@MusicMadMaurice Better still, tell them that roundabouts will get rid of that commie scum - the red light. They will write using them into their constitution.
Plant something green and low in the middle that cant wreck a car and call them eco circles. They are popular down under in Aussie and NZ. The only problem I have with them is when there is heavy traffic flow in a particular direction and you're waiting for a gap, but in general people are polite and let you in.
I’m American born and drove for 10 years only in the US. Then I moved to the UK and then onto Australia. I LOVE ROUNDABOUTS!!! Once you get the hang of them, they make so much sense. When I go back to visit US family I find the traffic lights so frustrating, especially late at night when there is no one on the roads and you’re just sitting at a red light for no reason.
I like them in areas where there isn't a lot of traffic but the 3 and 4 lane roundabouts that are super busy are kind of scary because a lot of people don't pay attention to where they're going and make bad decisions at the last minute. The wait time to get into a busy roundabout can be interminable. People do not let you in.
Roundabouts aren't the issue. Anericans are. From dumb hicks driving oversized pickups and stupid, entitled mothers driving SUVs neither can handle properly, to treatinf what few roundabouts exist like some combination of NASCAR and roller derby, to not understanding the concept of Yield signs and being only marginally better at Stop signs, to having elserly people far beyond their physical limits impose themselves on others, having young idiots on crotch rockets whipping by between lanes and in rice burners acting like its the Tokyo Grand Prix. . . all of that and more to say American roads are a hellscape. Thats before you get into the large freight vehicles, supposedly being driven by professionals, blocking traffic on highways or the institutional gang of criminals known as law enforcement robbing and harrassing motorists.
A huge part why it's so hard for roundabouts to work in the US, is the general driving culture. In roundabouts, using blinkers is a crucial part, something a lot of people don't even know they have in their cars.
In southern USA people see it as a NASCAR type challenge and try to prevent you changing lanes so few people use signals although things are better now than 20 years ago
a lot of roundabouts i see are set up so that once your in the lane you have to go to the exit associated with that lane to solve that problem exactly. at least that's how they are in louisiana where i live. using the blinkers while in them tend to cause more wrecks bc of confusion here. i've seen people pulled over for changing lanes while in them.
@@javenfryar5009 Seems road planners here almost get it but not quite. No idea who the genius was who thought exit lanes on far left of interstate were a good idea?
@@Hirotoro4692 If approaching a roundabout in the UK with the intention of turning right, one should be in the right-hand lane (if there is more than one lane on the appoach) and one should be indicating 'right' until one has passed the last exit before their exit, when they then indicate 'left'. Obviously it is the opposite of this in the US. *_R_* 😎
"I'm afraid of missing my exit" GIRL THAT'S THE BEST FEATURE OF THE ROUNDABOUT!!!!! You can miss all the exits you like, you just go round and round and can take your time figuring it out. It's also a free U-turn if you made a mistake earlier and need to backtrack! It's the most forgiving intersection possible.
@@laurent3415 maybe that's why it wouldn't work for Americans because most don't put our damn blinkers on when trying to make a simple lane change, or don't put it on until they're already turning. Also I'm american here, I'm not shitting on us for no reason, it's from experience.
@@Blue71974 Where I live, a couple of times doing that, seen by a cop, and you'll lose your license and have to take all the exams again. That teaches people in europe, they use blinkers because they have to.
Unless, like in some UK roundabouts, there are several lights to go around the roundabout. (The British seem to call these too roundabouts, even though the video claims they're otherwise named.)
yeah, instead, you're stuck waiting for mass traffic to clear out to get through for 20 minutes with assholes behind you honking at you or bumping you forward
Driving in France was such a cool experience because of roundabouts. The fact that you can get all the way through town and never have to stop is amazing.
The raised islands at each entrance are really essential to making it work. We have one small roundabout in our town, but the islands are not raised, only painted. That allows people to make bad decisions and not be kept in the direction of flow.
But as I live in Carmel one issue as a pedestrian is that drivers can't see you until they are in the circle giving them very little time to react. I have almost been hit a few times. It means the pedestrian has to be more aware than they would at a stop.light
@@douglasstemke2444For pedestrians heavy areas it’s common to see traffic lights just outside roundabouts - the key note is they only go red when someone actually passes the button to cross the road.
If you know how to read signs (generally twice before the roundabout), then you're good, if you think you're incorrect just make another round, and if you took the wrong exit then you can always use the next roundabout to make the U-turn, which is excessively hard and dangerous to do with a traffic light. But you know... Americans will remain Americans... Murica!
DigitalDiabloUK dimwit, exiting is not the problem- its the ability of one ENTRANCE to monopolize the roundabout But the the UK has similarly failed to understand the concept of dentistry for centuries as well....
