Driving around those stupid roundabouts
Folks - if you drive in an area where "they" are putting in those damphfool roundabout intersections (just kidding they are one of the best intersections ever...) - things work a lot smoother if yo...
Forum Discussion
naturist wrote:
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.
I was in France last September and the GPS in the rental car routed us into the roundabout at the Arc de Triumphe when returning to Paris from Normandy. That was quite an experience. I was driving and my strategy was to go slow, yield the right of way to everybody and do nothing quickly. The French were much more aggressive and seemed to know what they were doing. We went around twice before making our move to continue on.
That is the best tactic for roundabouts. Keep going around until you can safely leave.
