is WRONG with people?
We have a new roundabout* at the end of our street which opened about 10 days ago. It is just about the smallest-diameter circle I've seen on a public road. Be that as it may, I've had to use it once or twice daily since it opened.
On eight of those occasions, I've been cut off or nearly run off the road while in the circle, by drivers entering at high speed - looking neither left nor right - and careening on to their destinations, leaving everyone else sliding all over the place, trying to avoid a collision. Twice, I've seen drivers come to a complete stop in the circle - a major no-no - to wave other drivers into the circle.
And this particular roundabout is only 1 1/2 lanes wide, yet has two lanes painted halfway around the circle, which then go back to single lanes, with arrows and dotted lines instructing those few who look, to change lanes inside the circle - another no-no, or so I thought - to exit.
Because of the tiny diameter, with the mandatory criss-crossing of the lanes, it's the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. And friends, I've driven in countries where "honk! honk!" means "stand still - I think I can miss you". (Athens, I'm looking at you!)
The traffic department told us it would reduce congestion. Well, it worked. It's reducing congestion by at least one driver - me, who will not use it again except in an emergency. I'll now have to drive three blocks out of my way to cross the road by my house.
It's bizarre. If I'm ever introduced to the genius who decided it needed to be smaller and more congested, I'll be hard pressed not to punch him in the nose.
* I hate roundabouts. Always have. So sue me.
John 12:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."
7 comments:
Great Yes song, though.
"Roundabout" ?
I grew up calling them "circles" - as in "traffic circles".
I moved to MA and was stunned that they called them "roundabouts" here.
I was then informed "Yeah, MA is weird - the rest of the world calls them circles".
So I was a bit shocked at your terminology.
I googled "traffic circle" just now, and the second hit was
Traffic Circles vs Roundabouts
www.alaskaroundabouts.com/mythfact1.html
So, I guess Alaskans use the term too!
(strange!)
I used to love the roundabouts by a local university when I drove army trucks. I'd never seen one before but quickly devised a plan where I'd just downshift one gear and lay on the air horn as I blew into and through the circle. It seemed to work as none of the people in the little bitty cars ever challenged my right-of-way, and it was probably wise on their parts because it would not have ended well had some little Subaru tried to occupy the space that my Deuce-and-a-half was already laying claim to.
"Bigger vehicle gets to go first" works for me in such situations.
Roundouts, or circles, are an invention of New Jersey. (Or so I've been told.) They were once all over the state. Then the state grew and there were more a$$holes. Nearly all of them (circles and not a$$holes) have been eliminated.
Terry and I were shocked--shocked I tell you!--to rediscover traffic circles in not just that foreign land of Dawson Creek, BC, Canada but in North Pole, Alaska as well in 2010. Then, this spring, we ran into more of them north of Milwaukee.
Actually they work fine IF the volume of traffic is low enough to start. Volume needs to be somewhere between that needing a four-way stop sign and a real red light. Should the volume of traffic already require a real stop light, a circle will not help and putting one in will create the need for a full time presence of EMTs, tow trucks, and police. So what's the point?
And making the lanes inside the circle smaller? Sheer lunacy!
Those things have gotten popular in MD in recent years. I hate them - there's way too many things going on that always make me feel that at least one driver is doing it kamakaze style.
Roundabouts are all the rage in Florida now. We have many here in my city with more under construction. Love them here. All are two lanes. Beats sitting at a traffic light. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't roundabouts a European idea.
These things cause traffic accidents. I wish they would just stay in Europe.
A another victory for liberals.
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