@@sdushdiu ... nope... as soon as one vehicle enters from another road, the 'monopolistic entrance' MUST yield to that car. Monopolization is virtually impossible if entering traffic obeys the Yield Mandate!
I live in VERY rural Alabama and so I’ve never even driven through a roundabout, and I’ve only ever seen one in person. My friend was driving and we were going to Oklahoma City if I remember correctly, at some point in the drive we come across a round about and I’ll never forget the terrified look on his face and him literally shouting “I DONT KNOW WHAT THE FREAK TO DO!” The moment he saw it 😂
Which is why they need to paint arrows on the road at the junction and within the roundabout! Like they did in the first minute of this video: th-cam.com/video/xsSp8gxzfjo/w-d-xo.html
My first experience with roundabouts was in Prague Czech Republic a number of years ago. Had just picked up the rental car and almost immediately entered, without realizing, a very complicated multi-lane roundabout. It had cars, buses, bicycles, pedestrians as I recall. I thought WTF as I went in circles having never heard of these things. It took a few go arounds until I figured it out and managed to escape. Since that time I’ve been through countless roundabouts in Europe. Beginning to see more of them in the US. They are a great idea and eliminate T-bone collisions.
"I'm scared I miss the right exit." Ok, can happen if you're distracted for a moment but how stupid or unattentive do you have to be to miss two or even three times?
I can understand taking an extra lap if you're not used to the area and trying to learn which way to turn, so you repeat it to get your bearings, or it's a 5 way intersection and you miss counted, but "oh no, you drive an extra 20 secs in an area", is quite silly.
Canada has a bunch of roundabouts and is busily making more. The only times I've had trouble with them were when there were signage issues (ie during construction, things are not well-lit or well signed until everything's complete, even if it's driveable), and using a GPS system that doesn't tell you road names. "Turn. Right. Now." is not helpful when you've got three choices in rapid succession and you don't know whether your navigator is at all delayed.
In my driving test in Sweden i missed the first exit and continued straight, told the examiner 'oops, gonna make a U turn at next roundabout', so I did that. And passed the exam first time.
@@PurOwO Depends on the mistake, missing the right way is something that wouldn't be against any rule, it could happen to anyone even with having a license and years and years of experience. So simply correcting the mistake while sticking to the rules by making a U turn where it is allowed and going back is perfectly fine, and allowed. Just like when you park in the exam you are allowed to correct the car's postion if you could't make it perfect the first time.
@@jekyll011 You're right of course. It also depends on where you take your exam though, in Germany you could fail in that first instance, and you're only allowed two corrections or 1 entire re-attempt at parking the car. The exam isn't exactly exemplary of a real drive, and even most licensed and experienced drivers could easily fail it were they re-examined. Really it depends on whether your examiner is a douchebag or not 😬
I just love roundabouts for that reason. Theyre designed to make turns in any direction easy. On the other hand, at an intersection, attempting a u turn is absolute hell
In France we have lots of roundabouts and they work perfectly fine, I see more accidents in regular intersections than roundabouts. In France we have two types: - "rond-points" (like the Place de l’Etoile, a 'traffic circle' I guess) where the people entering the roundaout have priority (usually because of triangular signs (priorité) or stop lights) - "carrefours giratoires" where the people inside the roundabouts have priority
They didn't even list the reason that I don't like them. Cars that are exiting a roundabout don't use their signals to tell that they are taking an exit, so I never know if a car that's coming around will be taking the exit before me so that I can go, or if they will continue to go around. In heavy traffic situations it leaves me sitting there forever not knowing when I can go.
> skip an exit on an American highway > that little maneuver will cost us half an hour > skip an exit on a roundabout > So scared of losing a minute of my life... Literally the least rational fear ever
@@mkontent And then in America you have huge, 6 lane highways (where nobody keeps right) with cloverfield junctions and exit ramps on both the left and right at the same time. I never been more confused and stressed in traffic than when i was on vacation in the US driving on the highways
And the lady missed one little detail - if you miss your exit, just drive around the f-in circle one more time, ore two, or 10 times, and you will make it to your desired exit! 🤷🏼♂️
Roundabouts are attractive, they can be used for flower, trees, sculptures, while traffic lights are ugly, waste energy, waste people's time. I am thinking about starting a pro roundabout campaign in California.
We have a few of them here in Oklahoma. The biggest problem I have with them is that people don’t signal to let others know when they are exiting the circle. This makes it difficult for those needing in the circle.
