I LOVE roundabouts (or roundabounds) (1 Viewer)

[grateful zed]

Hate these.

 

[bierfiend]

I love em. Problem is Americans do not know his to use them.

 

[sports_fan]

I love em. Problem is Americans do not know his to use them.

What's there to know?

 

[Mario Kart]

Huge fan of the roundabout.

We have one of these things in our area called a "Diverging Traffic Diamond".

http://www.divergingdiamond.com/

These aren't designed to make traffic flow any faster like the roundabout, but are designed to make busier traffic intersections safer and prevent accidents.

They're a little strange to get used to, but once you've been through it a couple times, it works well.

I looked your diamond up on YouTube. I get it but how much land does it take up vs. a normal intersection?

Also, YouTube has some great videos for new traffic flows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDDmE4qoCns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38mEuxZnvAA

If you or anyone has no idea how to use a roundabout:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONacAiKXe-8

The Zombie Apocalypse:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKhsPO6yYko

 

[bierfiend]

I love em. Problem is Americans do not know his to use them.

What's there to know?

when to yield. when to proceed. when to merge. who to yield to. how to exit.

i have done a decent amount of driving in europe. i also lived in breckenridge, worked in vail. vail has had them for a while. the locals know how to use them. the tourists frequently cause accidents. about 5 years ago they constructed a few around breckenridge. caused a lot of chaos for both locals and tourists.

i will admit that i did have 1 chevy chase moment in paris. came off the autoroute and needed the first exit from the roundabout and did not know it at the time. due to how close it was and how fast the other cars were coming off of the freeway, it was very challenging to get the correct street.

 

[shuke]

I hate people who can't understand how these work. But I guess I hate them less than those who don't know how to use a 4-way stop efficiently.

 

[parasaurolophus]

They are safer than either four-way stops or traffic signals. They reduce accidents by about 40 % according to NHTSA.

Big stink when we built some around here, but people are eventually getting used to them.

My city has gone roundabout crazy. I like them quite a bit, but I don't really get the safety claims the city has made. Pretty obvious compared to a stop light intersection. I could even see it being obvious for a large 4 way stop since those can be kind of chaotic when the left turn idiots go first. But for a small 4 way stop, which is what they are replacing here, I dont see how it is safer. I dont think I have ever seen an accident at one of these 4 way stops. When you really think about a 4 way stop that has only one car coming from each direction, it is pretty much impossible to get into an accident that causes any damage unless somebody blows the stop sign altogether. The studies they show always are a comparison to all 4 way stops and stoplights grouped together.

One thing I have found interesting is the build up in the middle. Our city puts a big mound in the middle and then fills it in with plants and stuff. I hated this because it didn't allow me to see traffic coming from straight ahead as I was approaching the roundabout. I kept thinking if I could see there were no cars coming straight ahead and no cars to left I could barely slow down and breeze right through. Yesterday I changed my mind.

We have a brand new one that has no plantings yet. So far I have liked the improved view. Yesterday I noticed though that other drivers actually will wait for a car coming straight on instead of getting into the roundabout even though there is plenty of room. We have a section where there are two within a quarter mile of each other. I was on foot and stopped to watch. 1 out of 5 cars at least I would see wait out the car coming from straight ahead. At the other one you can't see that car because of plantings, so you only can look to your left. so people would go. These plants essentially save the super passive scared drivers from themselves and keep traffic moving.

 

[parasaurolophus]

here is a particularly brutal stretch of them. If you get stuck behind a person that doesnt know how to use them, you get to experience that frustration 4 times in 60 seconds.

 

[sports_fan]

I love em. Problem is Americans do not know his to use them.

