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Hogwash - it takes about 2 trips for someone to get it.
Maybe that is all it should take to 'get it' but that isn't what I see. Between people who learned to drive years ago and those due to age or some other reason are very cautious drivers the variety of responses to Yield signs whether at a roundabout or at the foot of an interstate ramp is amazing.
Maybe that is all it should take to 'get it' but that isn't what I see. Between people who learned to drive years ago and those due to age or some other reason are very cautious drivers the variety of responses to Yield signs whether at a roundabout or at the foot of an interstate ramp is amazing.
Re: interstate ramps - that's just bad driving.
Caution and uncertainty is one of the reasons roundabouts work. And when accidents do occur (far less frequently than at intersections), they are a lot less severe. In other words, after a few days or weeks, roundabouts perform better (more traffic flow through) and operate more safely.
20 years is nonsense - the improvements are immediate.
I typed "Roundabout pet peeves" because that's what I meant. I wasn't referring to your 'traffic calming circle' or anything else. I was specific enough for anyone that has more than two years of driving under their belt. For those who need the aid of a visual refresher (including you, impala096) I invite you to watch this:
In the most general terms, a roundabout is a road junction at which traffic enters a one-way stream around a central island. This can have a lot of different meanings and range from "traffic calming circles" with stop sign control, to 400 ft radius rotaries where traffic inside the circle yields to traffic entering the circle.
My point is people get confused because the term "roundabout" is too general. The U.S. Department of transportation adopted the term "modern roundabout" to distinguish circles that fit into a defined design criteria (IE. entering traffic has yield control, raised splitter islands to deflect entering traffic, etc.). I have a feeling you would like you to discuss "modern roundabouts" in this thread but you weren't specific enough (to be fair, even if you were specific enough you would still get responses talking about massive traffic circles and tiny "traffic calming" circles).
I believe that it will take another 20 years or so before 'Roundabout Etiquette' is worked out.
Don't count on it. Roundabouts and their predecessors, rotaries have existed in New England for as long as there have been automobiles. People still don't know how to navigate them properly.
Don't count on it. Roundabouts and their predecessors, rotaries have existed in New England for as long as there have been automobiles. People still don't know how to navigate them properly.
Nonsense - In fact - empirical data suggests exactly the opposite - there are half the accidents in traffic circles as compared to intersections that came before them and when accidents occurred they were far less severe.
In St George Utah they put their firs round-a-bout in a place where 5 streets intersected near the post office. They had averaged 3 or more accidents a week at that point. Once the round-a-bout was in place, there was not one accident for over 3 months.
That is where I first learned the value of round-a-bouts.
I have two pet peeves when it comes to roundabouts:
1. Following someone as they approach a roundabout, and then they come to a stop because they apparently think the driver to their left, who has yet to enter the roundabout, has the right-of-way.
2. Following someone within a roundabout who comes to a stop because they apparently think the driver to the right, who has a YIELD sign and hasn't entered the roundabout, has the right-of-way.
In theory I like RABs as they are supposed to keep the flow of traffic moving efficiently, not come to a grinding halt. Since they are pretty straight forward, why is it that so many people appear like they are preparing for their driver's permit when they encounter a roundabout?
So you have a problem with drivers, not roundabouts.
Thought I'd revive this thread instead of starting a new one...
I ran into an interesting situation the other day at a 3 way intersection. This intersection is WIDE. If anybody is local to the Phoenix area, it's where 48th St hits the Premium Outlets exit on the Gila River Indian Res. 48th does not go through. I was travelling north on 48th, wanting to turn left onto Willis / Premium Outlets Way (green arrow). The bulk of traffic was leaving the outlets, and turning southbound onto 48th (red arrow).
Now, here's what wound up happening: the intersection is so wide, that there was a continuous line of left-turners. Someone would turn left, to head south on 48th. They'd be half way across the intersection before the next person in line just sort of started moving, completely ignoring my right of way. This happened for about 6 cars before someone realized I was trying to turn as well.
Obviously driver inattentiveness is a major issue here, but I couldn't help but think how much smoother that intersection could have been with a big roundabout instead.
Edit: To give you an idea of scale, 48th Street (from left to right) has a bike lane, 2 lanes of southbound traffic (12' width), median (~8' width), turn lane plus 2 north bound lanes (which currently go nowhere. All lanes 12' width), bike lane, and right turn lane. It is a very wide road, easily 90' from curb to curb. Willis / Premium Outlets Way is also about 90-100' in total width.
Maybe that is all it should take to 'get it' but that isn't what I see. Between people who learned to drive years ago and those due to age or some other reason are very cautious drivers the variety of responses to Yield signs whether at a roundabout or at the foot of an interstate ramp is amazing.
Most people that I know have mastered them within the a few trips. The people that I do know that have been driving for years, but cannot master the round about have not mastered such other complex things as 4 way/3 way and 2 way stop signs among others. Even after decades of driving and unless there is a light that is directly telling them what to do, they get confused.
Face it. There are bad drivers out there and no amount of time or training is ever going to make them understand.
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