Author Topic: Round-about/Traffic circles  (Read 6192 times)
wide-lite 1000
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Round-about/Traffic circles « on: November 03, 2019, 08:17:38 PM » Author: wide-lite 1000
Central Ohio seems to have gone crazy regarding the installation of round-abouts. It seems a new one is installed weekly ! I personally have no problems with them except for the fact that Ohio drivers seem to have NO CLUE how they actually work!!! 2 have already been redesigned due to the high volume of crashes occurring in them  . When approaching the round-about there is a large sign telling drivers to "yield to traffic in the round-about" the problems I see are drivers just barreling in with no concept of other traffic, or my personal favorite, the driver who who STOPS AT THE YIELD SIGN ! even when there is NO oncoming traffic defeating the purpose of the round-about . anyone else have good/bad experiences with these ? 

 I know these are popular "Across the pond" so Maybe we just aren't building them correctly or American drivers just have no clue how a round-about is actually supposed to work !  ::)

 Thoughts ?
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Cole D.
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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #1 on: November 03, 2019, 10:00:03 PM » Author: Cole D.
The oldest part of my town is actually a huge roundabout! It has a park in the center with old buildings with shops and parking spaces around the perimeter of it. There are six streets that connect into it and each one has a stop sign. I don't particularly like driving on the roundabout, since it can be hard to get on it with that many streets of cars turning on it. Plus each street has a crosswalk both across the side street, and across the roundabout, so you have to watch for pedestrians both before you get on and while you're going around it. It can be quite dangerous. At Christmas time, they decorate the park in the center with hundreds of Christmas lights and wire arches with lights over the sidewalks. That time of year is especially bad because people are constantly crossing the roundabout to go in and out of the park to see Santa Claus.

Other than that we didn't have any roundabouts. But in the last few months they've been extending a secondary roadway here that's supposed to come out at the back street of the college. There used to be a T intersection there with the back road leading to the college having a stop sign. Now they've taken that out and put a roundabout there, and when the secondary roadway is done, it will connect to it. They also put in streetlights along the roadway there, I put pictures on here of it. They have AEL ATB2 with concrete poles with guy wired arms, which was interesting setup.

From what I understand they are also currently building a roundabout at the other end of that secondary roadway.

So it seems here too, they are putting in lots of roundabouts.

Personally I always found them interesting, seeing them mainly in the UK. So they don't bother me that much. In the UK many of the roundabouts have post top lanterns in the middle such as the Phosco P series, which I think is really cool.  :)
« Last Edit: November 03, 2019, 10:04:16 PM by Cole D. » Logged

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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #2 on: November 04, 2019, 12:55:22 AM » Author: tolivac
Have two roundabouts in my area.Like them BETTER than the 4 way "WHAM" intersections!
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RyanF40T12
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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #3 on: November 04, 2019, 02:12:06 AM » Author: RyanF40T12
I hate most of the round a bouts we have here.  Most people don't know how to use them properly 
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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #4 on: November 04, 2019, 07:04:52 AM » Author: sol
Here, we only started having them in 2014 or so. While the closest one is 30 minutes drive from here, I seldom visit that place because it is in the opposite direction from my place of work. However, when I do go there, people seem to know how to use it and it has made turning left to enter that town much, much easier. The ones I used elsewhere were no problem, people seemed to know what to do.

The one closest to here only opened this past spring. I believe the transportation department and the police organized public meetings to show people how to use it and to answer their questions.

Conclusion : I quite like them.
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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #5 on: November 04, 2019, 07:41:20 AM » Author: Mandolin Girl
On this side of the Pond, a lot of people don't know how to use them either. There are two main problems with them as I see it, and they are connected:

1) Roundabouts only work if there is an equal amount of traffic entering from each  point, as soon as you get a dominant flow of traffic entering at, say road 1 and leaving at road 3 in a 4 way junction you start to get problems which brings me to point 2. There is a notorious roundabout near where we live, that at certain times of the day can take upwards of half an hour to negotiate.!!  >:(

2) Having traffic signals on roundabouts, to allow others to enter it, negating the purpose for them in the first place. The roundabout I mentioned doesn't have lights, you just have to wait, and wait and wait until there is finally a gap.!!   >:(
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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #6 on: November 04, 2019, 09:28:22 AM » Author: 589
They’ve been building them here too. Thankfully folks are nice enough here you can just start putting yourself out there a little once you’ve been there for a bit and people will slow or stop to avoid hitting you. I only do that when absolutely necessary.

I do like them better than 4-way stops most times, however they take up MUCH more space compared to a traditional intersection.