What's there to know?

when to yield. when to proceed. when to merge. who to yield to. how to exit.

i have done a decent amount of driving in europe. i also lived in breckenridge, worked in vail. vail has had them for a while. the locals know how to use them. the tourists frequently cause accidents. about 5 years ago they constructed a few around breckenridge. caused a lot of chaos for both locals and tourists.

i will admit that i did have 1 chevy chase moment in paris. came off the autoroute and needed the first exit from the roundabout and did not know it at the time. due to how close it was and how fast the other cars were coming off of the freeway, it was very challenging to get the correct street.

If you understand basic traffic signs; you know how to do this. It should be obvious to anyone with any driving experience. Signs and road markings tell you exactly what to do in a roundabout.

 

[bierfiend]

I love em. Problem is Americans do not know his to use them.

What's there to know?

when to yield. when to proceed. when to merge. who to yield to. how to exit.

i have done a decent amount of driving in europe. i also lived in breckenridge, worked in vail. vail has had them for a while. the locals know how to use them. the tourists frequently cause accidents. about 5 years ago they constructed a few around breckenridge. caused a lot of chaos for both locals and tourists.

i will admit that i did have 1 chevy chase moment in paris. came off the autoroute and needed the first exit from the roundabout and did not know it at the time. due to how close it was and how fast the other cars were coming off of the freeway, it was very challenging to get the correct street.

If you understand basic traffic signs; you know how to do this. It should be obvious to anyone with any driving experience. Signs and road markings tell you exactly what to do in a roundabout.

i agree, but a lot of drivers are oblivious to others and/or selfish.

 

[Jobber]

They are safer than either four-way stops or traffic signals. They reduce accidents by about 40 % according to NHTSA.

Big stink when we built some around here, but people are eventually getting used to them.

My city has gone roundabout crazy. I like them quite a bit, but I don't really get the safety claims the city has made. Pretty obvious compared to a stop light intersection. I could even see it being obvious for a large 4 way stop since those can be kind of chaotic when the left turn idiots go first. But for a small 4 way stop, which is what they are replacing here, I dont see how it is safer. I dont think I have ever seen an accident at one of these 4 way stops. When you really think about a 4 way stop that has only one car coming from each direction, it is pretty much impossible to get into an accident that causes any damage unless somebody blows the stop sign altogether. The studies they show always are a comparison to all 4 way stops and stoplights grouped together.

One thing I have found interesting is the build up in the middle. Our city puts a big mound in the middle and then fills it in with plants and stuff. I hated this because it didn't allow me to see traffic coming from straight ahead as I was approaching the roundabout. I kept thinking if I could see there were no cars coming straight ahead and no cars to left I could barely slow down and breeze right through. Yesterday I changed my mind.

We have a brand new one that has no plantings yet. So far I have liked the improved view. Yesterday I noticed though that other drivers actually will wait for a car coming straight on instead of getting into the roundabout even though there is plenty of room. We have a section where there are two within a quarter mile of each other. I was on foot and stopped to watch. 1 out of 5 cars at least I would see wait out the car coming from straight ahead. At the other one you can't see that car because of plantings, so you only can look to your left. so people would go. These plants essentially save the super passive scared drivers from themselves and keep traffic moving.

If you get broadsided (you fail to yield) at a roundabout it's a minor fender bender due to the very low speeds.

If you get broadsided in a 4-way it's likely because some ###### blew through the stop sign at 50. Someone dies.

 

[parasaurolophus]

They are safer than either four-way stops or traffic signals. They reduce accidents by about 40 % according to NHTSA.

Big stink when we built some around here, but people are eventually getting used to them.

My city has gone roundabout crazy. I like them quite a bit, but I don't really get the safety claims the city has made. Pretty obvious compared to a stop light intersection. I could even see it being obvious for a large 4 way stop since those can be kind of chaotic when the left turn idiots go first. But for a small 4 way stop, which is what they are replacing here, I dont see how it is safer. I dont think I have ever seen an accident at one of these 4 way stops. When you really think about a 4 way stop that has only one car coming from each direction, it is pretty much impossible to get into an accident that causes any damage unless somebody blows the stop sign altogether. The studies they show always are a comparison to all 4 way stops and stoplights grouped together.