@jacketylon1518 actually, the standard is to put on your right blinker when you are exiting. That way someone coming In knows your exiting. Reason why people hate roundabouts is because overconfident people like you think they know what they're doing but do not which intimidates some people into not doing it correctly.
@@arriannaniv it is because most American drivers are stupid or selfish. Either they do not know round about etiquette or they still speed/cut off other drivers so they can be first and get to their destination faster. I fear of an accident everyday since the occurrence of some dumbass ignoring traffic laws is so prevalent. Then we have people "multitasking", on the phone, or who just somehow do not know traffic laws.
"i'm afraid of missing my exit and needing to go around a couple times" ....still less complicated than making a wrong turn and having to flip a bitch where possible and back track
Also going around a roundabout takes like, what, 30 seconds at most? (depending on it's size of course) Whereas you could potentially get stuck at a traffic light for a few minutes.
Also - if most intersections are roundabouts - if you DO exit the roundabout at the wrong place - as you enter the next roundabout it is super easy to do a 180 and go back to the one where you went wrong.
Design is important, I'm sure. My experience is that many do not actually slow drivers down in some directions and it can be difficult judging where vehicles in the circle are going, necessary to yield effectively (particularly if the circle speed is high).
When I returned from Australia to my hometown in the Czech Republic in 1993, I tried to be active at local town halls and suggested they should build one or two roundabouts. The local chief of roads laughed at it and flatly refused it as a nonsense. Ever since I hold my reservations about a typical town officer - today they have many roundabouts around the country capital, but still none in my hometown.
You mean the war criminal racist eugenicist Winston Churchill crimesofbritain.com/the-crimes-of-winston-churchill/ www.vice.com/en_us/article/ae55v8/winston-churchill-racist-warmonger-sterilize-mentally-ill www.rt.com/op-ed/416209-churchill-ww2-movie-racist-imperialist/
@@samelbamel3500 Pretty much any .com source is less than reliable, unless it's an actual publication with a history of accuracy. .orgs are much more reliable, at least in terms of historical source information.
It reminds me of when seat belts became mandatory. People "didn't like" them either. They thought they would strangle them and trap them in the car if you had an accident. No matter what safety experts said.
I know someone who was told their grandma died because she was wearing a seat belt. Dude doesn't wear his. I imagine he's all for reopening the economy tomorrow since we just peaked today.
I still wear a seatbelt since it makes sense in most cases! However I know a guy who literally broke is back in a roughly 5mph crash into a ditch! And the docs told him if he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt he’d have been fine! It just jerked his body in a weird way! And the other one is my friends dad who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and crashed into a tree! He was driving an old land rover and the force from hitting the tree made his roof fold inwards and had like a sharp edge that pinned him against the steering wheel and although it cut his back, it was just the right speed that it stopped there and didn’t cut his spine! But again he was told that in that case, if he was wearing a seatbelt then the roof would have either chopped his head off or sliced him in half, because the seatbelt would have stopped him from being able to move forward and be pressed up against the steering wheel! But in most crashes it makes sense! I also knew a guy who died when he rolled his van because he didn’t have a seatbelt on, so on the second roll he fell out the window and the van rolled over him and crushed him! With a seatbelt he probably would have had bruises and nothing more!
In our rural county, a modern roundabout recently replaced a 4-way stop at an intersection that had seen several fatal accidents. It works really well. We almost never have to stop to go through the intersection, even when making what used to be a left turn. We go through this intersection several times a week, and we're glad they built it.
I was just driving through Carmel and the outskirts of Indy. And I can confidently say that if it weren't for those roundabouts the traffic in those areas I passed through would've been an absolute nightmare. Crazy how much they help out with traffic
They have never used them. They just assume they are too incompetent to use them. Usually when talking about national stereotypes, Americans are seen as very self-confident and boisterous, but suddenly here the majority of Americans genuinely believe they would be unable to use roundabouts. All of Europe can use them, yet the private cars loving Americans supposedly can't. It makes no sense.
Not incompetent, really -- just unaccustomed. Despite Americans' supposed historical reputation for being rugged, adventurous individualists, we're actually very resistant to change. Hence our reluctance to adopt the metric system, the practical impossibility of amending our Constitution, and our irrational clinging to an expensive, byzantine healthcare system and refusal to adopt any kind of universal one that would cover everybody and cost less.
lol, a unversal healthcare system that would cover everybody and cost less. You obviously trust the US government too much. Everything they make fails. Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Dept of Education, Dept of Transportation, etc. They're all gigantic money pits that fail at what they are suppose to do.
True, i wish it wernt like that and have lots of people driving manuals again cuz its more fun and engaging. Hopefull there be a day we have roundabouts everywhere.