Ive seen a video of top gear with the trio navigating a double roundabout in Peugeots somewhere in the UK, that seems confusing as frig.
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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #7 on: November 04, 2019, 10:07:28 AM » Author: sox35
They’ve been building them here too. Thankfully folks are nice enough here you can just start putting yourself out there a little once you’ve been there for a bit and people will slow or stop to avoid hitting you. I only do that when absolutely necessary.

I do like them better than 4-way stops most times, however they take up MUCH more space compared to a traditional intersection.

Ive seen a video of top gear with the trio navigating a double roundabout in Peugeots somewhere in the UK, that seems confusing as frig.

You think that's bad, try the Magic Roundabout in Swindon  :o

Another video of how it actually works  ;D

I've only ever encountered one roundabout on my travels in the US, it was somewhere in the LA area I think, but it was a while ago, so don't remember all that well. I do remember I wasn't expecting it, though  :D

I like the cloverleaf junctions you get in the US, also in Germany, we don't really have the space for them here, though.
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wide-lite 1000
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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #8 on: November 04, 2019, 10:03:11 PM » Author: wide-lite 1000
 Here is the one which was installed 2 yrs ago by where I work : https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gantz+Rd,+Ohio/@39.8862456,-83.0578813,17.5z/data=  It is in a industrial area . The purpose was to help the semi trucks to exit the side road easier . It SEEMS to work as intended but, as Ryan F40T12 said , most people don't know how to use them properly. I have been known to zip through this at 20 mph with no problems. Sammi, 1st, traffic signals in a round about makes no sense whatsoever ! 2nd, I'd think if the round about was designed correctly, traffic should move faster than with a 3 or 4 way intersection. Ria, That's NUTS !  :o . 589, They are definitely better than a 4-way despite the amount of real estate they require.  

 Every time I see one in America this comes to mind !! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAgX6qlJEMc
« Last Edit: November 04, 2019, 10:05:23 PM by wide-lite 1000 » Logged

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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #9 on: November 05, 2019, 12:34:38 AM » Author: xmaslightguy
I hate the things...
My name for them is 'idiot circles' :lol:

I would way rather see a stopsign or trafficlight!
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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #10 on: November 08, 2019, 01:49:17 AM » Author: ace100w120v
I realize they are supposed to keep traffic moving versus backing up, but I nevertheless kinda hate them.  Maybe it stems from being someone who is used to being on the road in old 6x6 army trucks, maybe it's just the psychological principle of the ambiguity aversion, but I dislike them. 

Alaska has them everywhere, more and more so. 

If you want a good one: Streetview downtown North Pole, Alaska.  Three of the things in a row, as a freeway interchange no less! I had some of my drivers ed there. I just remember being disoriented, going in circles, with my driving instructor chastising me.  ::)
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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #11 on: November 10, 2019, 07:21:55 AM » Author: marcopete87
Where i live, they were installed with great results (less crashes and less jams in peak hours).
Now, some had been demolished with very questionable results (more traffic jams).
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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #12 on: April 19, 2020, 08:06:50 PM » Author: icefoglights
If you want a good one: Streetview downtown North Pole, Alaska.  Three of the things in a row, as a freeway interchange no less! I had some of my drivers ed there. I just remember being disoriented, going in circles, with my driving instructor chastising me.  ::)

You didn't get to experience that area before they was there.  Making a right turn took forever.  Had to go left?  I'd go some other long way around to avoid that situation.

Minnesota liked their roundabouts.  Sometimes find them out in the middle of no where.  Texas on the other hand, is the land of 4-way stops, and could really use some roundabouts.  I haven't seen any yet though.
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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #13 on: April 26, 2020, 10:31:22 AM » Author: Proteus
Interesting topic :)

I have to say that I honestly like roundabouts, and most drivers here know how to use them, because they are really common in whole Switzerland. In my hometown, just have a look to the main streets going into the town, you'll find a lot of roundabouts, especially in northwest direction https://goo.gl/maps/t2Uezp2zeMDhXb8r7
As well, they put in the middle of all roundabouts in my town something that is according to a nearby location and sometimes really nice to look at. https://goo.gl/maps/tpb1GQDWEtKhSRQDA

The only thing I don't like about roundabouts is when they have two lanes (or even more...) like: https://goo.gl/maps/GjWUSKydSSrEKgmt8
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Re: Round-about/Traffic circles « Reply #14 on: April 26, 2020, 11:00:53 AM » Author: Cole D.
The new roundabouts in my area have one with two lanes and the other is one lane. The oldest roundabout in my area is from the 1920s, it's one lane but it has pedestrian crossings and a big park in the center.
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