One thing I have found interesting is the build up in the middle. Our city puts a big mound in the middle and then fills it in with plants and stuff. I hated this because it didn't allow me to see traffic coming from straight ahead as I was approaching the roundabout. I kept thinking if I could see there were no cars coming straight ahead and no cars to left I could barely slow down and breeze right through. Yesterday I changed my mind.

We have a brand new one that has no plantings yet. So far I have liked the improved view. Yesterday I noticed though that other drivers actually will wait for a car coming straight on instead of getting into the roundabout even though there is plenty of room. We have a section where there are two within a quarter mile of each other. I was on foot and stopped to watch. 1 out of 5 cars at least I would see wait out the car coming from straight ahead. At the other one you can't see that car because of plantings, so you only can look to your left. so people would go. These plants essentially save the super passive scared drivers from themselves and keep traffic moving.

If you get broadsided (you fail to yield) at a roundabout it's a minor fender bender due to the very low speeds.

If you get broadsided in a 4-way it's likely because some ###### blew through the stop sign at 50. Someone dies.

So these people that go through stop signs at 50 magically decide to follow the law at roundabouts and go slow?

 

[Jobber]

They are safer than either four-way stops or traffic signals. They reduce accidents by about 40 % according to NHTSA.

Big stink when we built some around here, but people are eventually getting used to them.

My city has gone roundabout crazy. I like them quite a bit, but I don't really get the safety claims the city has made. Pretty obvious compared to a stop light intersection. I could even see it being obvious for a large 4 way stop since those can be kind of chaotic when the left turn idiots go first. But for a small 4 way stop, which is what they are replacing here, I dont see how it is safer. I dont think I have ever seen an accident at one of these 4 way stops. When you really think about a 4 way stop that has only one car coming from each direction, it is pretty much impossible to get into an accident that causes any damage unless somebody blows the stop sign altogether. The studies they show always are a comparison to all 4 way stops and stoplights grouped together.

One thing I have found interesting is the build up in the middle. Our city puts a big mound in the middle and then fills it in with plants and stuff. I hated this because it didn't allow me to see traffic coming from straight ahead as I was approaching the roundabout. I kept thinking if I could see there were no cars coming straight ahead and no cars to left I could barely slow down and breeze right through. Yesterday I changed my mind.

We have a brand new one that has no plantings yet. So far I have liked the improved view. Yesterday I noticed though that other drivers actually will wait for a car coming straight on instead of getting into the roundabout even though there is plenty of room. We have a section where there are two within a quarter mile of each other. I was on foot and stopped to watch. 1 out of 5 cars at least I would see wait out the car coming from straight ahead. At the other one you can't see that car because of plantings, so you only can look to your left. so people would go. These plants essentially save the super passive scared drivers from themselves and keep traffic moving.

If you get broadsided (you fail to yield) at a roundabout it's a minor fender bender due to the very low speeds.

If you get broadsided in a 4-way it's likely because some ###### blew through the stop sign at 50. Someone dies.

So these people that go through stop signs at 50 magically decide to follow the law at roundabouts and go slow?

???

Someone not noticing a stop sign at an intersection is much more likely than not noticing a humungous circular roundabout. Most studies show something like a 90% fatality rate reduction in accidents at roundabouts vs 4-ways. Not to mention a vast reduction in accidents in general.

 

[sports_fan]

I love em. Problem is Americans do not know his to use them.

What's there to know?

when to yield. when to proceed. when to merge. who to yield to. how to exit.

i have done a decent amount of driving in europe. i also lived in breckenridge, worked in vail. vail has had them for a while. the locals know how to use them. the tourists frequently cause accidents. about 5 years ago they constructed a few around breckenridge. caused a lot of chaos for both locals and tourists.

i will admit that i did have 1 chevy chase moment in paris. came off the autoroute and needed the first exit from the roundabout and did not know it at the time. due to how close it was and how fast the other cars were coming off of the freeway, it was very challenging to get the correct street.