Yes because thinking while driving is a bad thing. Too many people drive off "instinct" which we don't have. Most drivers aren't actively using their brain or thinking of their fellow motorist which is the real problem we have.
This AMERICA!!! We’re all about Football, Trump, stabbing dudes over Popeyes Chicken sandwich’s, narcotics and Porn. Thinking is for communist. You don’t wanna be a communist, do you?
@@joshuad7953 Not thinking is for communists. Afterall, it's better to convince yourself there was no food to begin with than to ponder why in the hell the government starves your family while gorging themselves in the capital
I used to hate roundabouts, but after I lived in a town that had a few of these things, I did learn to like them. In fact I noticed a portion of my road rage dropped due to some stupidity I no longer had to face at normal intersections.
It's crazy how you're not required to navigate a roundabout during your driving license education! I live in Danmark and I had a whole 45 minute lesson where I just drove around an area with tons of roundabouts🥴 By the end of it I did learn to; slow down, look around, shift to 2. gear, go in, look around and exit So I'm thankful I can do that But DAMN I think that might contribute A LOT to America's disdain towards roundabouts, because I cannot imagine learning my way around a roundabout if I haven't been taught on how to navigate it, what speed to drive at and where to look for orientation That sounds incredibly stressful and dangerous! Even though roundabouts are chill
I've also noticed that Americans obsess over manual cars being "hard to drive" and preach automatic cars and then come to Europe and aren't licensed to drive 80% of the cars because they can't be bothered putting in an extra hour a week to get a manual license lmao.
I'll never understand only being licensed for automatic cars because surely that restricts you from so many options?? Need a rental ? oops they only have 2 automatic cars. need to borrow a friend's car? whoops its a manual.
@@blu.berriiwhy would I go out of my way to learn how to drive a manual when a vast majority of cars in the US are automatic? And no youth of America actually struggles with roundabouts, only the elderly
@@blu.berriiou don't need a special license to drive a manual vs automatic. The problem why most Americans can't drive manuals is they don't even make and sell those here. Same goes with a roundabout there are not enough of them in USA for people to practice on. I drive a manual truck but I had to specifically ask for it and that was 18-years ago if I were to buy a new truck it would be automatic.
I think it’s a bit like the metric system to Americans. If roundabouts had been installed back in the 40s or 50s, people would know how to use them. As it is, people are afraid of change and highly resistant to learning a new method even if it’s actually a better system.
I love how roundabouts require no power (except lighting for larger ones) and are almost maintenance free, making them reliable throughout the year regardless of the weather.
You're forgetting about the cost involved in putting the roundabout it in, it's HUGE! They still need to be maintained, painted, cleaned, plowed, they are not maintenance free.
@@lennybuttz2162 I didn't say it's "maintenance free". I said "almost maintenance free". I'm in Hongkong and there are quite a few roundabouts near where I live. In comparison I'm pretty sure I've seen more faulty/damaged traffic lights that need to be worked on than roundabouts. In fact I don't even remember the last time seeing any maintenance work on roundabouts, and those that I've been using pretty much remain unchanged for decades. Yes large ones do require substantial maintenance costs, on top of the initial setup cost for putting them there in the first place. But there are also very small ones that are nothing more than just a painted circle a few metres wide in the middle of a junction so I don't know how expensive they can be to maintain compared to a set of traffic lights? 🤔️
One thing that was not mentioned in the video is the different amount of lanes typically present in US. Here in Europe we typically have 1 or 2 Lanes in one direction: Ideal for a roundabout. In US however, especially in and around the cities you typically see 2-3 lanes in one direction. And there is the problem, a 3-Lane-roundabout doesn‘t work! I guess the comparison is not that simple, best would be to use either type in the correct environment. Here in Europe, we also don‘t have that many roundabouts in the city center because it wouldn’t work as well as traffic lights. They are mostly used in smaller towns with 1 lane traffic and we have a lot of small town connected to another, therefor more roundabouts in general
Good Grief we have roundabout in our city that have 4 main lanes and 2 exit lanes at each "corner". Then you have people driving these super huge SUVs who think they own the road paying more attention to their phone than the lane they're traveling in and aren't the least bit bothered by wandering into another lane as if the lines on the road are there for decoration.
Blaming Americans drivers is just wrong... Even European drivers who have to navigate a roundabout THE WRONG WAY ROUND result in momentary hesitatation but only that.
Honestly, I would think that being able to go around multiple times is a benefit, if your lost. You don't have the pressure to make an immediate decision.
I live in Kingsport TN where we have several roundabouts. I have no problems with them and love the fact when I come upon one my wait to get in and through is very short. This region is also experimenting with divergent intersections. Those work nicely too, if one has a functioning brain.
