Where I live, roundabouts are replacing four-way stops all over the place. I find them to be more efficient and less dangerous than four-way stops, especially if it is well-planned and the drivers know what they are doing (which is unfortunately too often not the case)

What do you guys think about roundabouts over four way stops, or even traffic signals?

here in dubai, when the city initially followed the british road system, roundabouts were built everywhere. they are horrible and cause heavy traffic when too many cars are on the roads. many roundabouts in dubai are being demolished and replaced with free flow intersectinos.

the american model of traffic lights every 100m is even worse.

basically what im saying is, there isnt really a good system that exists that can handle heavy traffic loads.

I like roundabouts i think they are easier to use and better then stoplights or signs in some places, but diffinetly not all!

Here in Boston.. we call them rotaries. Are they called roundabouts everywhere else?

In any case.. I like them a lot although we 'Masshole' drivers sometimes forget rotary etiquette (for example.. entering the rotary without looking at 40 mph? an all too common sight)

i like roundabouts, they make a city look nice, they help in traffic, and theyre jz cool, we shud have more in the US

roundabouts are very efficient as long as everyone knows what they are doing, and providing there arent too many of them (in which case it just becomes confusing to find your way around).

I'm going to be honest; I hate roundabouts.

They take up too much space and highly inefficient, unless you can put something grand in them (like Arc de Triomphe or Cibeles Fountain) to help beautify the city.

People normally don't know what they're doing and cause problems or accidents on or near them.

They take up too much space and highly inefficient, unless you can put something grand in them (like Arc de Triomphe or Cibeles Fountain) to help beautify the city.

You've got a point.

I don't know, I do not drive enough to know how much a pain in the ass it is to drive through a roundabout. In New York, there are always horns honking as people are trying to make lefts while having to go through oncoming traffic. In this case, perhaps roundabouts (or circles as we call them in NYC) would be more efficient.

In New York, the main circle that sticks out in my mind is Columbus Circle:

http://www.sergesmart.com/photography/PhotoTech/Images/Sigma12_24/a1b_fsmall.jpg

Aside from that, New York City is not very big on roundabouts.

i think they are a good idea but as was said before if people know what they are doing. where i am at they are building two of them but people are clueless as to what to do it seems and to what a yield sign is :bash: and in some cases what no signs at all means

I'm going to be honest; I hate roundabouts.


Me too. Multi-level freeway intersections are where it's at.

I'm going to be honest; I hate roundabouts.
I'm with you Chi.

I love round abouts. There are many cases however, where traffic lights are the only way to go. But in smallish towns, in all but the heaviest intersections, round abouts are great.

highly inefficient, unless you can put something grand in them
i dont understand the connection?

Where I live, roundabouts are replacing four-way stops all over the place. I find them to be more efficient and less dangerous than four-way stops, especially if it is well-planned and the drivers know what they are doing (which is unfortunately too often not the case)

What do you guys think about roundabouts over four way stops, or even traffic signals?


I recently read this was going to be happening in parts of north-east Ohio, too. Being from the UK, I love roundabouts; they allow for smooth traffic flow compared with row upon row of traffic lights and help ease congestion. The only downside is that can also cause congestion during rushhour periods if all the traffic is going one way; in the UK they counter-act this on very large roundabouts with traffic signals on the roundabout itself.

As for taking up space; they take up far less space than an intersection with slip roads as some have suggested here. Certainly in Britain, many are beautified by local authorities with flower beds, sculptures and other items of interest.

I hate roundabouts especially those with 3 or more lanes where drivers couldn't stick to theirs! :bash:

No, they're not a good idea.

8 PM Valencia, SPAIN
http://acidmind81.iespana.es/diasincoche1.jpg

^ I agree with this guy...

If people know what they're doing they are a good idea. As aatbloke says traffic lights can be put on roundabouts if it becomes too busy at certain periods. They're used alot here, and Milton Keynes is renowned for the number of roundabouts they have. I have a roundabout near me nicknamed the "magic roundabout" that goes in two directions. Confuses many people.

IF people are good drivers, then yes

Traffic Circles (or Rotaries) are a totally different breed of intersections than roundabouts. The primary difference is that circles and rotaries are usually designed for speed, and are huge. Modern roundabouts, on the other hand, as designed as a method of "traffic calming", or slowing people down. And they take up just slightly more space than a conventional intersection. They have their downsides too, but that are much safer and efficient IF people know how to drive them. Which in the US is not often.

I know because I've designed a couple of them, they pretty interesting to design, actually.

i dont understand the connection? Well, I'll rephrase: Traffic circles are inefficient, although they can be useful as places to put important landmarks.

Well, I'll rephrase: Traffic circles are inefficient, although they can be useful as places to put important landmarks.

For example:

Plaza Cibeles in Madrid:

http://www.pierluigisurace.it/imagerie/images/aatw/DOT_Spain_Madrid_Plaza_de_Cibeles.jpg

Place de Charles de Gaulle, Paris

http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect4/paris_champs_elysees_IOD041002-thumb.jpg

Traffic Circles (or Rotaries) are a totally different breed of intersections than roundabouts. The primary difference is that circles and rotaries are usually designed for speed, and are huge. Modern roundabouts, on the other hand, as designed as a method of "traffic calming", or slowing people down. And they take up just slightly more space than a conventional intersection. They have their downsides too, but that are much safer and efficient IF people know how to drive them. Which in the US is not often.

I know because I've designed a couple of them, they pretty interesting to design, actually.

Exactly. If you do a little bit of legwork in the research you'll find that they're fundamentally different. The biggest different in my opinion is not size - There's plenty of roundabouts that serve as one giant freeway interchange:
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/5220/fwyroundabout1bn.th.jpg (http://img141.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fwyroundabout1bn.jpg)
and there's numerous roundabouts about 7 feet (2 metres) in diameter - there's two, a very short drive from me.
http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/3204/regoroundabout3cr.th.jpg (http://img386.imageshack.us/my.php?image=regoroundabout3cr.jpg)

The real difference lies in the way they're used. Rotaries or traffic circles don't exist in Australia - well that I know of anyway. But rotaries work on the basis that any traffic entering into the rotary have right-of-way, so any traffic already in the circle has to give way/yield to entering traffic. Rotaries are also chaotic because there are no lanes for people to stick to leading to accidents. Also drivers are unwilling to yield when they believe (rightly or wrongly) that the traffic entering won't cross their path. Also in a rotary you tend to weave a bit to get to your exit.

When approaching a roundabout, you must give way to any traffic already in the roundabout. You can tell which way they're going by looking at their indicator. This allow queues to be on the approach rather than in the circle itself - which could cause the traffic circle to have severe blockages because there's too much traffic in the circle and no-one in the circle can get out.

That animation is not really correct, because the lanes within the roundabout aren't shown. moist roundabouts are single-lane so you don't traffic within the roundabout crossing paths. But how double-laned roundabouts work perfectly confounds me. But what you do is when approaching and entering the round about from say the left lane, you stay in the left lane when moving around the roundabout. Generally, the left lane is for traffic going straight or turning left, and the right lane is for going straight or turning right. And you don't get too much weaving because all aproaches must giveway/yield to existing traffic anyway so you don't get that mess you see in rotaries.

See the road rule's for New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority for a guide on how to use a roundabout. There's some neat diagrams for you to follow too. http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/rulesregulations/roundabouts.html

There are plenty of roundabouts on both arterial and local roads where I live.

They work reasonably well for cars but there is still a hangover from an old "Give way to the right" intersection management that applied here until the 1970s. Many drivers approach the roundabouts at 40 or 50kph and expect everyone ahead of them (including those already at the intersection) to give way.

The biggest losers with local roundabouts are pedestrians; where they used to have right of way on the priority road at an intersection, it has been taken away and they must give way to all traffic. In addition, the creation of large traffic islands has eaten into footpath space and forced pedestrians around a longer crossing route, sometimes with reduced visibility of approaching traffic.

I wonder why it is necessary to install an island to create a roundabout? - The roundabout traffic movement principles would still apply if there were a only a pole and /or a small island in the middle of the intersection and strict approach speed limits applied.

Round abouts are great for small suburban roads that handle moderate traffic but when they use them for big roads that handle heave traffic they are less then desirable. They are most definately better then traffic lights though especially in the suburban areas.