If you understand basic traffic signs; you know how to do this. It should be obvious to anyone with any driving experience. Signs and road markings tell you exactly what to do in a roundabout.

i agree, but a lot of drivers are oblivious to others and/or selfish.

Ok but that's a different issue. The problem then is their driving in general and not their understanding of how to use a roundabout.

 

[Pipes]

I hate people who can't understand how these work. But I guess I hate them less than those who don't know how to use a 4-way stop efficiently.

Agreed. I'm not sure what driver is worse at a 4 way. 1. The aggressive driver who goes out of turn or 2. The extra courteous driver who waves people through when it is clearly their turn. Both muck up the system.

 

[bierfiend]

I love em. Problem is Americans do not know his to use them.

What's there to know?

when to yield. when to proceed. when to merge. who to yield to. how to exit.

i have done a decent amount of driving in europe. i also lived in breckenridge, worked in vail. vail has had them for a while. the locals know how to use them. the tourists frequently cause accidents. about 5 years ago they constructed a few around breckenridge. caused a lot of chaos for both locals and tourists.

i will admit that i did have 1 chevy chase moment in paris. came off the autoroute and needed the first exit from the roundabout and did not know it at the time. due to how close it was and how fast the other cars were coming off of the freeway, it was very challenging to get the correct street.

If you understand basic traffic signs; you know how to do this. It should be obvious to anyone with any driving experience. Signs and road markings tell you exactly what to do in a roundabout.

i agree, but a lot of drivers are oblivious to others and/or selfish.

Ok but that's a different issue. The problem then is their driving in general and not their understanding of how to use a roundabout.

i also believe that many Americans do not know how to use them.

 

[Snoopy]

here is a particularly brutal stretch of them. If you get stuck behind a person that doesnt know how to use them, you get to experience that frustration 4 times in 60 seconds.

Wisconsin DOT is in love with them. Soon to be 6 straight roundabouts on hwy 29 just west of Green Bay, though a bit more separation between some of them.

 

[parasaurolophus]

I don't really get the safety claims the city has made. Pretty obvious compared to a stop light intersection. I could even see it being obvious for a large 4 way stop since those can be kind of chaotic when the left turn idiots go first. But for a small 4 way stop, which is what they are replacing here, I dont see how it is safer.

Someone not noticing a stop sign at an intersection is much more likely than not noticing a humungous circular roundabout. Most studies show something like a 90% fatality rate reduction in accidents at roundabouts vs 4-ways. Not to mention a vast reduction in accidents in general.

I have already stated I like them. I have already stated I get it for other intersections. I have yet to see a study that ONLY addressed single lane 4 way stops. I doubt you have either. If you have and the data is there, I will readily acknowledge that it must be safer.

They are putting them in for obvious traffic concerns. The difference they have made is huge. Stop signs that had backups 1000 feet long during school let out times and almost always had backups that were at least 6-7 cars deep, now have like 50 feet backed up during heavy times and are free flowing the rest of the time.

I am simply saying I think the safety angle, which is what the city shoved down our throats was not the real reason and I simply don't see how it is humanly possible. It is very hard to blow through a stop sign at 50 miles an hour with 6-7 cars ahead of you. The people that will do this are not paying attention at all and will blow right through a roundabout too. A roundabout at a small intersection is not humongous. It is still very small.

Summation...

Large 4 way stops with multiple lanes. Roundabout is Safer

Stop lights. Roundabout is safer.

Single lane 4 way stop. I disagree that it is safer, but I love the traffic flow increase.

That's all I am saying.

 

[parasaurolophus]

here is a particularly brutal stretch of them. If you get stuck behind a person that doesnt know how to use them, you get to experience that frustration 4 times in 60 seconds.