They just work great and are cheap, but you have to follow the rules! Here in Brazil, the drivers usually don't, for example, you have to keep the left turn light on when you're circling it, and the change it to the right turning light when you're going to exit, also, the car that is already in the roundabout has the priority over the ones that are trying to enter it
I dont think this can be correct. I have been driving for 20+ years and just pastg my motocycle licence. Blinkers should only be used when you change the lane on the roundabout or exiting it, showing the left blinker when you are not changeing to an inner lane is confuseing to other drivers.
@@sheepdog8442 you might be right, but the law in Brazil says that you have to keep the left blinker on, you can even get a ticket if you don't, but drivers ignore it anyway, they don't use the left, neither the right blinker
@@sheepdog8442 Its the rule in Norway as well. It’s less for signalling to others in the roundabout, and more to tell the people outside where you’re planning on going. Plus if you’re blinking left in the inner most lane there isn’t really anywhere you could go that would be confusing🤷🏻♂️
In Denmark we use it to signal that we'll take the last exist It's not a law, it's not required, but it's a neat indicator to your intentions But just in general: IF YOU NEED TO LEAVE THE CIRCLE BLINK MF So many times I've missed my opening, just cuz some driver turned their thinker off and "I turn here, no need blink, I just go🤤" Grrr
Roundabouts are bullshit. With traffic lights, everyone knows how they work. There is no "estimating the distance and safety factor." There is just stop or go. Roundabouts complicate it.
I've Been in hundreds of roundabouts. Only a drunk, nurveous, speeding, or stupid driver will miss their exit, and these kind shouldn't be on roads anyway. Or if you are new to the area, your navigator is f*kd up, yes, google too. Roundabouts over Traffic lights any day for me.
Another solution some places use is just turning those off at night and allowing other traffic rules to take precedent. But yeah, roundabouts are generally more responsive to the ebb and flow of traffic, that could only really be achieved with fancy automation otherwise.
Yeah, until they restart putting traffic lights/signals up again at roundabouts causing the problem they were built to solve! And then, some idiot comes up with the idea of a throughabout!
What about driving to work, already being late, and now you have to sit at a yield sign for 30 minutes to get into what feels like a gigantic car-blender because there's nothing there to force other drivers to wait and balance the traffic? This is something that basically happened to me and my family on a vacation when we encountered a roundabout for the first time. We nearly got smashed by a commercial truck because after 30 minutes, my dad, who was driving, got tired of waiting and took the first opening he could. He nearly stopped all traffic on the roundabout and almost caused a likely fatal accident. I was only six or seven, but I remember looking out all the windows and having a legitimate panic attack because I was worried all the cars were just going to smash us without a second thought. Even my mom and dad had thought that it was incredibly dangerous. I think the problem most Americans have with roundabouts is similar to this. They have to rely on the idea that other drivers won't just turn it into a massive steel blender and you just can't do that when nobody else knows the rules any better than you do. If people were *educated* about roundabouts in driver's education, I'd think implementing them would be a good idea, but *only* once everyone who doesn't know about roundabouts is off the road. Until then, roundabouts will always be considered death spirals by those who aren't used to them, and those who are will always be incredibly stressed about the people who aren't possibly making a poor decision and causing a massive accident. Then again I also believe people should have to retake their driver's test every year basically.
My first encounter with a Roundabout was in Kansas City. This was back in the late 1980’s when I lived there. There were a couple of them, and my Cousin took me through them, and showed me how they worked. Jacksonville Florida, and all over Florida , more and more Roundabouts are gaining in “popularity “ by various DOT offices. I think it’s less people not liking them, but more, people don’t know how to use them. They get confused. I have no problem with them, other than others being clueless. 📻🙂
Great video, Christine. With most new ideas in life, this principle applies: 'An attitude change is nearly preceded by a behaviour change.' Your observation in the last couple of minutes of the video is an excellent example of this.
Hatton Cross Station near Heathrow Airport and Colchester and High Wycombe as well. All 5 mini in one big. Colchester was the first time I saw one, and I went the long way around taking 3 minis instead of just one. 😆
Shadey: Germany is in Europe, So far from my personal experience European’s in general are good when it comes to roundabout turns and use of the right exit. Personally so far I have never missed my exit, unless I’m in a new place and accidentally miss the exit or take the wrong exit. The best thing about roundabout is say you accidentally miss the exit, don’t stop or panic just act normal and stay on the roundabout and when your right exit approaches just exit and make sure to use the right indicators so that you don’t confuse the traffic and this also helps in indicating where you are trying to exit to.
