart 61 LMT-S, Nuvi 2689, 2 Nuvi 2460, Zumo 550, Zumo 450, Uniden R3 radar detector with GPS built in, includes RLC info. Uconnect 430N Garmin based, built into my Jeep. .

Driver Education

The problem here in Lakeland, FL. with our new Roundabout is the lack of driver education in how to approach and drive in one. Too many people stop at the entrance when no vehicle is in the roundabout. This defeats the whole purpose of removing the stop signs to facilitate easier traffic flow.

All about driver education

I agree that it really is about driver education. Sadly, too few have proper signage to educate drivers about things like yield to traffic in circle, etc.

Talk about a confusing circle ...

Here's the grandpappy of them all:

The Magic Roundabout in Swindon, England. It consists of five mini-roundabouts arranged around a sixth central, anti-clockwise roundabout.

http://tinyurl.com/pe9q4z9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bOTTTETzX4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suqGS-m3Rns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnUO6Ey70qI

--
. 2 Garmin DriveSmart 61 LMT-S, Nuvi 2689, 2 Nuvi 2460, Zumo 550, Zumo 450, Uniden R3 radar detector with GPS built in, includes RLC info. Uconnect 430N Garmin based, built into my Jeep. .

The stats say they are

The stats say they are better for traffic flow. But it does require the driver to think about what they are doing opposed to a traffic control devise doing the thinking for you.

Goodness gracious!

flaco wrote:

http://youtu.be/Z1agHAa6eG8

Notice how diligent the drivers are yielding to pedestrians and bicyclists

Golly, I have to watch a few minutes of this live YouTube during the busy time each day just to see how well it works. It is simply amazing. From what I've watched, the motorists yield every time to cyclists and pedestrians. shock

It will take awhile

I think it makes a lot of sense. Like most things new, it will take awhile to get used to and become preferable to four way stops. I recall when people were apprehensive about that new thing called "right turn on red".

Forgot about this one ...

Here in the Juniata Park section of Philadelphia, PA is a small traffic circle. Until about a year or so ago priority was given to people entering the circle not those already in it, especially confusing when every other circle was the opposite.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x101/soberbyker/pa2a/JPci...

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. 2 Garmin DriveSmart 61 LMT-S, Nuvi 2689, 2 Nuvi 2460, Zumo 550, Zumo 450, Uniden R3 radar detector with GPS built in, includes RLC info. Uconnect 430N Garmin based, built into my Jeep. .

fake ones

The city had a notion to beautify some roads and so they make fake roundabouts. At least that's what I call them. It is colored and stamped into the asphalt and it is funny to watch these people driving around them.

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Jerry...Jacksonville,Fl Nüvi1450,Nuvi650,Nuvi 2495 and Mapsource.
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