They have their downsides too, but that are much safer and efficient IF people know how to drive them. Which in the US is not often.

Lots of people are saying that drivers in the US don't know how to use them, don't you learn that in your driving test?

I wonder why it is necessary to install an island to create a roundabout? - The roundabout traffic movement principles would still apply if there were a only a pole and /or a small island in the middle of the intersection and strict approach speed limits applied.

There are many "mini-roundabouts in the UK, often just a painted circle in the middle of the intersection, normal roundabout rules apply

http://www.kinns.org.uk/epc/bcc/lrd/photo/pic09.jpg

This is the "King of Roundabouts" the Magic Roundabout in Swindon, UK. Five mini-roundabouts surronding a larger hub roundabout!!

http://www.strum.co.uk/pix/mrs.jpg

http://www.strum.co.uk/pix/mr.jpg

How do you think about this roundabout? Unfortunately I do not know, where it is! ( http://www.brueckenweb.de/Datenbank/unbekannte/ausgabe_lex.php )

http://www.brueckenweb.de/Datenbank/unbekannte/bilder/set31.jpg

damm that thing in Swindon looks confusing but i would disagree its the king of roundabouts, that one has to go to the Arc de triomph in Paris, it's also gotta be the most dangerous, people drive at it and dn't even hit the brake they just drive into a six lane roundabout with thier hand constantly on the horn.

Lots of people are saying that drivers in the US don't know how to use them, don't you learn that in your driving test?
Not in Illinois and New York.

I feel they are outdated and cause accidents.

Suburban streets that don't have the numbers to support traffic lights, thats fine but major roads really shouldn't have roundabouts.

In the UK we pretty much have to have them because we have lots of roads crossing all at weird angles and stuff. Obviously you have to learn them for your driving test so the generally work out more effiecient than traffic lights because you only have to stop sometimes and if you do stop its generally only for a few seconds. As has been said on roundabouts where many people take the same exit you often get traffic lights or temporary traffic lights that operate during rush hour.

They are particulaly fun to go round sideways at 4 am :D

If people know what they're doing they are a good idea. As aatbloke says traffic lights can be put on roundabouts if it becomes too busy at certain periods. They're used alot here, and Milton Keynes is renowned for the number of roundabouts they have. I have a roundabout near me nicknamed the "magic roundabout" that goes in two directions. Confuses many people.

I live near Milton Keynes, too many roundabouts!!!!!! Everywere looks the same, so easy to get lost, overall a characterless dump

Roundabouts were great for big cities back when people still rode horses, because horses were smart enough not to walk into into one another. For cars... well... the paradigm just doesn't quite work as well. The only new ones that seem to get built in the US are in residential neighborhoods that put them there PRECISELY because they screw up the traffic flow and scare drivers away.

There are a few wacky 5 and 6-way intersections in the Miami area that apparently used to be roundabouts when they were built back in the 1920s and 1930s... but now they have traffic lights that are almost as dysfunctional. There's just no good way to handle a busy 5-way intersection, period, and the idiot who put it there it in the first placee (apparently, because the developer thought they looked pretty on the map and marketing brochures) hopefully had an extra-toasty spot in hell reserved for him ;)

I like roundabouts, only in residential areas and suburbs, but not in heavily urban/inner city centers.

This is the "King of Roundabouts" the Magic Roundabout in Swindon, UK. Five mini-roundabouts surronding a larger hub roundabout!!

http://www.strum.co.uk/pix/mrs.jpg

http://www.strum.co.uk/pix/mr.jpg

Just looking at these circles makes me wanna barf, makes me sick. :nuts: :puke:

Where I live, in the Netherlands, there are roundabouts everywhere! I really like them. Last year I was in Caïro and this is a very busy roundabout there.

http://www.singletrackworld.com/mod/submit/images/1499-2.jpg

:)

here is a "bog standard" roundabout you will come across on pretty much any journey you make in the UK outside of the town centres. They are nice and simple I think.http://sudsnet.abertay.ac.uk/images/DEXroundaboutdetbasinlookingW_000.jpg

Roundabout in Melbourne with Tram tracks going through the middle:http://www.travelvictoria.com.au/images/melbourne/photos/065.jpg

here is a "bog standard" roundabout you will come across on pretty much any journey you make in the UK outside of the town centres. They are nice and simple I think.

These are everywhere in Australia too - it's a lot safer than a plain intersection where you're giving way to high speed traffic, and they generally get replaced with traffic lights when there is enough traffic. And like in the photo above, they're good at intersections that have several roads forking out in different directions, where traffic lights would be very confusing.

Roundabouts are fine if people know how to use them properly (and use their indicators too). It's a different story for pedestrians and cyclists, but a few have pedestrian crossings on all approaches.

Roundabouts can handle more traffic than ordinary traffic lights and they slow down
cars, so they are safer than a simple cross. But in Holland we have them in many different
types causing confusion and even at roundabouts we have had fatal accidents.

The larger i have seen:

http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/7499/rotonda2uc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

It's placed at Moscow ~390m width including roads.

P.S. don't post eliptical Squares, they aren't roundabouts.

That's crazy! What's an elliptical square look like?

For example:

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/7190/plazaeliptica7iv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Metro Manila roundabout:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=philippines&ie=UTF8&ll=14.651344,121.049917&spn=0.007692,0.01354&t=k&om=1

Omg they are massive...

I believe this is the largest roundabout in Europe (well thats what they say - maybe its western Europe). Its the Shepherd and Flock Roundabout near Farnham, Surrey, UK. Not only does it contain a village put also a pub, village green and all other sorts of things.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/344/2232/1600/shepherd%20and%20flock.jpg

Metro Manila roundabout:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=philippines&ie=UTF8&ll=14.651344,121.049917&spn=0.007692,0.01354&t=k&om=1

OMG ~ 722m x 590

I believe this is the largest roundabout in Europe (well thats what they say - maybe its western Europe). Its the Shepherd and Flock Roundabout near Farnham, Surrey, UK. Not only does it contain a village put also a pub, village green and all other sorts of things.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/344/2232/1600/shepherd%20and%20flock.jpg

That's about 305m x 214, but i don't think it's a roundabout, not a true one.

Yes it is i drive around it twice daily. Also look how the roads join onto it.

http://mapdata.search.ch/chmap.jpg?layer=bg,fg,copy&zd=1&x=26206&y=-30504&poi=bergbahn,parkhaus,haltestelle,zug,stau&merge=1&w=560&h=420&base=
Kreisel-Betzholz
This one is near where I live, its 520 x 390 meters, but it's not a "classical" roundabout.

well does it have to be around a city?
or can it just be a circular road in the countryside...

There is an 8 lane outer ring road with a circular metro being constructed around the city of hyderabad it is 160km long. Does that count?

thats exactly what I was thinking about
its connecting the shamshabad airport and will provide a bypass around hyderabad

maybe the necklace road also counts...

That's not a roundabout per se, it's an orbital motorway. It's not really like a roundabout according to his definition.

Of course that don't counts, a roundabout must be:

1 way driving
no incorporations from inside part of roundabouts.

Exception: Magic roundabouts from UK.

This is a thread dedicated to the roundabout. This traffic-regulating circle is used all over the world in numerous shapes, sizes and forms. From the monumental and impressive Place de l'etoile around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to the annoyingly small round piece of shit on your daily route to work. Cities in the 19th century had to have those round things at the end of their wide avenues, the bigger, the better. Adding a massive monument to show the nations glorious history and power was a must-have. The preferably 'multi-armed' roundabout ensured the intention that the monument could be seen from every angle.

http://www.roumanie-france.ro/images/photos/franta/paris%20-%20place%20de%20l%27etoile.jpg

to be continued..

^^ this "monumental and impressive" roundabout seems to be a big chaos... :lol:

for multilane roads the turbo roundabout is the perfect solution...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundabout#Turbo_roundabouts

The Netherlands gets to see more and more roundabouts. Yesterday they started to build another roundabout in town :lol:

^^ Same at my place in Bulgaria.

France is the roundabout leader and won't be beaten for decades! ;)

Wrong. The UK has already beaten France :D

In my country roundabouts are more to be seen lately.
Here is the one and only in Banja Luka

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/8606/kruznitokrn9lh0.jpg

BTW i like Hungarian roundabouts they are soo well kept and interesting, well most of them.