It's not like roundabouts are hard LOL! Why would you insinuate that? Do YOU think they're difficult? Also, you don't drift in, there's a yield to cars entering. That is unless you're used to having ZERO traffic. Then of course you get on and off without looking. Doing something easy doesn't make you good, kid, LOL! Also, you people don't know what actual traffic is. Your roundabout is pointless.
My city has installed about a half dozen roundabouts, and our neighbors have installed a few themselves. I personally love them and I wish every intersection had them.
I have never encountered a traffic circle but still don't have a good experience with roundabouts. But only when they are multi lane roundabouts if they are one lane then it is fine and works smoothly. My main problem with the roundabouts is switching lanes in the roundabout.
The only people who hate roundabouts are ones who've either never actually driven through one or who encounter them only very rarely... and the truly ignorant.
@@tjampman - Circles are the worst as they are a higher speed game of chicken. You can't control other drivers. At 4-way intersections, as long as people stop, nobody is at risk of a moderate speed impact. In a circle, that risk is always there. I prefer control. Granted, when the traffic works in my favor, I love not stopping. However, sooner or later a bad driver or even a series of mildly sub-optimal decisions by various drivers can result in an accident.
@@Becvar80 - People like you assume you know it all. Maybe you live in a place where there is no "real" traffic. I don't know what, but your viewpoint is incomplete. I live in an area with circles. I don't like them. You have to rapidly accelerate to match speeds with the flow (fuel efficient cars these days don't do that well). You also have to watch out for people crossing two lanes to take an exit before they pass it. You have to watch out for people ahead of you suddenly braking for an exit, even as you must look behind you at the people racing up your rear. If you think that is not stressful, you don't live in an area with real traffic or else you fail to understand human biology and autonomic stress response.
My experience with traffic circles was great - Lander Circle in Pepper Pike Ohio. So, I eagerly embrace the roundabout, and think it was a great solution for a 3 road convergence on Vrooman Road in Leroy Ohio.
Even in the UK where we are used to roundabouts, they are really only comfortable to use when they are 2 lanes wide. Once they get up to 4 or more lanes, drivers unfamiliar with the area don't know which lane to be in and how to migrate across for the exit they need, so they switch at the last moment causing chaos to the traffic flow. Yes, the lanes are marked with signage on the road surface and sometimes on overhead gantries, but you can't see the markings well when it is wet or against the sun. On the really big junctions (like where there's a 6 lane motorway) the roundabouts underneath or above end up having traffic lights, kind of like a traffic circle idea. Then there are complex roundabouts with mini roundabouts at the entries and exits. Look up 'The Magic Roundabout of Swindon'.
@@rlas the right of way works the same on a traditional 4 way intersection. Just the roundabout is more of like if you're merging on a very slow interchange.
@@JerEditz the thing is the "fast living feel" while people are in cars. This goes for everyone with HP under the hood (not only the US). People got in general issues with accepting to wait because someone else got the priority. Its also rare that someone gives up on his priority, that can lead to stuck traffic. (Can also happen when there is one roundabout and a ton other crossroads with traffic lights. Its a long process i guess
"I'm scared I'm gonna miss the exit" Aye, we lost aunt Sally that way. Missed her exit on the roundabout off the M1 and still running circling there, like the perpetual movement of the planets around the sun.
I remember one time we were driving in the circle of a roundabout and somebody entered without waiting for us to finish passing. I screamed and my mom hit the breaks. I still remember the car was inches away from us and it felt like it was moving in slow motion for a second.
It's the mini roundabouts that can be a pain. Four junctions to a mini roundabout and each junction got a car on them, like at Salterhebble UK. Who goes first? Sometimes all cars wait, or all go together and bang.
Correction, women don't like roundabouts because they can't deal with space time like men. Is a simple fact which comes from the 150000 years of evolution when men use to deal with space time matters wholesomely. Unfortunately feminism indoctrinate people making them think men and women have the same type of brain and or tries to impose stupid propositions insulting men's intelligence. Feminism is a form of indoctrination which is there to make women WORK, and salaries go down, just like immigration and the whole propaganda to make women like what men likes and men like what women like. You see when only one parent used to work salaries were higher since there was less competition... and that is not to even mention how men is more often starting their own companies and also more often striking when there are unacceptable situations... UNIONS USE TO BE THE 4th POWER. In Argentina, where roundabouts are common coin, women don't even discuss how men can deal with this and other similar situations when driving better. And these culture is also derived from the same countries USA does, only difference between USA and Argentina is 10 times less people and legal system does not work so it is all more corrupt like in all Latino America... though USA just lost its legal system so everything goes down... Should fight more for juries to be called just as often as before so corporations don't go away just bargaining and never getting sentences and setting precedents.
