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The British Roundabout is invading America

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The British Roundabout is invading America
Post by Michael Riddell   » Fri Mar 28, 2014 1:22 pm

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13863498

Here's Michigan DoT's how to video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONacAiKXe-8

Since you guys drive on the opposite side of the road from us, I have this piece of advice:

When approaching a roundabout, you only have to keep an eye on what's coming from the left! When you move on to it, you have right of way! ;)

Mike. :)
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Re: The British Roundabout is invading America
Post by Lord Skimper   » Fri Mar 28, 2014 8:44 pm

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Round a bouts are great except when you get too much traffic. Not for the timid but makes 4 way stop signs look stupid. Essentially they are all way yield. We used to have lots in Calgary and are starting to get a few more in select subdivisions.

In Abingdon just outside Oxford they have a double round-a-bout and byfleet or west byfleet has a triple. Sounds confusing but not really.
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Re: The British Roundabout is invading America
Post by Daryl   » Sat Mar 29, 2014 7:44 am

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A few years ago they posted a list of the worst roundabouts -

Winner - Arc de Triumph Paris - 8 major roads converge - I once saw a woman in a small blue hatchback stopped and sobbing in there - possibly still there. Also saw a supermodel in a Ferrari 599 go straight through at warp speed & didn't hit anyone

Second - Cirencester Cotswolds England - a number of interlinked roundabouts - possibly 8 but no one has ever returned from trying to make a final count - my Skoda hire car activated the limp home accident avoidance system whenever I attempted to cross it.

Third - airport roundabout Brisbane Queensland Australia - since been replaced by a California style spaghetti junction

Funny how the three worst had already impacted me before listing.
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Re: The British Roundabout is invading America
Post by Howard T. Map-addict   » Sat Mar 29, 2014 11:45 am

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We used to have them.
They used to be all over New Jersey, for example.
So Twentieth Century!
The increasing traffic made them obsolete,
so we got rid of them.
Now we have intersections controlled by traffic lights,
and the occasional overpass.

HTM

Michael Riddell wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13863498

Here's Michigan DoT's how to video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONacAiKXe-8

Since you guys drive on the opposite side of the road from us, I have this piece of advice:

When approaching a roundabout, you only have to keep an eye on what's coming from the left! When you move on to it, you have right of way! ;)

Mike. :)
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Re: The British Roundabout is invading America
Post by Michael Everett   » Sat Mar 29, 2014 1:27 pm

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Daryl wrote:A few years ago they posted a list of the worst roundabouts -

Winner - Arc de Triumph Paris - 8 major roads converge - I once saw a woman in a small blue hatchback stopped and sobbing in there - possibly still there. Also saw a supermodel in a Ferrari 599 go straight through at warp speed & didn't hit anyone

Second - Cirencester Cotswolds England - a number of interlinked roundabouts - possibly 8 but no one has ever returned from trying to make a final count - my Skoda hire car activated the limp home accident avoidance system whenever I attempted to cross it.

Third - airport roundabout Brisbane Queensland Australia - since been replaced by a California style spaghetti junction

Funny how the three worst had already impacted me before listing.

The one I've highlighted is locally known as the "Magic Roundabout" due to the fact that even experienced cabbies (taxi drivers to you non-brits) have reported that they have found themselves going in totally the wrong direction despite their advanced local knowledge.
It even featured once on a calender...
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Re: The British Roundabout is invading America
Post by Michael Riddell   » Sat Mar 29, 2014 1:34 pm

Michael Riddell
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Posts: 352
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Location: Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.

Howard T. Map-addict wrote:
Now we have intersections controlled by traffic lights,
.....

HTM


Aberdeen city council must've been watching, then. This city's absolutely infested with the effing things to the extent they completely eff up the traffic flow! :evil:

BTW, our neighbours to the south in Dundee have "circles", not roundabouts!

Mike.
---------------------
Gonnae no DAE that!

Why?

Just gonnae NO!
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Re: The British Roundabout is invading America
Post by John M Lyle   » Sun Mar 30, 2014 9:31 am

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Here in Nova Scotia they have one in Halifax, the Armdale Rotary. I avoid that like the plague to the point of driving 5 miles out of my way to avoid it. I hate roundabouts!
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Re: The British Roundabout is invading America
Post by pokermind   » Sun Mar 30, 2014 10:27 am

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My first introduction to a circle or round about was in New Jersey, USA, got stuck in the inner circle, learned never get in inner circle ;) Made me appreciate where the American tourists got stuck in inner circle in Trafalgar Square, London, in the movie European Vacation :lol: See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAgX6qlJEMc

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Re: The British Roundabout is invading America
Post by MaxxQ   » Sun Mar 30, 2014 11:01 am

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Only roundabout I have any actual driving experience with is the one between RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall. That was on the way to or from the base (Lakenheath) to my house in Burwell. Never had any problems with it.

The worst one I saw while *not* being the driver was when my then-wife and I were on a tour bus to Stonehenge. Somewhere between Lakenheath and Stonehenge, there is a large roundabout comprised of five smaller roundabouts - or at least there was almost 30 years ago.
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Re: The British Roundabout is invading America
Post by Tenshinai   » Tue Apr 01, 2014 6:40 pm

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Becoming increasingly common here as well. Never been unusual though.

I found this part of the article amusing:
But beyond Carmel, there has been greater resistance to them. One newspaper columnist in Atlanta says this undesirable European import will lead to higher taxes and accidents.


As they´re much less maintenance intense, cheaper to build and nearly always cause less accidents than intersections.


*****
We used to have them.
They used to be all over New Jersey, for example.
So Twentieth Century!
The increasing traffic made them obsolete,
so we got rid of them.
Now we have intersections controlled by traffic lights,
and the occasional overpass.


Overpass i can understand, but compared to intersections with traffic lights? Roundabouts are WAY more efficient.
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