...oops

I'm sure I read Australia has the most
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc31/scottieboy102/marmion.jpg

That’s Polish contribution to the art of roundabout building.
What do you comrades think of this roundabout? How would you pass it?:)

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/7273/babka.png

Some planned roundabouts in Szeged in the tram project:

http://www.ujpalyan.hu/images/stories/sajtoszoba/dmsajatcikk_081210_2.jpg

http://www.ujpalyan.hu/images/stories/sajtoszoba/dmsajatcikk_081126.jpg

(both from ujpalyan.hu)

In Hungary, my hometown, Budaörs has lots of roundabouts. Check on the Google Maps, I have counted more than 13 (Budaörs is a small city), plus we have one roundabout over the M1-M7 highway.

http://www.ujpalyan.hu/images/stories/sajtoszoba/dmsajatcikk_081126.jpg

It will be interesting. :D

The UK is the only country where I've actually gotten lost on a roundabout. Some gigantic puzzling monstrosity.

In KArachi we must have anywhere between 50-100 roundabouts.

World Trade Center R/A (Dubai)

http://i.pbase.com/u49/deep_heart/large/40837279.DSC_1473_small.jpg
2005

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KOJ5F7AEbfA/ScCTUK_hxzI/AAAAAAAAAQM/Ia39vXCJH0I/s400/sharjah-dubai.jpg

in Google Earth (2007): http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=25.229484,55.289646&spn=0.00281,0.005665&t=k&z=18

The UK is the only country where I've actually gotten lost on a roundabout. Some gigantic puzzling monstrosity

Perhaps you were in Swindon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/images/2007/10/22/msn_magic_roundabout_470x350.jpg

Whats the point of the mini-roundabouts?

The biggest?:nuts:
Klaipeda, LT

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/1066/kleip.jpg (http://img269.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kleip.jpg)

^^ The roundabout on the interchange between the Swiss A52 and A53 is so huge that the speed limit is 80 km/h.

Anyway, you need a vignette (€35) to drive in two roundabouts in Slovenia. One of them has no proper detour. :D

Perhaps you were in Swindon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/images/2007/10/22/msn_magic_roundabout_470x350.jpg

Was this the most simple way of making traffic floting?:hm:

The UK is definitely the world leader in Roundabouts - they are literally everywhere. Australia has a few, but nothing like the number overall - same with NZ.

Though I quite like roundabouts, they are quite pedestrian hostile unless special effort is made for them not to be so.

Anyway, you need a vignette (€35) to drive in two roundabouts in Slovenia. One of them has no proper detour. :D

which one beside Pesnica?

^ Tomačevo.

The magic roundabout in Swindon probably has theoretical high capacity, but it's too complex for human minds! It's rated among top 10 worst intersections by insurance companies.

This is a thread dedicated to the roundabout. This traffic-regulating circle is used all over the world in numerous shapes, sizes and forms. From the monumental and impressive Place de l'etoile around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to the annoyingly small round piece of shit on your daily route to work. Cities in the 19th century had to have those round things at the end of their wide avenues, the bigger, the better. Adding a massive monument to show the nations glorious history and power was a must-have. The preferably 'multi-armed' roundabout ensured the intention that the monument could be seen from every angle.

http://www.roumanie-france.ro/images/photos/franta/paris%20-%20place%20de%20l%27etoile.jpg

to be continued..

I hate to say it, but that roundabout is worthless for any meaningful automobile traffic whatsoever. It was constructed in a time when the horse still dominated human transport. The roundabout really only works in smaller scale i.e. like for a subdivision I saw out in Redwood, California. I'm a skeptic as to whether or not it would do any good in a modern city of several millions.

Why do vehicles entering this Paris roundabout have priority over vehicles already in the roundabout?

I hate to say it, but that roundabout is worthless for any meaningful automobile traffic whatsoever. It was constructed in a time when the horse still dominated human transport. The roundabout really only works in smaller scale i.e. like for a subdivision I saw out in Redwood, California. I'm a skeptic as to whether or not it would do any good in a modern city of several millions.

The larger i have seen:

http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/7499/rotonda2uc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

It's placed at Moscow ~390m width including roads.

P.S. don't post eliptical Squares, they aren't roundabouts.

:)

I agree roundabouts do not have much efficiency in congested cities.

Somebody already mentioned it:
http://www.kienzi.ch/flights/2008/images/20080319_111806_Flug_N466M_Zuerich_Skigebiete_Zuerich$.JPG
Kreisel Betzholz. (Diameter 400m short side, 500m long side).
It's close to the place where I live, I have to say, I would prefer a normal interchange.

Also interesting:
http://www.20min.ch/images/content/2/8/3/28318617/2/topelement.jpg
Underground roundabout in Frauenfeld.

Somebody already mentioned it:
http://www.kienzi.ch/flights/2008/images/20080319_111806_Flug_N466M_Zuerich_Skigebiete_Zuerich$.JPG
Kreisel Betzholz. (Diameter 400m short side, 500m long side).
It's close to the place where I live, I have to say, I would prefer a normal interchange.

the road on the right is a motorway which will be (or planned to be) continued to the left...

there is an undepass and an overpass in the alignment and this will be a huge roundabout motorway interchange in the future...

That's over here (http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=nl&geocode=&q=hinwil&sll=52.469397,5.509644&sspn=4.886702,9.887695&ie=UTF8&ll=47.284819,8.825111&spn=0.042503,0.077248&z=14), right?

the road on the right is a motorway which will be (or planned to be) continued to the left...

there is an undepass and an overpass in the alignment and this will be a huge roundabout motorway interchange in the future...
This are the plans for the extension of the motorway:
http://www.oberlandautobahn.zh.ch/internet/bd/oberlandautobahn/de/plaene/kreisel_betzholz.SubContainerList.SubContainer1.ContentContainerList.0001.ImagePic.gif

You can get Information about the projected gap closing of the Oberlandoutobahn here:
http://www.oberlandautobahn.zh.ch/internet/bd/oberlandautobahn/de/home.html
(German only)

The UK is definitely the world leader in Roundabouts - they are literally everywhere. Australia has a few, but nothing like the number overall - same with NZ.

Though I quite like roundabouts, they are quite pedestrian hostile unless special effort is made for them not to be so.

"Today there are approximately 10,000 modern roundabouts in the United Kingdom, 15,000 in Australia and 20,000 in France. The modern roundabout is also popular in South Africa, Israel, and New Zealand."
http://www.azdot.gov/CCPartnerships/Roundabouts/index.asp

There we go Australia has a third more roundabouts that the UK. But France wins the race. The rate they are being built here though. It wouldn't surprise me if we overtake France.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc31/scottieboy102/perthnewsuburb.jpg
This is a standard new subdivision in Perths Northern suburbs, I count 52 roundabouts here alone.

These are the roundabouts in my little part of the world - and this is just the central area.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l116/ron2k-za/misc/kloofcircles.png

there is an undepass and an overpass in the alignment and this will be a huge roundabout motorway interchange in the future...

In fact it's not a roundabout officially.

^^You're right, it's an oval :D

Traffic square.

Is this also being counted as a roundabout? :D

Marrakech, Morocco

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/179/458878596_80e95d41bd.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/171/376470903_981e6edd02.jpg?v=0

An underground roundabout U/C on the Faroe Islands:

http://www.skalafjardartunnilin.fo/SiteFiles/Public/15/Temp/d29bbcad-f693-4885-95ff-29d1ddc5f628.jpg

That is sick ^^ :)

Step aside for the Turbo roundabout!:rock:

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/2506/turborotonde.jpg

Step aside for the Turbo roundabout!:rock:

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/2506/turborotonde.jpg

Does that have traffic lights on it? Seems a very inefficient roundabout this particular one.
I've never seen the point of turbo roundabouts. In Perth we have hundreds of double lane roundabouts that all seem to work well. Though Australia has never built roundabouts that require changing lanes, so people here are used to always staying in their lane until they exit.
These turbo roundabouts seem to take away the natural give way at entry instinct.

An underground roundabout U/C on the Faroe Islands:

http://www.skalafjardartunnilin.fo/SiteFiles/Public/15/Temp/d29bbcad-f693-4885-95ff-29d1ddc5f628.jpg

that's so hot.

