found a roundabout

was out riding aimlessley yesterday enjoying the sunny day. worked my way through new albany and came upon a neato roundabout. never seen one in this area before. I played around with it for about 20 mins or so. dangerous yet fun.


-deanV

We have one here where I live. They installed it about anout three years ago. It has since been rated the #1 spot for accidents for three years running.
They have them in Europe everywhere and they work great there. In our "Every man for themself" country, they don't work so well.

There is one in the city of Orange, CA.

What is funny is they call it Plaza Square?!

They have them in Europe everywhere and they work great there. In our "Every man for themself" country, they don't work so well.

I think they work in Europe BECAUSE they drive with the sense of "every man for themself". In my experience European drivers seem to be very assertive. They don't work well here b/c people drive here don't know how to merge and are not used to roundabouts yet. Roundabouts do not mesh well with any of our other roadways. If we had narrower streets with smaller cars and more cobble stone that would be a start.

what is a roundabout?

I think they work in Europe BECAUSE they drive with the sense of "every man for themself". In my experience European drivers seem to be very assertive. They don't work well here b/c people drive here don't know how to merge and are not used to roundabouts yet. Roundabouts do not mesh well with any of our other roadways. If we had narrower streets with smaller cars and more cobble stone that would be a start.

In paris this is true. In Germany it is like thay are born with a steering wheel in their hands. I think it has to do with the extensive driving education they must complete before they get their license.

People don't know how to drive in the States, wtf gtfolol.

Roundabouts everywhere in Adelaide Australia where I grew up. Never seen one since I have been living in the US. My wife is from the US and when we lived in Adelaide roundabouts confused the s**t outa her. She kept wanting to go around them in the wrong direction. That will give ya a 10 pucker factor, I assure you.

here ya go swiest152 ... way more fun when there are more than 4 roads :)

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/road-user-safety/new-road-rules/gfx/roundabout-02.jpg

What I've heard the sucker called.

Roundabout: UK/Kuwait
Rotary: Boston
Circle: Rest of the US

There's one at the entrance of my neighborhood and two at a nearby mall. The two are back to back so they are a TON of fun to get around.

We have a couple in Fort Worth. The big one is in West Fort Worth, nothing like the picture. There is about 1 acre of land in the middle. There is one major street plus two others that connect, all two lanes each direction. Everyone goes 20-30 mph with no stops, no lights. There are businesses all around the outside, with a couple of exits for those businesses mixed in. People go around it fairly quickly, and every now and the a j@ckass decides he's in the wrong lane. However, it is very safe considering it's the only thing like it around. The other is in south Fort Worth, and is relatively small. They had to cut it down to one lane because of the slow speed accidents on it. No one can handle the small circles.

We definitely have them everywhere up in Massachusetts.

There is one in the city of Orange, CA.

What is funny is they call it Plaza Square?!

ROFLMAO ... only on the West Coast I swear.

Dean, just a warning:

Les's henchmen don't take kindly to hooligans.

Dean, just a warning:

Les's henchmen don't take kindly to hooligans.

translation: don't **** around too much in new albany ;D

We have them in Kansas. If you can find a big one in a new neighborhood where there is little traffic, its good for learning how to drag a knee or at least a foot.:vroom:

translation: don't **** around too much in new albany ;D
Is it just me or does that whole town seem like one giant gated community?

dude here in MA they are all over the place. rotaries aren't that hard to wrap your head around. Yeild to rotary traffic and pull out when clear. simple, easy as pie. Only time they cause any problems around here is rush hour when everyone wants to get home and lose all vehicular common sense

They're all over place here in Washington. For the most part they work really well on the roads with a medium amount of traffic. Like bizzleivxx said, its crappy at rush hour when there's a steady stream of cars coming.

We have them in Kansas and Missouri at both of the colleges that i've been to, and i truly have no idea why people have so much trouble with them. Every day without fail someone always ****ed it up.

Is it just me or does that whole town seem like one giant gated community?

No, you are absolutely correct. Just don't drink the Kool-Aid.

I liked the roundabouts in Oz... I much prefer them to 4 way stop signs...as people don't even know how to use those things either...

3 lane roundabouts are freaky though... I forget where I saw those but you'll have stains in your seat afterward if you are making a turn into the far lane


Roundabouts everywhere in Adelaide Australia where I grew up. Never seen one since I have been living in the US. My wife is from the US and when we lived in Adelaide roundabouts confused the s**t outa her. She kept wanting to go around them in the wrong direction. That will give ya a 10 pucker factor, I assure you.

here ya go swiest152 ... way more fun when there are more than 4 roads :)

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/road-user-safety/new-road-rules/gfx/roundabout-02.jpg

6 way one in patterson near me, sucks when you want exit 5.

i love the things, there's one near me going into a neighborhood, speed limit is 35 going in and doesnt drop to 25 till the other side so i fly through it all the time. been given the finger/honked/yelled at atleast a dozen times. oh well, just following posted speed limit.


also there's a HUGE one with no traffic, but it is dumb pseudo-cobblestone brick so i dont trust the traction, i know in a car it's easy to slide around it

what is a roundabout?

