PhilO wrote:on our trip through Ireland this past summer, we found the roundabouts to be reassuring, helpful and easily navigated. Did they get better or did we?
I think they got better. Wikipedia has a good article on the history, and one on "magic" roundabouts like the one in Swindon that StevieJ was talking about.
This roundabout is at an intersection of five roadways and consists of a two-way road around the central island with five mini-roundabouts where it meets the incoming roads. Traffic may proceed around the main roundabout either clockwise via the outer lanes, or anticlockwise using the inner lanes next to the central island. At each mini-roundabout the usual clockwise flow applies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundabout
There's a complicated roundabout (or at least there used to be) like that at Hemel Hempstead. I'm sure that Gary would have summat to say about the Swindon one if he's reading.
"Last night, among his fellow roughs,
He jested, quaff'd and swore."
They cut me down and I leapt up high
I am the life that'll never, never die.
I'll live in you if you'll live in me -
I am the lord of the dance, said he!
Here's a plan of the "magic roundabout" at Hemel Hempstead. One minor ( ) complication is that, unnervingly, you end up with traffic flowing both clockwise and anticlockwise around the main roundabout. Nothing to it though, really. If you're on it and are worried that you haven't a bloody clue what you're doing or where you're going there's no need to worry. Neither does anyone else.
"Last night, among his fellow roughs,
He jested, quaff'd and swore."
They cut me down and I leapt up high
I am the life that'll never, never die.
I'll live in you if you'll live in me -
I am the lord of the dance, said he!
I think those magic roundabouts are fairly straightforward. If you just think of them as 5 or 6 small roundabouts and ignore the big one in the middle they make a lot more sense.
I seem to remember a former colleague of mine showing me a picture of a really over the top junction in portsmouth but I can't remember the details of it.
SteveShaw wrote:Here's a plan of the "magic roundabout" at Hemel Hempstead. One minor ( ) complication is that, unnervingly, you end up with traffic flowing both clockwise and anticlockwise around the main roundabout. Nothing to it though, really. If you're on it and are worried that you haven't a bloody clue what you're doing or where you're going there's no need to worry. Neither does anyone else.
I appreciate the graphic Stevie - it looks to be the work of a systems analyst - however, I prefer Lorenzo's truth in advertising - damnit, when I was a systems engineer, I used to do tidy graphics like that too - the board loves em, specially when you quote all that statistical spin about the man-hours saved by little roudabouts, multiply it all by 6 for each entry and 9 by the number of lanes and then add tutonic cost saving possiblities in human consideration <larf till I bust> someone bought a county off that little lark!!! Specially when you consider all the real-estate saved that belonged to the chairman. (man I gotta get out of this pub there's only so much larfing a body can stand!)
Lorenzo wrote:Now this one is definately only for smart people!
I dunno about 'smart' people. But since I've yet to see an accident on the Magic Roundabout (not even just in front, behind, or to the side of me when I've been going across it), I'd say 'lucky'. I don't think it's coincidence that the fire station and ambulance station are situated right there on Fleming Way...
The first time I approached that roundabout and saw the sign I thought "Oh goodness gracious me." Not.
"It might be a bit better to tune to one of my fiddle's open strings, like A, rather than asking me for an F#." - Martin Milner
Tell us something.: I used to play pipes about 20 years ago and suddenly abducted by aliens. Not sure why... but it's 2022 and I'm mysteriously baack...
The diagram makes it look worse than it is when you're on it. At any particular point you are either at a roundabout or between roundabouts. There are ony two or three routes to take. When you use a multiple roundabout like this, you don't have to take in the whole situation at once.
In High Wycombe they have a much simpler construction of three roundabouts on a triangle. Unfortunately you do tend to see "The whole diagram" as you come down the hill to approach it. But the other two approach routes are "blind" and drivers coming from those directions are less nervous. But it's all simple enough when you are on the spot.
Lorenzo wrote:Now this one is definately only for smart people!
I dunno about 'smart' people. But since I've yet to see an accident on the Magic Roundabout (not even just in front, behind, or to the side of me when I've been going across it), I'd say 'lucky'. I don't think it's coincidence that the fire station and ambulance station are situated right there on Fleming Way...
The first time I approached that roundabout and saw the sign I thought "Oh goodness gracious me." Not.
I think I unsderstand it now. Most drivers would only need to drive in the outer circle. The only time you'd need the little inner roundabouts is if you wanted to do a U-Turn, or go back and catch the street you just missed (instead of going on around again). Right?
Wait, maybe a car could save 3 seconds by winding through the middle to the street on the opposite side! That looks dangersous.
I think maybe you can think of it as right turns, left turns, and U-turns. Maybe it isn't that different than entering or leaving a divided highway that has multiple lanes in each direction.
I guess the little circles really just guide you when you're turning so you don't come close to traffic going the other way. I guess it's not like you are supposed to go completely around each little circle before proceeding to the next straight stretch. You'd only make a complete little circling if you started to change your direction and then you changed your mind I think. I know that it would be best for me never to drive on something like that, especially when the direction of the traffic flow isn't associated with the same side of the road I'm used to . It would be interesting to see, but only if I could get there by bus.
Diligentia maximum etiam mediocris ingeni subsidium. ~ Diligence is a very great help even to a mediocre intelligence.----Seneca
As to the original post, I don't see that a simple roundabout is worse than a 4-way stop, which nobody seems to be able to use correctly here anymore. If it saves more gas and wear and tear, I'm for it. And especially strings of lights, like Bro Steve said. Hate 'em.
) complication is that, unnervingly, you end up with traffic flowing both clockwise and anticlockwise around the main roundabout. Nothing to it though, really. If you're on it and are worried that you haven't a bloody clue what you're doing or where you're going there's no need to worry. Neither does anyone else. 
"It might be a bit better to tune to one of my fiddle's open strings, like A, rather than asking me for an F#." - Martin Milner