In fact it's not a roundabout officially.

and unofficially? :)

I've never seen the point of turbo roundabouts.

its safer and more efficient than a 2lane roundabout...
(you have to choose the right lane BEFORE entering the roundabout, so you need no lane change IN the roundabout...)

but this 2+2 lane turbo seems to be stupid...

that volume recquires (and justifies the cost of) grade separation...

its safer and more efficient than a 2lane roundabout...
(you have to choose the right lane BEFORE entering the roundabout, so you need no lane change IN the roundabout...)

but this 2+2 lane turbo seems to be stupid...

that volume recquires (and justifies the cost of) grade separation...

Thats my point though. Most modern double lane roundabouts don't have any lane changes inside the roundabout either. I can maybe see the point for 3 lanes and more to force correct lane changes for the third lane.

and unofficially? :)

Oval. :) There are no roundabout signs when entering it and you don't have to give way either.

Does that have traffic lights on it? Seems a very inefficient roundabout this particular one.

I very often drive this roundabout near Pijnacker (there's only one yet of this particular type), and I have to say traffic moves quite fluently here. Yes, there are traffic lights, but waiting times are usually very short.

But this is more like a super-turbo-roundabout. The normal ones (which are more common) look like this:

http://i1.tinypic.com/xm8k1w.jpg

Wow, those turbo roundabouts look confusing, especially from the perspective of a driver. There would need to be excellent signage to guide motorists through it.

They may look confusing from above but in reality they are quite logical; Keep right for a right turn, left for a left turn etc, like a normal junction. On the roundabout itself the directions are separated from each other. The road will smoothly guide you through if you've chosen the right lane before entering.

Some other dutch non-standard roundabouts i can think of:

This one in the Netherlands, near Amersfoort. A roundabout with a 'ringroad':

http://www.ballonvaartgemaakt.nl/media/000/000/390_500.jpg

One of the few roundabouts in NL on which you have to give right of way: Keizer Karelplein in Nijmegen, a nightmare for learner drivers:

http://www.rijnvos.nl/foto/keizerkarel.jpg

The Kleinpolderplein junction in Rotterdam's ringroad is built over, under and around a roundabout:
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/2034/kleinpolderpleinkleinxp5.jpg

I very often drive this roundabout near Pijnacker (there's only one yet of this particular type), and I have to say traffic moves quite fluently here. Yes, there are traffic lights, but waiting times are usually very short.

But this is more like a super-turbo-roundabout. The normal ones (which are more common) look like this:

http://i1.tinypic.com/xm8k1w.jpg

Looks like that truck just cut of the car behind it. Typical truckies:bash:

As a truck driver, you sometimes need to take priority, otherwise you're stuck somewhere for a long time, and traffic is backing up behind you.

A notorious Zagreb roundabout, called Rotor.

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/3739/rotorzagreb.jpg

As a truck driver, you sometimes need to take priority, otherwise you're stuck somewhere for a long time, and traffic is backing up behind you.

crap, there is never a good excuse to do that. Safety is more important than your run times. People that put other peoples safety behind there profit should be taken of the road.

I suggest you go on a drive with a city distribution truck driver. I bet you'll think otherwise then.

That is the only drawback of roundabouts...you cant give away your priority for example to buses in heavy traffic. I always give way to the public transport buses.

I never give way to buses unless I am required by law. They'll get enough priority at traffic lights (short distance radio) creating enough additional congestion as it is.

Are there any roundabouts in the USA?

^^ Certainly there are some, not many of them though. More prevalent are traffic circles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_circle) I think, especially in bigger cities.

A notorious Zagreb roundabout, called Rotor.

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/3739/rotorzagreb.jpg

uf, it looks so calm and peaceful on photo. but in reality, it is totaly opposite :lol: hords of women who tried to avoid it, but incidentaly couldn't do ti :D, hunters to those women who are hunting them just to swear them, ppl from villages who see roundabout for the first time in their life (2 sorts of them: a) scared-to-death ones b) coolers who break the rules and don't give a fuck for that) etc. etc. :lol:

I suggest you go on a drive with a city distribution truck driver. I bet you'll think otherwise then.

I do drive trucks - EWP's. Quite often. Are you honestly saying that cutting people of at roundabouts is ok.
Anyway enough on that.

Howabout the dogboneabout
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc31/scottieboy102/dogbone.jpg

Are you honestly saying that cutting people of at roundabouts is ok.

No, I said it's okay to be a little more "creative" as a truck driver. I've seen 10 km long queues on the Joure Roundabout in NL because trucks couldn't enter the roundabout because of the traffic.

This one always gives problems, because most traffic from the right (east) goes south, taking the roundabout 3/4ths. That means they are at some speed, and traffic from the left (west) cannot enter without a speedy acceleration, which is impossible for trucks.
http://i40.tinypic.com/11scbrl.jpg

uf, it looks so calm and peaceful on photo. but in reality, it is totaly opposite :lol: hords of women who tried to avoid it, but incidentaly couldn't do ti :D, hunters to those women who are hunting them just to swear them, ppl from villages who see roundabout for the first time in their life (2 sorts of them: a) scared-to-death ones b) coolers who break the rules and don't give a fuck for that) etc. etc. :lol:

Whats so special about it,apart from the integrated right-turning lane? I dont see anytihing special about it...or there are no yield signs at the entrances?

Whats so special about it,apart from the integrated right-turning lane? I dont see anytihing special about it...or there are no yield signs at the entrances?

it is considered as one of those places in Zagreb where you can easy make accident (fortunately, minor, you hardly can kill somebody there because of speed). i think that the main thing which makes a problem is that half people think they can freely circulate in outer tracks, and other half thinks that outer tracks are only for exiting so they can make exit from medium track, too. as it is not regulated with horizontal neither vertical signalization which option is true, shit often happens.

Whats so special about it,apart from the integrated right-turning lane? I dont see anytihing special about it...or there are no yield signs at the entrances?

You should try it once :lol:
Crazy Zagreb drivers speeding like 120 km/h and people scared of them together in a roundabout... A mess, believe me.

Are there any roundabouts in the USA?
There are not a lot, but they are starting to catch on BIG TIME in several states. Here, the State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation is now requiring that roundabouts be studied for all new/rebuilt intersections under their control that would otherwise call for signals and/or all-way STOP signs (the all-way STOP sign style of intersection control does not exist in Europe).

For example, the pending rebuild of the US 41 freeway/motorway in the Green Bay, WI area will include 24 roundabouts at the intersections at and around its street interchanges.

Here in Appleton, WI, the College Ave/John St/Walter Ave intersection at the east end of the College Ave bridge over the Fox River:
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=44.258767~-88.384913&style=h&lvl=17&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1
and:
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=rc8r8w7n16j6&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=15897221&encType=1
('street' level is about 25 meters above the river and that football field is set into a deep ravine)
will be a two-lane roundabout when the new replacement bridge is completed later this year. The former two-lane bridge is being replaced with a four-lane structure and that complex intersection at its east end would have cost over $500K more and required the taking of six additional houses had they gone with a conventional signalized intersection.

Roundabouts are becoming increasingly common throughout the state and once the locals get used to them, they become very popular (there has been a lot of the 'fear of the unknown' factor at work here regarding roundabouts).

Mike

(the all-way STOP sign style of intersection control does not exist in Europe).

In Sweden, they do. They're called "flervägsstopp" but are only found in residential areas with low traffic volumes.

"Today there are approximately 10,000 modern roundabouts in the United Kingdom, 15,000 in Australia and 20,000 in France. The modern roundabout is also popular in South Africa, Israel, and New Zealand."
http://www.azdot.gov/CCPartnerships/Roundabouts/index.asp

There is quite some difference between a "modern roundabout" and those annoying miniroundabouts that dot the whole of the UK. Counting them too would soon change the numbers I don't doubt. It would be interesting to see whether or not they've included traffic-light roundabouts in the list too.

In Germany traffic planners regarded roundabouts as an alien concept for a long time. They preferred to plaster the country with traffic lights.

Apparently at some time around 1990 they found out that roundabouts have advantages in many cases. So now more and more are getting built and traffic light crossings are being replaced. But by far not as consistently as they have done it in France.

I love how you can drive through some towns in France without seeing a single traffic light. Except maybe for a few pedestrian crossings.

Are there any roundabouts in the USA?

Massachusetts has a lot of roundabouts, but they call them "rotaries".

