Ok first change the title from 'Sings' to 'Signs' And yeah, I'm on the bus with this! Stop signs do suck. And I had to go into high speed listening mode for this video, wow.
As long as you're editing the thread title, how about adding "roundabouts" to the end? I like roundabouts so long as they don't include plants or other obstructions that prevent me seeing traffic coming into them. Along one street in La Jolla they put in 3 or 4 roundabouts and at first they were fine, but then they planted a bunch of foliage on top of them. I imagine they did that intentionally to get people to slow down more, but it seems dangerous to me.
First roundabout encounter was in Sweden back in the 70's. Working on a farm at the time, and I was driving an Opel Blitz full of beets to market. Well I went around, and around, and around that thing trying to get off it:lol: I have noticed in some parts of Europe that folks do let others into the flow of traffic, even if they are entering from a stop sign. Rarely, if ever see that in North America, either side of the 49th. Mark
The problems I have with roundabouts is that few people know how to drive thru them - and to compund matters, some jurisdictions operate them differently than others..... In Europe, the guy to your right always has the right of way, just like at 4 way stop signs.... Here in Kansas, the guy in the circle of the roundabout has the right of way, whether he's to your left or right.....it can be very confusing. In most cases here, people just stop and wait for the whole thing to empty out before they try and enter - so they actually cause more delay that a properly located stop sign. To me they're as bad as the idiots that stop at the end of a highway onramp - yes, they do that here too.....:mad2:
Hey, guys, roundabouts are great - not only are they efficient, as traffic keeps flowing most of the time (but not all - they become inefficient and create aggression in really heavy flows), but they are the Mini drivers favourite as you get to see how fast you can get around them - it's like a skid pan at every road junction. And if anyone is a bit uncertain about what to do at roundabouts, may I introduce you to the schizophrenic's roundabout - the Magic Roundabout in Swindon, England: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPANKRHL9HU&NR=1]YouTube - Magic Roundabout Animation[/ame] That's five mini-roundabouts (for us, mini-roundabout can mean one that's just painted on the road surface and can be driven over) set in a ring that behaves as a two-way roundabout - yeah, two-way..... For a less scientific presentation: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgAsqRHuBDw]YouTube - Magic Roundabout Swindon[/ame] Andrew
I HATE ROUNDABOUTS ! ! ! Is that clear enough.....? Our city went on a roundabout building spree over the last few years based on the safety issues, which I do not disagree with, but for traffic flow and efficiency they do not work. During the busy high traffic times the busier main street will monopolize the roundabout because the traffic will be heavy enough that it won't allow someone to "merge" onto the roundabout unless someone turns off and opens up a hole or is kind enough to slow down a bit, but we all know that rarely happens. I have sat at a roundabout at quitting time for over 10 mins waiting for an opening to allow me in. They may work if they are designed large enough, but the ones they have around here simply work as a regular 2 way stop sign intersection when busy....
From a European perspective, which technically is my homeland, but I've lived here more than there, roundabouts make a lot of sense. What if we didn't have merge lanes here in the US? The US invented them with the interstate system. Roundabouts are merges rather than stops. Americans know how to merge I think. They are also chicanes, for us in the track world. Figure out what everybody else is doing and then drive the car. BTW don't be on the phone! London taxi drivers are probably the world's experts. They almost never have to stop in one of the planet's most congested cities. Avoid traffic lights and go the route where there are roundabouts. Save on gas and frustration. While I have an opportunity to talk about gas saving let me say this. I would propose that the White House request a bill from Congress that would mandate cities, over time, to adopt computerized traffic signals that would create a "green wave" of green signals on all major throughways. Once you get on a green wave, all signals in front would turn green given the speed limit.
Ok ......I do a lot of driving around the country for my job ..........personally I think they suck . However roudabouts are and would be efficient if drivers displayed courtesy for their fellow drivers. From my experience driving the roads in America...that is not going to happen.
For me it's not so much how they work but moreso how much they cost. I just saw where the City of Columbus spent $3.8 million to build 2 roundabouts at two perfectly good intersections yet the roads leading into the roundabouts are full of broken pavement and potholes. As usual, government has their priorities screwed up (sorry, I'm down off my soapbox now):mad5:
Here's a new mega-intersection idea - The Vortex Junction. Seems great in theory, but no plans to build one yet. Vortex Junction: The Next-Gen Roundabout - Roundabouts - Jalopnik