A pretty cool song by Yes. Also, a traffic circle.

Roundabouts everywhere in Adelaide Australia ....
here ya go swiest152 ... way more fun when there are more than 4 roads :)

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/road-user-safety/new-road-rules/gfx/roundabout-02.jpg

Except that shows the cars on the wrong side of the road. ;D


There are several circles in my development, and few of my neighbors seem to know how to deal with them. It's really not that hard: traffic in the circle has the right of way; traffic trying to enter the circle must yield.

Whoever said that the problem is that American drivers aren't aggressive enough, compared to Europeans, got it partially right. I can't tell you how many times I've seen drivers in the circle come to a dead stop to let cars come in.

OTOH, when trying to exit the circle, American drivers can be too aggressive. I've been cut off many times by drivers who haven't planned their exit well enough, and move from the inner lane to the outer lane, at the last minute.

What few drivers seem to realize is that "missing" your exit is no big deal, and certainly not worth the risk involved in cutting across traffic. It's a CIRCLE, for pete's sake! If you miss your exit, just drive around the circle again (and, again, if necessary) until you have the chance to safely move over and exit.

They just put one on Hwy 7 West of here about a mile. They also just finished one in Chaska. They are fun on a bike when no one else is out there, but when retards that are confused about the whole concept ruin it all. Also they put a huge mound in the middle of the one on Hwy 7 so you can't see what's ahead. :(

I thought this was the North Central region? WTF are all these peeps from FL and CA doing in here?? ;)

They just put one on Hwy 7 West of here about a mile. They also just finished one in Chaska. They are fun on a bike when no one else is out there, but when retards that are confused about the whole concept ruin it all. Also they put a huge mound in the middle of the one on Hwy 7 so you can't see what's ahead. :(

I thought this was the North Central region? WTF are all these peeps from FL and CA doing in here?? ;)


Yeah.. what the hell is that about cities... sure a few trees and low shrubs are fine.. you can still see around it... but when they do the whole hill thing covered with stuff.. or fountains statues etc.... it blocks the view of what is comming and where the exits are some times...

ah well the ones I have in my city are just 1 laner ones to act as "traffic calming devices" in neighborhoods with high traffic volume ... but people still don't know the person in the circle has the right away and how to signal where they want to go.... most treat it as a 4 way stop for some annoying reason

If you want to go around circles in Franklin Co. head toward Hilliard / Dublin. They've become all the rage.
Curt

If you want to go around circles in Franklin Co. head toward Hilliard / Dublin. They've become all the rage.
CurtPretentious f*cks. I hate so much about that area. I'm in suburban hell in Powell, but I'm damm glad I don't live a 1/2 mile to the west. I'd be pi$$ing off my neighbors left and right.

I think they work in Europe BECAUSE they drive with the sense of "every man for themself". In my experience European drivers seem to be very assertive. They don't work well here b/c people drive here don't know how to merge and are not used to roundabouts yet. Roundabouts do not mesh well with any of our other roadways. If we had narrower streets with smaller cars and more cobble stone that would be a start.

In paris this is true. In Germany it is like thay are born with a steering wheel in their hands. I think it has to do with the extensive driving education they must complete before they get their license.

Bingo on both accounts. I grew up in Greece and have lived in France and Switzerland for a while and have also had the pleasure of driving in Italy, Germany and England. We are FAR more aggressive drivers in Europe and also WAAAAAY more aware than American ones. One of the reasons I got rid of my car and hate driving in America is b/c of the general incompetence of the driving population here (in addition to the absurdly low speed-limits which cost me a pretty penny in speeding tickets).

P.S. Craziest roundabout I've ever driven is in Paris. See below. There's cars coming from every direction, headed to every direction in crazy speeds. I love the madness!!

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb115/Aliki555/place-etoile.jpg

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb115/Aliki555/2018986_6bbc16c4_l.jpg

Bingo on both accounts. I grew up in Greece and have lived in France and Switzerland for a while and have also had the pleasure of driving in Italy, Germany and England. We are FAR more aggressive drivers in Europe and also WAAAAAY more aware than American ones. One of the reasons I got rid of my car and hate driving in America is b/c of the general incompetence of the driving population here (in addition to the absurdly low speed-limits which cost me a pretty penny in speeding tickets).

Careful, you're bordering on "Arrogant European pr!ck" ::)

Careful, you're bordering on "Arrogant European pr!ck" ::)

Yet every word was true.

Careful, you're bordering on "Arrogant European pr!ck" ::)

As opposed to "Arrogant American pr!ck" which would've been ok?