Most of them are small, but here is a pic of a larger one.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2ez6adx.jpg
http://www.eot.state.ma.us/methuenrotary/images/overview_misc_images/Rotary%20Looking%20South%20-%20Cropped.jpg

My parents and I went to Boston and had to go on one of these, they were scared to death! :lol:

I'm afraid of using the inner lanes on multi-lane roundabouts. I dont really know why,because even if other drivers make me skip my exit,I can just go around again...

Step aside for the Turbo roundabout!:rock:

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/2506/turborotonde.jpg

¿You can't do U turn here no?

Nope.

Such roundabouts need clear overhead signage.

How about this (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=37.09024,-95.712891&spn=47.167389,92.8125&z=4&om=1&layer=c&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-google-svn&utm_medium=ha) for a bad roundabout. The traffic builds up on the south entry because cars can speed up too much along the bottom and you can't see the exit signs until it is too late, added to that the railway along the top is a huge brick viaduct so you cannot really see what is going on.

This one always gives problems, because most traffic from the right (east) goes south, taking the roundabout 3/4ths. That means they are at some speed, and traffic from the left (west) cannot enter without a speedy acceleration, which is impossible for trucks.
http://i40.tinypic.com/11scbrl.jpg

and what about a flyoverabout?

roundabout is NOT for this volume... :nuts:

I'm afraid of using the inner lanes on multi-lane roundabouts. I dont really know why,because even if other drivers make me skip my exit,I can just go around again...

maybe because its hard to change lane outward in a curve...

^^ 60.000 to the east, 40.000 to the south and 30.000 to the west. An unknown number to the north (Joure).

A roundabout in Enschede (netherlands):

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9935/rs1enschederotondeknalh.jpg

Weblog about roundabouts (in Dutch) with many pictures

http://rondjes.skynetblogs.be/

Some great architecture inside the roundabout out there...

In Slovakia roundabouts in the cities/towns has been built mostly during the last 20 years. In urban areas they were before more like exception.

The biggest radius has Moldavská/Alejova one in Košice:
http://www.cassovia.sk/10pohladov/april2000/P0001892.jpg

As an example for other ones could be this one (http://zilina-gallery.sk/galleries/Doprava/Komunikacie/Kruhove_krizovatky/xIMG_4172.jpg) in Žilina

I remember after struggling to work out why we were having so much trouble navigating german cities, we crossed a small bridge over to france and immediately in front of us was a roundabout. And suddenly it clicked in my brain that we couldnt do U turns in germany when we had gone wrong!

It is bizarre how France had UK have so many, and spain also has some ot a lesser extent, but i have never driven on a roundabout in Germany.

Germany does have roundabouts, but not on such a large scale as France, Netherlands or United Kingdom.

I wouldn't say Germany has few roundabouts, I have driven on numerous roundabouts in Germany, but not as much as other roundabout-countries.

Roundabout in Prishtina currently under construction and will be finished in 2011... It is planned that in the near future the tracks going under the roundabout will be train tracks.

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x229/mamani_ks/rrethiqeveria.jpg

^^

Wouldn't it be more cost-efficient to place the roundabout at ground level and the roads (and later train tracks) go over the roundabout?

They've done something similar a couple of towns away from where I live and it is annoying to first go up a hill and then quickly looking whether or not a car is coming on the roundabout or not... At ground-level, it's easier to see that in advance in my opinion.

Greetings,
Glodenox

^^ Freeway on ground-level has the advantage that traffic will decelarate more easily on off-ramps and a better acceleration on on-ramps.

we

Was this the most simple way of making traffic floting?:hm:

I know this roundabout quite well, and it works surprisingly well. It has been there for about 35 years and succeeds because drivers, as they should, treat the junction as 5 separate mini-roundabouts. There is a lot of holding capacity in this design and, because it is possible to navigate from one exit to another in more than one way, congestion here is very rare.

My parents and I went to Boston and had to go on one of these, they were scared to death! :lol:

What they were afraid of?

...crashing into another car while trying to get out of the circle. ;)

That remembers me Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's European Vacation, when Griswolds are in London and keep on driving for hours around a roundabout as they're afraid to exit (in England, obviously, roundabouts are clockwork)

"Look kids, Big Ben..."

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_n2nEzHFf8VM/SdInxEBYHjI/AAAAAAAAAPk/8HibAb3ENK4/s320/clark-griswold.jpg

:D

...crashing into another car while trying to get out of the circle. ;)

They should have used a outer lane... It's impossible to crash. But...

Here in Poland we have thousands of roundabouts and still I don't like driving on inner lane.
There is a most dangerous roundabout in Poland. It's located in my city :) There are an 360 accidents on this roundabout per year. So it's one for a day. I always choose outer lane there ;).
The reason is:
You need to give priority when you are on inner lane to the cars on outer lane. The only problem is that the streets are not symetrical so sometimes this rule don't apply. I hope that you know what I mean.
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/2852/rondoz.jpg

ps. sorry for any mistakes in English.

I hate to drive in multilanes roundabouts...
Switzerland have also many.

There is a most dangerous roundabout in Poland. It's located in my city :) There are an 360 accidents on this roundabout per year. So it's one for a day.

Same here, accidents almost every day in one of our roundabouts.

Its about 1.9 Kilometers Guys and have only one way traffic.. not have traffic from inner there is a temple inside it no entry for public vehicles there..:cheers:


http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=10.524788,76.21478&z=16&t=h&hl=en-GB

BIG roundabouts are nice
otherwise imo optimised traffic signals are best. though for heavy traffic loads each situation must be considered separately.. certainly roundabouts cause massive tailbacks so unless there are signals ON them (which there often are in britain in large roundabouts) otherwise not a gd idea

^^

Xiamen, China

http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p340/Dalianon/china_468x312.jpg

^^

Xiamen, China

http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p340/Dalianon/china_468x312.jpg
Looks like a lot of drivers are forgetting the 'yield before enter' rule here....

:nuts:

Mike

Yeah such backups are mostly due to bad driver behaviour than due to the design.

The biggest roundabout in Estonia...and it really is a roundabout, not just a road in a circle:
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/6357/ringtee.jpg (http://img199.imageshack.us/i/ringtee.jpg/)

^^

Xiamen, China

http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p340/Dalianon/china_468x312.jpg
Strange... On that roundabout it seems that the people ON the roundabout have to give way... In that case I think it's more due to the design. It would be much more efficient with just 2 lanes (at the very maximum 3).
EDIT: looked at Google Earth and saw that the feeder lanes had just 3 or 2 lanes 800 meters before the roundabout. I don't understand why they'd do that: a 6-lane roundabout is much less efficient than a 2-lane roundabout... They better let 2 lanes enter the roundabout and the third one can be used to go directly to the right. Even more efficient would be a tunnel going straight under the roundabout for the most-used direction (or two tunnels if that's possible) and letting just one lane go through to the roundabout (one with the normal roundabout priority rules: if you're on the roundabout, you've got priority because traffic on it has to keep flowing).

Many of the comments I see in this topic I simply can't understand. It all depends on the characteristics of the intersecting roads whether certain structures are better than other. Sometimes roundabouts are the best solution by far, sometimes traffic lights work better. In case driving education seems to be rubbish (seems to be the case for the USA looking at the responses here), traffic lights are a lot safer because they "think" for you.

All in all, I love roundabouts in all its forms as long as they're appropriate for that specific intersection. They don't necessarily have to be bigger than a traffic light intersection.

Greetings,
Glodenox

Here's one of the worst roundabouts of Belgium which is luckily being transformed into a conflict-free intersection: Intersection Lummen.

http://www.tomputtemans.com/images/KnooppuntLummen.jpg

Many accidents have happened there because of this ageing structure. It's slightly elliptical because of the angle at which the highways intersect.

Greetings,
Glodenox

How about the Roundabout around the world? (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=884090)
Worlds largest roundabouts (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=373732)
Roundabouts: good idea? (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=254301)

Too many threads about roundabouts.

^^ Not anymore :D

I could merge them because nearly all posts in those threads were from different timespans, so the thread is not really mixed up.

Good! I thought there was another thread about them. :lol:

I'm afraid of using the inner lanes on multi-lane roundabouts. I dont really know why,because even if other drivers make me skip my exit,I can just go around again...

Especially when some morons come up from behind honking and hanging out of the windows going between the two lanes, as happened to me a few days ago.