Wisconsin DOT is in love with them. Soon to be 6 straight roundabouts on hwy 29 just west of Green Bay, though a bit more separation between some of them.

http://dot.wi.gov/safety/motorist/roaddesign/roundabouts/faq.htm

Yep they are. They are going in everywhere and by and large have been great. One of them has saved me several minutes of driving every day.

 

[Mr. Ected]

here is a particularly brutal stretch of them. If you get stuck behind a person that doesnt know how to use them, you get to experience that frustration 4 times in 60 seconds.

Wisconsin DOT is in love with them. Soon to be 6 straight roundabouts on hwy 29 just west of Green Bay, though a bit more separation between some of them.

http://dot.wi.gov/safety/motorist/roaddesign/roundabouts/faq.htm

Yep they are. They are going in everywhere and by and large have been great. One of them has saved me several minutes of driving every day.

Interesting, was visiting Shawano a couple weeks ago. Love what they did with the intersection of 41 and 29. That used to be such a PITA.

Are the roundabouts on 29 going to be the non exit intersections just west of the city? Won't that slow things down, when you are driving on a 50-60 mph road, having to go through a rotary?

Saw the construction in Oshkosh also. Will be nice (at least on 41) when they finish. We were heading south, so we didn't do anything with the exits.

 

[dino259]

I hate people who can't understand how these work. But I guess I hate them less than those who don't know how to use a 4-way stop efficiently.

Agreed. I'm not sure what driver is worse at a 4 way. 1. The aggressive driver who goes out of turn or 2. The extra courteous driver who waves people through when it is clearly their turn. Both muck up the system.

Being nice does not help. Take your turn and every one knows whats going on.

 

[jplvr]

There's a courthouse in Alabama (Butler County) with the courthouse located in the middle of the thing. It's a pita to walk from the parking lot to the courthouse sometimes, but I've always thought it was cool as hell.

 

[Sullie]

Our city has been putting roundabouts in left and right and with 850k people to travel among, you really need them. The only problem, so far, that I can see with the roundabouts is that when one is put in, it works in that immediate area really, really well. The problem is that the congestion just gets moved from that intersection to the very next intersection with a traditional 4-way stop. And the roundabouts take a while to engineer and build. Utility lines need to be re-routed, water/sewer needs to be re-routed, etc. so they don't just go in overnight. They take a while and of course a terribly busy intersection is down for a good length of time - while I realize is only temporarily painful - still it's painful. The other thing is that since that roundabout worked really well and now there are new ones that need to be built in that area, there will be pain for a good while until all the necessary roundabouts are built and you just know that's going to be years and years.

 

[B-Deep]

Hate these.

well this seals the deal

 

[Arizona Ron]

Had these all over in Jersey.

It works fine for low-mid traffic areas but they're removing them for areas where the traffic has increased.

 

[grateful zed]

so, does roundabout safety qualify as a conspiricy theory, or have we moved on?

waiting on rayderrs take.

 

[On The Rocks]

Huge fan of the roundabout.

We have one of these things in our area called a "Diverging Traffic Diamond".

http://www.divergingdiamond.com/

These aren't designed to make traffic flow any faster like the roundabout, but are designed to make busier traffic intersections safer and prevent accidents.

They're a little strange to get used to, but once you've been through it a couple times, it works well.

I looked your diamond up on YouTube. I get it but how much land does it take up vs. a normal intersection?

Also, YouTube has some great videos for new traffic flows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDDmE4qoCns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38mEuxZnvAA

Those Pinavia clips look like they require a ton of infrastructure construction.

If you or anyone has no idea how to use a roundabout:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONacAiKXe-8

I don't know how people don't know how to use a roundabout.

The Zombie Apocalypse:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKhsPO6yYko

Is this real?

The local intersection used a relatively limited amount of increased real estate and the construction itself didn't take all that long. Maybe a few months during a summer - although I'm sure the planning and engineering took much longer.

I found this clip on YouTube of our local project:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTOiN5e8EM8