When I'm driving in the middle of the night and there is virtually no traffic, it seems silly to have to stop and wait at every other intersection because of a red light. Especially if there are no other vehicles on the road. With roundabouts, I can zip right through without wasting time with the constant stopping and waiting for green.
Exacly so...and when the road is busy the flow is easier, the rules being very simple... just give way to the traffic on the roundabout..... If one is unfamiliar with the area and you miss your exit, just go round again... piece of cake!
@@KathrynLiz1 in Heavy traffic they are not as good. if you have heavy traffic on 2 sides or more, other never get a chance to go at all and causes greater traffic problems. They are ideal in light to moderate traffic, but infact suck in heavy traffic conditions. Add snow to these and your in for a big treat as well :) They tend to feeze and melt and freeze, making for Ice circle of death! When going in straight lines you don't have this issue....
@@rogersmith1408 Of course there are intersections that are not ideal for a roundabout. It's the street planner's responsibility to decide where a roundabout makes sense and where it doesn't make sense.
More modern American cities just change all the lights to yellow at a certain hour so this doesn’t happen, and in NY we don’t give a fuck about roundabouts especially because if no ones around then it’s just a stop sign bro lmao
Drove about about a week in the UK recently. The first big roundabout I hit was confusing - but after that - no problems. Yield as you enter and get in the correct lane and you're gold. Superior for low to medium traffic to stoplights and stop signs IMO. I found UK drivers were generally more patient and considerate as well, which makes sense when you have to drive on some of their narrow country roads.
I have worked in Carmel for 23 years. There are BIG, medium and small roundabouts. Lightly used and very busy roundabouts. Highly effective and highly ineffective roundabouts. Super cost efficient and wasteful roundabouts. But ALL are vastly superior to the previous intersections. The only perceived problem is rush hour traffic. We get so use to the efficiency, that at rush hour we are upset waiting in line for 5 cars to enter the roundabout. Then 7 miles away we get a dose of reality on the drive home when we have to wait for 20+ cars to pass through multiple cycles of the stop sign on the road to my house. Thankfully NEXT WEEK, the road is shutting for 2 months to install a roundabout. Yeah!!!!😊 Now, if they would install a roundabout at the end of our street, we could cut several more minutes off the time to work, waiting to make a left turn.
I'm an American living in Finland. I can usually drive from my house to the market, which is 15 miles away, without hitting the brakes even once. So, the roundabouts save on brakes and on fuel consumption.
Roundabouts literately are better in every single way to a light interjunction in a congested area. Better traffic flow, Better fuel/car maintenance/consumption, No electricity needed, Low maintenance of junction and safer in every way. I mean the world including roundabout users still use light junctions so it's not like people are asking to get rid of them, it's just strange that people straight hate them for no valid reason lol
It's obvious that the chick in that clip is speaking hypothetically and hasn't experienced them. It's reasonable to be unclear about something unfamiliar
We now have more than 140 in Carmel, Indiana. Most everyone seems to be comfortable with them. In fact, it's a little weird to see a stoplight other than in the downtown area. And they're finally becoming commonplace in most of the neighboring communities. The reduction in fatalities alone seems enough to make the shift.
I used to live in Essex (UK) and we had a roundabout that was nicknamed "The Magic Roundabout" it had several sets of traffic lights on it and you could go around it in either direction!
@@wernersgaminglounge5235 But they lose so many points because of the imperial system, almost nothing can make them come back from that. Well, kicking the orange buffoon out earn them some points, but putting an old guard post 9/11-globalist clintonian there instead automatically take away 50% of the buffoon points. Being absolutely instrumental to the western allies in WW2 and also being the first, and only, nation to land on the moon gave A LOT of points, but sadly the Vietnam War and various Cold War shenanigans lost them those points - like neo-conservatist Reagan *cough*contra affair*cough* Lewinsky was cute, so a few points there, but Bill lost those. Then 9/11 gave them a lot of much needed sympathy points, but Bushin' it into Iraq for oil lost some of those, I'm afraid. Offing a few zealots here and there earned some points, too. Obama was funny and got Lad Binny, so points. Epstein and everyone in power chillin' at his Pedo Island lost points, believe you me. Even Tiger King couldn't make up for that loss! Also, Game of Thrones final season lost A LOT of points. I'm not keeping count of these points at all btw, but regardless I still like Americlaw, whilst I truly loathe my own Swedenpuff. We practice the darkest of the arts (even worse than all the forbidden spells): Nonus Europeanius Massius Migrationis. There's no coming back from that point loss.
