The Off Topic Topic

[The Larch]

Nobody poster Swindon's magic roundabout yet?

What happened to the dinoshrubbery, Larchie?

It now lords over one of our most important tourist spots. And it had a baby! 

[Valmy]

But on the topic, as an Amerikan, I generally really like roundabouts...when used wisely.  For relatively low-traffic intersections, they're fantastic.  It is when they get into the double-roundabouts, roundabouts with traffic lights in the middle, and other high-volume locations that they get out of hand.

Good point

I have only ever experienced them in newly constructed areas that are not yet high volume travel areas. I have spent a lot of time in DC but I only ever rode in cars other people were driving. High volume roundabouts might be dreadful, I don't know.

[Sheilbh]

Nobody poster Swindon's magic roundabout yet?

Just as people start saying they don't like it when roundabouts get out of hand.

[Malthus]

I literally don't know what you are supposed to do in that thing. 😄

[Sheilbh]

It also reminds me of the amazing (possibly untrue) tabloid of an elderly British couple who ended up trapped for hours on the Arc de Triomphe roundabout after foolishly heading onto the central lane and then not being able to get out

[Maladict]

It also reminds me of the amazing (possibly untrue) tabloid of an elderly British couple who ended up trapped for hours on the Arc de Triomphe roundabout after foolishly heading onto the central lane and then not being able to get out

Same thing happened to an American family in London, around 1985.

[Valmy]

It also reminds me of the amazing (possibly untrue) tabloid of an elderly British couple who ended up trapped for hours on the Arc de Triomphe roundabout after foolishly heading onto the central lane and then not being able to get out

Same thing happened to an American family in London, around 1985.

That movie definitely set roudabouts back over here

[Malthus]

Confirms the wisdom of me not even trying to drive in England.

Between not being used to driving on the other side and not being used to roundabouts (never mind that mega roundabout thing), it would be a disaster waiting to happen.

Now I'll just put on that Yes song "Roundabout" ...

[Sheilbh]

I understand that, technically, the Plough Roundabout in Hemel Hempstead is more complicated. I can't drive so I don't know - but this sign chills me to the bone

[The Larch]

I understand that, technically, the Plough Roundabout in Hemel Hempstead is more complicated. I can't drive so I don't know - but this sign chills me to the bone

I see it has one more sub-roundabout than the Magic one (6 vs. 5). 

[Tonitrus]

You guys could stand to import the "free right (well, left for ya'll) turn on a red light" Americanism...but to be fair, many of the light-controlled intersections I see around here wouldn't allow for that to be done safely.  Most of yours have the traffic stopping spot too far set back.

[garbon]

Confirms the wisdom of me not even trying to drive in England.

Between not being used to driving on the other side and not being used to roundabouts (never mind that mega roundabout thing), it would be a disaster waiting to happen.

Now I'll just put on that Yes song "Roundabout" ...

+ all the fun blind one lane roads.

That said, my experience of driving on the other side of the road in Malta suggested it isn't that hard to adapt bar accidentally turning on the windshield wipers a lot.

[celedhring]

In Barcelona there's an infamous 2-level roundabout where the 3 largest thoroughfares in the city all intersect. It's pure madness and the whole roundabout has been knocked down and rebuilt in a different shape 3 times during my whole life. Now they are going to knock it down *again* and try a roundabout-less solution which I can't see working either.

[Syt]

What is the point of the magic roundabouts? Can't you just stay on the outer circle to get to where you want?

[DGuller]

And why are they called "magic"?  Because no one knows how they work?