Traffic circles

[hucifer]

AKA Roundabouts

Love 'em or hate 'em?

 

[Charade]

hate em!! But you have to have nerves of steel to negotiate through them!

I thought they were phasing them out but my town just built one a year or so ago. Go figure.

 

[aprild]

whats a traffic circle?

 

[hucifer]

hate em!! But you have to have nerves of steel to negotiate through them!

I thought they were phasing them out but my town just built one a year or so ago. Go figure.

They're building them all over my town and I LOVE them. Traffic is so horrible, it's a good way to keep it flowing.

Don't worry, you'll join the dark side once you've ridden them round and round a few times.

 

[lewdyan1]

Hate it!!!

 

[pattyT]

AKA ROTARY
(I was thinking of posting this yesturday as one of ours is getting paved and it is a huge PITA!)

 

[Charade]

whats a traffic circle?

It's pretty much what it says. Instead of traffic lights (although I've seen TCs with traffic lights!!) they use a large circle to control the flow of traffic. You're SUPPOSED to yield to cars already in the circle and then take your turn when there's a clearing. It's really incredible that they didn't turn into crash em' up derbies than they did!.

 

[hucifer]

whats a traffic circle?

It's a traffic lightless intersection. Instead of coming to a fork, you come to a circle.

Remember National Lampoon's European Vacation? Just like that.

 

[Charade]

whats a traffic circle?

Did you see the movie "European Vacation" with Chevy Chase? If you did, remember they were stuck in one for HOURS while in London.

 

[Tiggeroo]

hate them. There's a major one coming into my town. On every side of it is a bar or restaurant. We're a tourist town and alot of the people who come here in the summer have never driven in a circle before. This leads to chaos and near accidents all the time. Imagine teaching 3 teens how to drive a circle. There are no rules or right of way. If you follow the technical rules and the other person doesn't know them you will hit the person. Ours is being removed as part of a major road project.

 

[Beth76]

I hate them. We have a few in our area and people don't know how to use them correctly. So, either they pull out in front of you or they sit there waiting forever. They're supposed to decrease traffic accidents, but I don't really buy it. I think they may decrease the severity of an accident, but not the accident itself.

 

[hucifer]

Did you see the movie "European Vacation" with Chevy Chase? If you did, remember they were stuck in one for HOURS while in London.

I beat you to that one.

 

[Beth76]

Did you see the movie "European Vacation" with Chevy Chase? If you did, remember they were stuck in one for HOURS while in London.

Hey Kids, Big Bend, Parliament!

 

[aprild]

interesting....... i have never see or heard of these before.

 

[hucifer]

So where are the other three people who agree with me? I'm getting slaughtered in my own thread.

 

[Crankyshank]

It's a rotary here and I don't mind them at all. I get a snarky kick out of the people who don't know how to drive in them

 

[hiwaygal]

Traffic circles/Roundabouts/Rotaries have their place. That place USED to be in high traffic areas (and some cities still use them there) but in reality they are meant to calm traffic in areas that aren't really "congested".

Here's some basic info:

http://www.ite.org/traffic/circle.htm

In studies over the past several years, they have proven to be much more effective in moving traffic (in an intersection) than a traffic signal. And they are becoming more and more common...although the challenge is for folks to learn how to use them.

I like them. I think they have merit when used correctly. I've read several articles on the traffic studies done and they do help calm traffic, and make it much more efficient.

I've also had the pleasure of designing a few and if you think driving one is challenging ...

 

[soccercruiser87]

oh i love traffic circles!...one day i just drove around and around 70 times in one lol..it was great..reminded me of European Vacation with Chevy Chase

 

[cepmom]

I voted "hate them" but it's not actually the rotary that I hate, it's the people that don't know how to drive on one. I have to go through a rotary every time I go to work and it kills me to be stuck behind a bunch of idiots stopped there waiting for God knows what. Hello....you are supposed to merge onto the rotary. It is wide enough for you to merge into it without getting in the way the oncoming traffic.

 

[Marseeya]

I hate them because I never know how to use them.

There's a nearby town that has one and the people IN the circle have to yield to people coming into it. The one where DH is from, the people coming INTO it have to yield to those already in it.

What's the right way???