No offense meant for anyone, btw, it was a general observation from my personal experiences.

It's true.

They're putting in more and more here in Colorado. I have no problem with them. If people get their heads out of their @$$ and merge and don't just sit there waiting for the ENTIRE roundabout to be clear then its great.

They're putting in more and more here in Colorado. I have no problem with them. If people get their heads out of their @$$ and merge and don't just sit there waiting for the ENTIRE roundabout to be clear then its great.

+1.

there's one in Long Beach, CA. i always split then merge through the row of cars waiting for the roundabout to be clear, dry and sunny before they merge. one of the perks of roundabouts is drivers don't need to stop and waste gas at a red light. too bad people don't understand that

there are two sort of roundabouts back to back on M-81 at the I-75 overpass in saginaw. too many people have no idea what the yeild sign means. these aren't true rounds but more like two half rounds connected by about 100' straight.

the first really tight right turn on the IoM TT mountain course is the roundabout a quarterbridge, maybe 110 degree turn or something to leave Douglas and head toward Union Mills. ejoyed a couple of pints at the quartebridge pub watching sidecars practice. good times

the only thing i hate about roundabouts is that people who don't know what they're doing stop before entering them. meanwhile, i'm watching the oncoming traffic, seeing that there's no traffic, assuming the oldster is going to go because its clear, and of course i run into his ass.


i heard someone on the radio talking about american vs. other countries drivers, and he seems to think a large portion of the problem is that we are trained to do what the signs and lights tell us, we're not really taught to look at traffic and cars and make judgement calls about when it is safe at intersections. thats why we just go when its green, whether or not someone is running their red. of course we motos know better. . .

i heard someone on the radio talking about american vs. other countries drivers, and he seems to think a large portion of the problem is that we are trained to do what the signs and lights tell us, we're not really taught to look at traffic and cars and make judgement calls about when it is safe at intersections. thats why we just go when its green, whether or not someone is running their red. of course we motos know better. . .

This is only reinforced by the excessive police patrolling in the US. We're afraid if we come to an intersection and don't stop, we're going to be stopped by the police because we didn't see a stop sign or traffic light or something, then we're going to have to pay ridiculous fines and fees if we're lucky, or go to court if we're not.

If we could cut traffic police down to about 35% of what it is now, the world would be a better place. Any officer that sits off the side of the road or in the freeway medians is wasting taxpayer money and making the roads more dangerous when the driver in the car in front of me doing 3 mph over the speed limit slams on his brakes and **** near comes to a stop because he sees a PO.

Rotary: Boston
Oh, Okay. That's where I grew up, so I'm very familiar with them. A rotary is just a permanent game of "Chicken" organized by your local DoT.
Rules:
Rule One: Eye contact is for losers.
Rule Two: See Rule One.

There's really only one on my side of town at Lander/Shaker/Gates Mills Blvd.
I can't say a rotary/traffic circle/roundabout is all that great a place to play.:dontknow:

This is only reinforced by the excessive police patrolling in the US. We're afraid if we come to an intersection and don't stop, we're going to be stopped by the police because we didn't see a stop sign or traffic light or something, then we're going to have to pay ridiculous fines and fees if we're lucky, or go to court if we're not.

If we could cut traffic police down to about 35% of what it is now, the world would be a better place. Any officer that sits off the side of the road or in the freeway medians is wasting taxpayer money and making the roads more dangerous when the driver in the car in front of me doing 3 mph over the speed limit slams on his brakes and **** near comes to a stop because he sees a PO.

that has happened to all of us before, and i actually got pulled over for following too close, after the car in front of me slammed on its brakes when he saw the cop, yeah, and i get pulled over.

another time, i got pulled over because there was a person standing off the curb in a crosswalk, and i didn't stop for them. i didn't stop for them because i didn't see them, because i was looking at the motorcycle cop who was staring at me. if there was no cop, i would have seen the person in the crosswalk, stopped, and not broken the law.

I found a tiny one in a neighborhood in Clearwater, FL.. The middle was only about 15ft in diameter. Boy did I have fun on that! Almost made myself throw up, though...

come to the northeast.
they're. everywhere.

What I've heard the sucker called.

Roundabout: UK/Kuwait
Rotary: Boston
Circle: Rest of the US

There's one at the entrance of my neighborhood and two at a nearby mall. The two are back to back so they are a TON of fun to get around.

When and why were you in Kuwait?

There are tons where I used to live in Hilliard, Ohio. There weren't any a few years ago, now they're popping up everywhere. Must be at least ten. Plus all the ones in the neighboring town.

When and why were you in Kuwait?

I was 14-15 years old the year that my family moved there. My dad took a job wiht a satcom company. After a year in the most boring place on earth we moved to another boring place... indianapolis lol. We move a lot. It used to be because my dad was in the military but it kinda stuck with us.