Driving around those stupid roundabouts

Points well taken, thank you for suggesting them.

Roundabouts are actually better than traffic lights, once you get used to them. They require no electricity, thus function even when the power goes out, and they are faster for all traffic to pass through, too. But, as you point out, people who are not used to them struggle a bit until they figure them out.

It must be noted that traffic IN the roundabout has the right of way over traffic entering the roundabout. This is an obvious necessity once you understand them. I don't know about your state, but here in Virginia, that is even specified in State Law, but I have had "encounters" with folks unaware of this. No collisions yet (I'm sure it would come as a surprise to the folks entering who caused the collision that they were buying), but a couple close calls with folks who thought they had the right of way, so do watch closely when you are in one.

For your entertainment, the roundabout at the Arc de Triumphe in Paris.


Dunno why that picture doesn't show up. The URL is www.expressions-photographics.com/forumpix/Arc.jpg for anyone who'd like to see it. Screen capture from Google Earth.

LOL. Personally I like the roundabouts they have added here, where they replaced the ubiquitous 4 way stop. Others, not so much.

We have had rotaries in our area all my life so I have been driving on them over 30 years. Some make sense, others don't. NH just put in some smaller ones that you can barely get a trailer through without going on the curb.

When visiting relatives in New Hampshire in 1990 I saw my first roundabout and our uncle told us they were normal back there. Now they're everywhere out here. Some are good, some are not. The latest one to go in near home looks like a Boy Scouts Eagle project. No way would it allow my truck and travel trailer through.

Roundabouts are more fun if you have a motor home and towing a toad. Some people have a problem figuring out that the toad is attached to the motor home.

I have to negotiate the new "Round-abouts" all the time up here... The inside curbing is meant to be driven on, my 35' TT handles them quite well. Slow is the key.

I think roundabouts are the way to go. They just make sense and keep traffic flowing.

I like them, as long as they are curbless.

Try getting threw this set of 3 roundabouts with a 35' MH and a toad.

You need to use both lanes to make it.

The latest trend here is to build them where there isn't room to build it large enough to be easily negotiated with anything larger then a passenger car. If you have a trailer you have to jump the curbs to get thru.