Anyone like traffic circles-roundabouts?

[2LaneCruzer]

We lived within a block of the "Classen Traffic Circle" in OKC; built in 1952. When we would sit out in the yard on a nice evening, it was not unusual to hear the sound of a fender bender.

 

[deserteagle71]

Hate them, especially the multi-lane ones. Seems I'm never in the correct lane to get to the road I need.

There are two out here in rural Nevada I know of. One is so congested most of the time it might as well be a stop sign because people get so confused in the middle of it they just stop. The other one opened up this past spring - and there have been two fatal accidents there since since it opened.

 

[lman]

Almost lost my right arm in the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe in France when I was 17. My friend "Dennis" and I hired a taxi for the afternoon to do some sightseeing, and wound up at the Arc.

It was way too large to photograph from inside the taxi, so we asked the taxi driver to pull over. Gesturing, of course, because we didn't speak French. After he pulled all the way to the right, I opened the right rear passenger door to get out. WHAM!!! A vehicle passing even further on the right knocked the door off its hinges and very nearly took my arm off. Terrified, we grabbed all of our money, threw it at the yelling taxi driver, and ran as fast as we could!

I thought the traffic in the roundabout had the right of way. If so why is the traffic in the circle stopped in this video? It seems the traffic entering should be stopped if the circle traffic is congested.

 

[turnkey4099]

They’re not common here but I was on vacation recently and went through several of them. I don’t really like the multiple lane ones but the single lane ones are much more efficient than a 4 way stop.

I learned to drive them in Germany 1960s, all rplaced only 4 ways so simple. I love those. The multiple lane ones I try to avoid unless I can practice them late at night with light traffic. I can't see how a driver new to one of them can find their way through.

 

[ruffdog]

Idiots will always hinder the steady flow of traffic....whatever the design is.

 

[the old grind]

Good manners may be on hold pending drivers getting use to them. Like to think we in the states will, eventually. IMO most of the Old World is far behind us in traffic management. Our systems seem to run out of $$ making our roads dummy proof, might save a few bucks if signs were heeded and fewer of them mowed down.

If squeezed into a small enough area a roundabout almost has to be two lane or semis would struggle to get through ones I've seen. They'll use 'em both when they have to. I know enough intersections where it was good just to get re-paved.

btw, they seem to be common where flow isn't steady. Still beats long light timed for heavy traffic when it's not. (shift change at the factory by the freeway, etc, vendors delivering when they get there)

 

[Bearsixty7]

btw, they seem to be common where flow isn't steady. Still beats long light timed for heavy traffic when it's not. (shift change at the factory by the freeway, etc, vendors delivering when they get there)

Those long lights with no cross traffic is an error by the entity (being cheap) that put in the lights. They could have easily put in traffic sensors (those cuts you see in the pavement at some intersections) to sense which lanes /directions have traffic and have the lights react accordingly but since they cost more and are a little more complex, many places do not use them.

 

[crashz]

I'm surprised to see that no-one has brought up Kelly Square in Worcester, MA. This downtown nightmare was "fixed" to this:

It was one large paved area with no lanes, directions or anything. Just hope for the best. The locals (including myself a few times) would just close their eyes and hit the gas!

 

[ning]

I'm surprised to see that no-one has brought up Kelly Square in Worcester, MA. This downtown nightmare was "fixed" to this:

View attachment 714474

It was one large paved area with no lanes, directions or anything. Just hope for the best. The locals (including myself a few times) would just close their eyes and hit the gas!

tbh looks like an improvement overall, if very inconvenient for the I-290 traffic (though that part probably increases traffic flow through the rest of it). Any chance they could scrape off some of the corners near that offramp to make one more circle?

 

[NHBX]

The locals (including myself a few times) would just close their eyes and hit the gas!

Yup, when in doubt go fast and aim at 'em.