I find that most of the time when there's not that much traffic, most people tend to kind of just drive in the middle, using both lanes. I do it myself too if there are no other cars around me..

My opinion on roundabouts is that they are good in most cases, although there are other cases that would be better with traffic lights. Also there are traffic lights that should be roundabouts.

My opinion about roundabouts is this - They work reasonably well in Europe, so good for you. In Virginia, however, a roundabout would undoubtedly cause precisely what it's designed to avoid: Traffic would come to a standstill.

Nobody around here knows how to drive a roundabout if there's a substantial amount of traffic - I once went through one with a quite insubstantial amount of traffic in north-central Virginia, and several times through one without much traffic, north of Charlottesville (never driven one myself) - if one was built in Roanoke, traffic would come to a standstill as confused drivers try to do what they haven't been trained to do (I took a driver's ed classroom portion a year ago, and not once was the word "roundabout" mentioned) and, quite possibly, several fender-benders.

One type of roundabout that would be vastly worse than stuck traffic and a few fender-benders is one of those hellish multi-roundabouts like this one (http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/images/2007/10/22/msn_magic_roundabout_470x350.jpg) - if I had to drive through that, I'd just say a quick prayer and drive straight through it if there was no traffic - if there was any traffic I'd turn around and try to get a way around it on side streets.

The only type of roundabout that I think would actually work would be a giant highway roundabout, with onramps rather than intersecting roads - highway merging is something that IS taught and performed frequently around here.

My opinion about roundabouts is this - They work reasonably well in Europe, so good for you. In Virginia, however, a roundabout would undoubtedly cause precisely what it's designed to avoid: Traffic would come to a standstill.

Are Americans/Virginians stupid? After you use roundabouts a few times, you should get used to them. Roundabouts aren't here since always either. They're much better than intersections in many cases, so why not use it? Aren't Americans the innovative nation?

I think single-lane roundabouts in low-speed roads would do fine in the US.

There is a roundabout nearby that has been around for almost a decade, and people still don't know to use one. What's worse is that use of turn signals when exiting out of the roundabout is nonexistent.

After you use roundabouts a few times, you should get used to them. Roundabouts aren't here since always either. They're much better than intersections in many cases, so why not use it? Aren't Americans the innovative nation?

I agree - it's like saying "I invented the wheel, so I know how to use it. But no-one else should use it because they don't know how."

In Virginia, however, a roundabout would undoubtedly cause precisely what it's designed to avoid: Traffic would come to a standstill.

Nobody around here knows how to drive a roundabout [...] traffic would come to a standstill as confused drivers try to do what they haven't been trained to do [...] I took a driver's ed classroom portion a year ago, and not once was the word "roundabout" mentioned

You've solved your own problem. If American drivers were taught how to use them, roundabouts would function no differently from anywhere else.

Roundabouts are actually not much different than a regular "give way" intersection.

However, I think many American roads are too busy for roundabouts. Above 15,000 AADT, they become less useful with queues often, and multilane highways are also not very well to have roundabouts on, giant multilane roundabouts are not very effective.

New Zealand has plenty of roundabouts and even has little things like switching your turning signal on when leaving one after going through one. Unfortuneatly where I live, multilaned roundabouts are springing up everywhere and since my city is like a giant retirement home (full of old people), they easily get confused.
Pity.

Sometimes there's just too many of them. This is Tondi street in Tallinn:
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/7670/ringteed.jpg (http://img228.imageshack.us/i/ringteed.jpg/)

In Virginia, however, a roundabout would undoubtedly cause precisely what it's designed to avoid: Traffic would come to a standstill.

Please. If people in Virginia can yield to traffic coming from the left then they can navigate a roundabout. If they can't then they should surrender their drivers licenses to the commonwealth by close of business today.

Roundabouts aren't hard to drive on *at all*. Personally, I just gained my driving license 2 months ago and not a single time have I felt fear on one of them. I can understand that if you've never seen them, it's a strange experience, but once you understand the concept (the traffic on the roundabout has to keep flowing to keep the roundabout efficient), there's little more to know about it. Their basic design is there exactly to prevent just what you said: a standstill. The traffic will keep flowing if they're used as they should be (give way to those on the roundabout and only squeeze in if there's room).

A series of roundabouts isn't always efficient indeed. Looking at the picture posted by Rebasepoiss, I can see that the roundabouts are used for accessing the streets with just homes. That's not a situation where you should lay a roundabout: there's more traffic going in one direction than the other directions. The only reason why they'd do that would be "because it looks modern".

Greetings,
Glodenox

^^ The official explanation, I believe, was to "calm down traffic"....

Yeah, roundabouts are often abused for traffic calming purposes. Maybe a plateau was better in this case.

Oh right, forgot about that possibility... A plateau would've been much better then indeed.

Over here they like to put obstacles on the road, which result in you having to slow down if someone is coming from the other direction, but I hate those. Those obstacles only result in accidents and can severely disturb the flow of the traffic once it gets busy.

Greetings,
Glodenox

However, I think many American roads are too busy for roundabouts.Maybe, but many aren't.

There is a roundabout nearby that has been around for almost a decade, and people still don't know to use one. What's worse is that use of turn signals when exiting out of the roundabout is nonexistent.I didn't mean that people here drive through roundabouts properly, but getting through a roundabout shouldn't be hard at all.

However, I think many American roads are too busy for roundabouts. Above 15,000 AADT, they become less useful with queues often, and multilane highways are also not very well to have roundabouts on, giant multilane roundabouts are not very effective.

They have quite a few in central Barcelona, Paris and Madrid, and those have wide avenues branching out with many roads. I think they are pretty busy as well.

Yeah, but do you think they work well? How many people know exactly how to navigate a 5/6 lane roundabout? People are just driving somewhere slowly, hoping they make it across it okay.

Year, don't know how well they work, but they look great :)

My point though was regarding traffic levels being too high in the US and the references I used showed them still possible.

One from Sweden

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/2195/roundabout1fm1.jpg

Found this in Shanghai;

http://i30.tinypic.com/2n6hi13.jpg

^^ Reminds me of this one, Chris.
http://i29.tinypic.com/2drgjf6.jpg

Can you really call these things roundabouts? Looks more like very large circular streets, the Rotonda West isn't even circumnavigable.

Roundabouts are actually not much different than a regular "give way" intersection.

However, I think many American roads are too busy for roundabouts.

There are plenty of busy roads in UK and use of the roundabouts is widespread.
I just think Americans are in general conservative and they don't trust new solutions like that. Many countries in Europe adopted roundabouts fairly recently and they work just fine. It all depends from attitude and drivers training (which is nonexistent n US)

@ChrisZwolle - Lol, and I thought the one I found was big :nuts:

I hate painted roundabouts!

This roundabout in Dublin is fairly unique. It has a motorway underneath, a gas pipe line above, canal and railway in the middle and roads being built around it for the idea of not having to use it. It also has a gym in the middle of the complex.

http://m50.ie/uploads/images/junction6_large.jpg


And all because putting the roundabout in in the first place was a bad idea.

Just outside Jönköping, Sweden.
http://i29.tinypic.com/2j4zeif.jpg

There are plenty of busy roads in UK and use of the roundabouts is widespread.
I just think Americans are in general conservative and they don't trust new solutions like that. Many countries in Europe adopted roundabouts fairly recently and they work just fine. It all depends from attitude and drivers training (which is nonexistent n US)

For relatively quiet roads, I vastly prefer driving through roundabouts rather than intersections with traffic lights for a couple of reasons:


Convenience: No stopping at red lights. Nobody likes red lights, right?
Safety: I'm pretty sure in a roundabout I'm not going to get rammed by some idiot running a red light.


As far as knowing how to drive on one, it's not difficult; if you've done it a couple of times you've got the hang of it. It's just a priority road going in a circle; you approach it, yield to any traffic coming from the left and drive around it.

A roundabout in Piran (Slovenia). It only serves parking spaces:

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee119/Verso1/Piran.jpg

Convenience: No stopping at red lights. Nobody likes red lights, right?

Green waves (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_wave) can reduce that inconvenience. And if roads don't have too much traffic, why install traffic lights in the first place?

Roundabout Zaandam, Netherlands

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/6124/rdz.jpg

Ah, the southern terminus of A7. I once did a traffic count on the Prins Bernhard Bridge (lower left of the picture)

Typical major 3-lane roundabout with tram rails in a major Polish city.


