Houstonians can't figure out roundabout so put in a traffic light

[rwest]

I worked for a suburb of Minneapolis in MN and got to hear a lot about roundabouts and apparently there are more accidents in them than your standard traffic light set ups, but... the roundabout accidents are at much lower speeds and claim less lives, whereas someone pulling out to make a right turn at a light that doesn’t see the traffic flying down the road at 55 mph can easily end up severely injured or dead.

I am a big fan of roundabouts, but think that they should have been putting in simple one lane ones years ago to help train the idiots in advance of multi lane ones.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by kach22i

The problem with roundabouts is that no two are alike.

That's a big +1

I drive circles everyday as they are concentrated on the the main drag I live on.

They do save lives as driving speed T-bones are reduced Edit: like rwest says above

I see odd stuff on this one several times a week. See the line with arrow I have scratched into this picture. Right turn only but not everybody listens. In their defense, I have used it (circle in general) for years and don't full understand it.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by gregpark

Training? What's to learn? You obey the yield sign, jump in and peel off in the direction you want to go. Never stop in the roundabout is the only other rule involved. People can't figure out 4 way stop signs either yet they've received training for them. The real problem? here's a plethora of brain dead zombies out there

I suspect in England and Europe there's a bit more to it than that. I've driven through a bunch and they don't seem that hard to me, but then most folks in the US can't figure out the zipper merge.

[javadog]

Roundabouts in Europe are a good place to pack a lunch and a bottle of wine and watch the carnage.

They drive like **** in Rome, so there’s usually quite a bit of carnage.

This one in Paris is quite famous. 12 major avenues coming together, no lane markings, just a free-for-all.

[masraum]

I used to drive through this one daily. It's the one where I would occasionally encounter someone that had turned left and was going the wrong way around.
They've clearly completely repaved this since I used it daily. It used to be a much larger circle and 2 lanes without those side/bypass lanes.



This is the one that's got stop signs at the entrances.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by javadog

Roundabouts in Europe are a good place to pack a lunch and a bottle of wine and watch the carnage.

They drive like **** in Rome, so there’s usually quite a bit of carnage.

This one in Paris is quite famous. 12 major avenues coming together, no lane markings, just a free-for-all.

That reminds me of the scene in National Lampoon European Vacation.

[herr_oberst]

With a little attitude adjustment, a traffic circle can be fun!

[Zeke]

One in Long Beach is for the continuation of PCH that peels off at an angle short of having to go half way around. There is a separate lane for PCH through traffic. The 2 other major 6 lane streets terminate at the circle so it's a busy 4 exit affair not quite 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock. More like 12, 2, 4 and 9. 3 lanes wide but always unmarked until they restriped and re-signed it a couple times in the last 3 decades. Before that it was the same since 1930. It has neve been a disaster even with out-of-state tourists.

This subject has come up before and I also mentioned then that in the 60's when it was totally dead out at 3 am I used to race my buddy around the circle. He was in a '58 Chevy and I rode a 125cc dirt bike flat tracking the grass in the center near the perimeter just like European speedway racing. I won every time. Well, shorter distance around was in my favor.

Once going surfing at o'dark thirty I spun my my bias plied tire car heading south on PCH at the exit on a wet street. I ended up in the opposite 3 lanes facing the direction I came from. I just went full circle around the thing and on my merry ass way. As I said, it used to be real quiet here in the late 60's at off hours and this was the weekend to boot. IDT anyone even witnessed the spin.

[masraum]

Ken Block certainly knew how to get through a roundabout!

[stevej37]

I know a couple different drivers (about my age) that say they go out of their route to miss the roundabouts.
So that helps for the rest of us.

[3rd_gear_Ted]

In Tijuana MX there are multiple roundabouts over 4 lanes wide and everybody finds there way around them just fine. To Mexicans, its like dancing around the circle, everybody figures out the rhythm of each one.
American drivers are really dumb and the cops make $40 a pop.

[Evans, Marv]

I like roundabouts. The first I encountered were in Europe. The ones in Spain were especially fun. The ones in TJ are easy peasy. I wish they'd put in a lot more locally.

[JackDidley]

My problem with roundabouts id when I am in a strange town. If you dont know where your turnoff is it can be a pain trying to be in the right lane at the right time.

[Zeke]

Just stay in the right lane and use your turn signals. That's the main problem, drivers don't signal where they want to go. It's not the end of the world to miss the exit either, nor is taking the wrong one and coming back. There might be a connector road a little ways down the exit road too.

We have an outer ring too:

[IMG][/IMG]

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by john70t

Need a poll
A) They should be ploughed beneath h-ll and whale poop.
B) All signs and rights removed. May the best vehicle win. Good luck.
C) 12 stop signs per roundabout.

If I'm in my F250 I go with B... unless there's a larger vehicle entering.