Rondo Śródka, Poznań
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h25/Majestic12NN/rondo1.jpg

Those aren't real roundabouts. You can't even make a 360 loop.

^^ You can make a 360 turn actually. The intersection is called a roundabout although it is not one techically speaking. It's rather called an "intersection with a center island" whatever it may sound like. ;)

I see, you're supposed to cut the corners there, altough they don't seem like actual lanes.

In Ljubljana there's a half-roundabout. :D You can even make a 360° turn, but you'd have to yield to oncoming traffic, if you really wanted to:

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee119/Verso1/half-roundabout.jpg

^^ Reminds me of this one, Chris.
http://i29.tinypic.com/2drgjf6.jpg
That's more like a beltway around a small town!

Those aren't real roundabouts. You can't even make a 360 loop.

Why are turbo-roundabouts called roundabouts then? :D

^^ You can make a 360 turn actually. The intersection is called a roundabout although it is not one techically speaking. It's rather called an "intersection with a center island" whatever it may sound like. ;)

Traffic square is a better translation, I suppose.

A few from Melbourne, Australia.
There are no magic roundabouts in Australia, but these are some in close proximity:

3 roundabouts in 150 metres - Hull Rd, Mooroolbark:

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/8810/mooroolbark.jpg (http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&q=hull+road+and+lincoln+road+mooroolbark&ie=UTF8&ll=-37.789393,145.310149&spn=0.00127,0.00284&t=k&z=19)



6 roundabouts in 450 metres - Lyndhurst Bvd, Lyndhurst:

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/2011/lyndhurste.jpg



A half-completed circular road with 7 roundabouts - Stadium Cct, Mulgrave:

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/9276/mulgrave.jpg

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/5095/mulgrave2.jpg (http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=stadium+circuit,+mulgrave&sll=-37.789393,145.310149&sspn=0.00127,0.00284&ie=UTF8&ll=-37.92553,145.188961&spn=0.005069,0.011362&t=k&z=17)

If American drivers were taught how to use them, roundabouts would function no differently from anywhere else.
Yes, but there's a major flaw in that logic - How would they be taught to navigate a roundabout when there are none? Put up a bunch of traffic cones in a parking lot in the shape of a roundabout? Sure, they could be taught how to do it in the classroom portion of their training, but that's just learning the theory of it, it's nothing like actually doing it in reality.

On another note, here is a roundabout in Spain (Madrid i think) that entirely defeat the purpose of a roundabout. (Do other countries murder their roundabouts this way, or is it only Spain?)

http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq330/nerdlydood/Notroundabout.jpg

I've learned to drive in an area,where there are absolutely no roundabouts. Even the theory behind it is simplier than behind an all-yield junction. If someone comes,dont enter. Thats all.

http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq330/nerdlydood/Notroundabout.jpg

These "roundabouts" eliminate left lane turning, which requires the most traffic(light) conflicts.

Yes, but there's a major flaw in that logic - How would they be taught to navigate a roundabout when there are none? Put up a bunch of traffic cones in a parking lot in the shape of a roundabout? Sure, they could be taught how to do it in the classroom portion of their training, but that's just learning the theory of it, it's nothing like actually doing it in reality.

Imagine if that attitude had precluded the introduction of freeways decades ago, or any technology for that matter. Nothing new would ever be introduced. And roundabouts aren't exactly rocket science - yield to traffic on the roundabout & on the left.

Single-lane roundabouts are straightforward, so they could be introduced on minor streets initially, with accompanying training sessions with cones held in parking lots (for example). Multi-lane roundabouts could later be progressively introduced.

The theory sufficed for me to immediately understand how a roundabout works... My parents never learnt about any roundabouts when they got their drivers license (one even didn't get taught anything). A short campaign about how to drive on them was launched after they started to become widespread, and nowadays nobody has any problems with using those.

So sure: we also had such a moment, but that's something that will always happen when something new gets introduced.

Greetings,
Glodenox

Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=46.097103,-64.770327&spn=0.015296,0.043945&t=k&z=15

:eek:

Mike

I wonder if roundabouts are common in Latin America,Africa, and Asia.

^^ They are abundant in most of Africa and Middle East. Not that common in Latin America I believe.

Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=46.097103,-64.770327&spn=0.015296,0.043945&t=k&z=15

:eek:

Mike

Why the smilie? I don't understand. It looks like an ordinary roundabout to me.

Well, it seems to be quite large. Not outrageously large, but just large. There are many roundabouts that are bigger though.

In the very few cases where there are roundabouts in the Toronto area, there is usually some extra signage that prevents completely clueless drivers (not a good thing in the first place) from being "shocked".

On approaching the roundabout, there is a yield sign, and the middle of the roundabout has a regular "one-way" arrow sign (the same one put on intersections here) facing each approaching road.

I think one would have to be completely stupid to not know what to do. Of course, simply putting a "roundabout ahead" sign is more elegant, but this way I think there is no confusion.

The only cases I heard about were of people driving straight "through" a roundabout :lol: But I think if one doesn't notice a solid barrier in the middle of the road, one should have the driver's license promptly revoked.

^^ They are abundant in most of Africa and Middle East. Not that common in Latin America I believe.

They are common in Latin America, at least in Mexico you can found them
in each city.

I read that Japan doesn't have roundabouts.

Well, it seems to be quite large. Not outrageously large, but just large. There are many roundabouts that are bigger though.

It's also the only at-grade intersection on what would otherwise be several kilometers of freeway.

Some roundabout pictures from Hong Kong:

http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2009%20Random%20Hong%20Kong/CIMG0577.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Random%20Hong%20Kong/20080809_0080.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Random%20Hong%20Kong/20081115-11.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Random%20Hong%20Kong/20081116-1.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Random%20Hong%20Kong/20081119-13.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Random%20Hong%20Kong/20081119-29.jpg

Step aside for the Turbo roundabout!:rock:

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/2506/turborotonde.jpg




Where is the above turbo-roundabout located? (i.e. I'd like to find it in Google Maps or Google Earth)

This...

http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Random%20Hong%20Kong/20081119-13.jpg

...reminds me of the roundabout we had in front of our hotel in London:

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/5408/roundabout.jpg (http://img178.imageshack.us/i/roundabout.jpg/)

I wonder if roundabouts are common in Latin America,Africa, and Asia.

exemple of roundabouts in Algeria :

large with underpass

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/772/1ermai.png




with multiple underpasses

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/9566/addisabeba.png

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/5881/chevalley.png

Roundabouts are ideal for medium to large unsaturated junctions where there's ample space, especially where there is a dominant flow. Compared to a signal controlled junction less time is wasted waiting for a green light; compared with non-signal controlled junctions traffic in non-dominant directions have a better chance to move (imagine sitting on a minor road waiting for traffic to clear on the main road in both directions).

Provided there's ample space, at a saturated junction, a signal controlled roundabout is the best option (where traffic volume does not warrant a grade-separated junction of course). All you need is two stages in each sequence of traffic lights. I drew those diagrams for a junction in Shanghai which I think is suitable for a roundabout, so apologies for the wrong language. Other than that I hope they are self-explanatary:

http://bbs.52bus.com/attachments/month_0907/0907251919c9aaabaafe096ccf.jpg

The segragated lanes on the very edge of the roads are cycle lanes, which are not relevant for all countries. Traffic lanes bordered by a thick continuous line are bus lanes.

Traffic-light sequence - stage one:

http://bbs.52bus.com/attachments/month_0907/09072521568c95e9c89ac61c02.jpg

Stage two:

http://bbs.52bus.com/attachments/month_0907/0907252156a30fda1304351f28.jpg

This is more efficient than flat junctions which would need 4 stages in each traffic-light sequence, straight and turning for each direction. There's the added bonus of visual friendliness for there isn't a massive patch of black tarmac at a roundabout junction.

Now some say roundabouts with through-roads defeat the purpose, like this one:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Harlington,+Harlington+Corner+(N-bound),+Hillingdon,+Greater+London+UB3,+United+Kingdom&sll=51.967962,-0.492325&sspn=0.047487,0.109692&g=harlington&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FQ6IEQMdZlr5_w&split=0&ll=51.497817,-0.453106&spn=0.001499,0.005472&t=k&z=18

Actually these hybrid junctions are even better than conventional signal controlled roundabouts, if you consider where turning traffic can be easily stored.

On another note, here is a roundabout in Spain (Madrid i think) that entirely defeat the purpose of a roundabout. (Do other countries murder their roundabouts this way, or is it only Spain?)

http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq330/nerdlydood/Notroundabout.jpg

We have one at Piața Romană, Bucharest, Romania:

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/7871/piataromanasemirond.jpg

what's wrong with a simple stop light?

so much more straight foward

That Bucharest roundabout reduces annoying left-turns. Those are capacity reducers at traffic lights...

Some stuff from Czech Republic:

Demonstration of widespread roundabout plague - this is in Novy Jicin:
http://bobkovo.cz/img/ssc/091019/kruh_novy_jicin.jpg

This weird thing in Most:
http://bobkovo.cz/img/ssc/091019/kruh_most.jpg

And two-and-a-half roundabout-ish awesomeness in Liberec (the middle one isn't full circle, as it wouldn't make any sense at all):
http://bobkovo.cz/img/ssc/091019/kruh_liberec.jpg

That center picture is called a "dog bone roundabout". We have a few of them too in the Netherlands.

http://i34.tinypic.com/10xg5ls.jpg
N11/N459 Bodegraven

^^ It's not entirely the same though. The leftmost Czech roundabout is a complete circle.

I was referring to the picture above that one.

http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz43/luketheseed/Roundabouts.jpg

Jakarta, Indonesia

Bundaran Hotel Indonesia (Hotel Indonesia Roundabout)
from flickr

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/63/177154505_e86c889ebd_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/3113105468_39bee6bd4d_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2162/2119248817_102c74b972_o.jpg

I was referring to the picture above that one.

Oops. :)

I am a big fan of roundabouts. Yes, I am American. Yes, I got my driver's license in a town of 1300 people, 29 miles from the nearest stoplight. No, I didn't learn about them in driver's education. But it seems like common sense to me: 4-way stops require ALL traffic to stop, which is the antithesis of efficiency; stoplights require sudden stops, which increases the risk of serious collisions.

One thing I've become convinced of over time, however, is that roundabouts should never be constructed in proximity to stoplights. See this example in Belleville, Illionois:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=PUBLIC+SQUARE,+BELLEVILLE+IL&sll=38.513725,-89.984105&sspn=0.003089,0.006866&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Public+Square,+Belleville,+St+Clair,+Illinois+62220&ll=38.513629,-89.983681&spn=0.003194,0.004823&z=18
At least three of the four surrounding streets have stoplights, and Illinois Street is one of the busiest in town. What happens is that one or more of the stoplights turn red, traffic queues up onto the roundabout, and then NOBODY can move.

Moroccan roundabouts, unfortunately - Morocco has followed the example of France and implemented like thousands of roundabouts lately.

Some examples:

http://i45.tinypic.com/33ark45.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/2zyezif.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/2dw7r4i.jpg

Regular concentric circular lanes - how NOT to design a roundabout.

I am a big fan of roundabouts. Yes, I am American. Yes, I got my driver's license in a town of 1300 people, 29 miles from the nearest stoplight. No, I didn't learn about them in driver's education. But it seems like common sense to me: 4-way stops require ALL traffic to stop, which is the antithesis of efficiency; stoplights require sudden stops, which increases the risk of serious collisions.

That's why we have a lot of roundabouts in Europe. They're practical and reduce traffic jams. As far as I'm concerned, we can eliminate all traffic lights and install roundabouts.

This picture is old, new road section has been built since then. Notice 5 roundabouts and 3 small ones before the bridge.

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/6275/koroska.jpg

As far as I'm concerned, we can eliminate all traffic lights and install roundabouts.

No, you can't.

You cannot control the traffic flow within a network of intersections with roundabouts. Another issue is that roundabouts don't work well on high-trafficked intersections, especially if traffic volumes are over 15,000 for single lane roundabouts and 20,000 - 25,000 on multilane roundabouts.

Traffic lights don't work in that case either. This:

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3284/yxyxc.jpg

You don't need traffic lights at all.

In most built up places there's no space to stick a junction like this or a roundabout. You'll have to make do with a conventional crossroad.

You can always make an underpass.

You still need lights for left/right turns and the cross traffic.

A59 exit near Rosmalen the Netherlands

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=51.70890307969451~5.381500423219677&lvl=18&sty=a

A59 exit near Rosmalen the Netherlands

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=51.70890307969451~5.381500423219677&lvl=18&sty=a

is that reddish outer ring a bike path?

does anyone know why Dutch roundabouts usually have just one lane?
It seems to be a preference, even with roundabouts linking multi-lane roads, to sometimes have only one lane.

is that reddish outer ring a bike path?

Yes it is. Most Dutch bike paths are painted in red, although there are also bike paths that are just the color of asphalt or concrete.

does anyone know why Dutch roundabouts usually have just one lane?
It seems to be a preference, even with roundabouts linking multi-lane roads, to sometimes have only one lane.

I think it's mostly a safety thing. The Dutch policy makers tend to have some kind of traffic safety phobia beyond reasonable levels, so multilane roundabouts are rare. However, recently more and more turbo roundabouts are constructed. They have two lanes, but are physically separated from each other by a small and low barrier (you can drive across it in case of an emergency, but I wouldn't recommend it).

Another annoying issue is that formerly unregulated intersections are now being reconstructed into roundabouts. This is especially annoying on provincial roads with a speed limit of 80 km/h, on some roads you can't drive more than 2 km without having to slow down for another roundabout. And Dutch provincial roads tend to be quite busy, especially in the central and western parts of the Netherlands, 1x2 roads with an AADT up to 20,000 are not uncommon.

Another annoying issue is that formerly unregulated intersections are now being reconstructed into roundabouts. This is especially annoying on provincial roads with a speed limit of 80 km/h, on some roads you can't drive more than 2 km without having to slow down for another roundabout. And Dutch provincial roads tend to be quite busy, especially in the central and western parts of the Netherlands, 1x2 roads with an AADT up to 20,000 are not uncommon.

Sounds like South-East England then! :ohno:

As far as I'm concerned, we can eliminate all traffic lights and install roundabouts.


I disagree as well. As much as I dislike stoplights, they serve well in many situations. Of course, a grade-separated interchange would be best everywhere, but that would be crazy at most major intersections due to so many factors: money, aesthetics, space constraints, business access, you name it. Some of those factors are true for roundabouts as well: space constraints and business access. And, as has been mentioned, the timing of a system of stoplights can be strategically timed.

However. Having said all that, I do believe they could see far greater use than what there currently is in the U.S. I firmly believe that all four-way stops should be eliminated, replacing each with either a two-way stop or roundabout. As well, I'd say all five-way stoplights should be eliminated and each either replaced with a multi-lane roundabout or reconfigured to include a four-way stoplight and a three-leg roundabout. Most low-volume diamond interchanges and their variants could have roundabouts at their points, thereby eliminating the future need to install stoplights.

So, yeah, the whirpool of life maybe. But I love whirlpools. I wish I had one in my back yard. (a whirlpool, not a roundabout)

On another note, here is a roundabout in Spain (Madrid i think) that entirely defeat the purpose of a roundabout. (Do other countries murder their roundabouts this way, or is it only Spain?)


In Santiago, Chile, the roundabout Perez Zujovich is killed at rush hour, there's so much traffic that the roundabout turned into a traffic chaos and traffic lights that are turned on only at rush hour were placed at the entrance of some streets/avenues that join the roundabout, so we have a roundabout with traffic lights. :lol:

The roundabout will be demolished soon and a complex interchange will be built.

Pic of the Perez Zujovich roundabout, red circles are locations of the traffic lights
http://i47.tinypic.com/5xvhp2.jpg

Crazy unmarked roundabout in Paris:
http://i42.tinypic.com/2wdo5uf.jpg

^^
You don't have to look too much around Paris in order to find a crazy roundabout. You just need to look at the Arc de Triomphe (or Place Charles de Gaulle to be more precise)!

^^
You don't have to look too much around Paris in order to find a crazy roundabout. You just need to look at the Arc de Triomphe (or Place Charles de Gaulle to be more precise)!

Yes, but :) we all know this place, although I've never seen or heard about the roundabout posted by Chris.