As an American who loves roundabouts, it is absolutely baffling to me why anybody would be against them. In Utah, where I live, there seems to be a big push for more and more of them . . . AND I LOVE IT! They're popping up in new developments (Utah is one of the most rapidly growing states in the country), but also replacing established signal intersections. I drive through one near my house almost every single day and it's so convenient. Prior to the roundabout, that particular intersection caused ridiculous traffic back-ups. Now people just sail through it smoothly after a brief slow-down and pause.
The video doesnt explain that in addition to lower speeds, one of the other reasons fewer people a killed or seriously injured on a roundabout, is that if is designed properly, then it is nearly impossible to T bone another vehicle. Most collisions on a roundabout tend to be at an oblique angle or low speed rear enders which significantly reduces the injury risk.
Youre also all going the same way. So rear end collision speed difference of 5-10 mph tops. Otherwise up to 30 mph compared to a combined difference of 60 mph for a head on. Worst case.
Yep. With intersections so many accidents happen cause someone wants to make a yellow light and then t-bone someone at speeds of 70-80km/h. Roundabouts force you to slow down no matter what.
"Scared I might miss the exit" Then just drive another round? That takes about 5 seconds? If you miss your exit multiple times then you're just either distracted all the time or just not fit to drive a car.
In australia, we have round-a-bouts in 3 or more lane situations about 1/3 of the time, depending on the density and location. I prefer them (and yearn for them) in many situations, but it's not a complete winner every time. It sucks when people go slow or queue whilst traversing the roundabout.
The yield rule is different in different countries. Traditionally British rules have been that vehicles in the circle are in the intersection and vehicles entering a circle must yield to vehicles in the circle, but in most of continental Europe vehicles in the circle had to yield to vehicles entering the circle. Later, EU member countries adopted the British yield rule, but non-EU European countries often still require vehicles in the circle to yield to vehicles entering the circle.
"I'm afraid I'm going to miss my exit and so I just go around three or four times". Solution; Pay more attention to where you need to go. On the plus side, roundabouts are more forgiving in that respect. Missing a junction that isn't a roundabout can often lead to a longer journey.
Thats just paint a picture of the people in the US. A rather bad picture, what i would love to not accept, but soo many times ive seen this same stupidity portrayed by US Americans, i just cant imagine, its not true.
@@Boborjan1986 I’m American and you’d be surprised how many mentally deficient people have a license. A seriously question how many of these people actually passed their driving exam.
I'm an American and I've used roundabouts in my local area. They are very convenient and I think that they are desperately needed in certian areas of cities.
My city has very few of them; I can only think of one offhand. I'd love to see how the worst intersection in town would change if it was replaced by a roundabout overnight.
I keep imagining how these terrible 5-way+ intersections near me would be improved by a roundabout. In some places the inherent u-turn ability of roundabouts would also be very useful.
Sometimes they are okay but the negative aspects of roundabouts include requiring up to 3x or more space to build compared to an intersection, increased property damage and single car crashes, and making it extremely dangerous or even impossible for cyclists or pedestrians to cross.
I go into a roundabout on my way to work. This particular one has people yielding to those coming into the roundabout. In New Jersey, though, we still call them traffic circles.
@@aespa690 i don't see how roundabouts are more dangerous for cyclists, the pace is slower than in intersection, you can even make a special line for cyclists. Same for pedestrian you can have crossroads on the exits and since the pace is slower cars can stop easily.
The benefits of the roundabouts are terrific and makes great sense, from fewer fatalities, to the savings of not installing lights, and having the cost and maintenance to keep them working; I like that traffic can keep flowing, instead of bunch of cars going at once.
we have a few where I live and people still have no idea how they work. There's at least one accident a week and every time I use it there's a close collision somewhere in there. Also 3 of the 5 roundabouts here are 4 way stops so the roundabout is essentially useless.
@@yourfriendlyneighborhoodcl4824 roundabouts don't actually take up much more space than intersections with traffic lights and the likes, so that shouldn't be an issue. The Netherlands, where I'm from, is a small but very densely populated country where space is at a premium, but we have lots of roundabouts and prefer them over intersections.
@@yourfriendlyneighborhoodcl4824 space is not the issue. We made a few out of tiny intersections. They can be small and doesn't have to be as big as shown in the video
@@wohlhabendermanager while in russia and even in soviet times people yield to traffic from the right. Only Japan yields to traffic from the left by default.
@@tr33c21 In roundabouts, I rarely have to yield to traffic from the right though. Most roundabouts prioritize traffic on the roundabout over oncoming traffic. Hence "yield to the left", because when I want to get on a roundabout the traffic is coming from the left, not from the right. In the UK and Australia (where they drive on the left) it's of course "yield to the right, when entering a roundabout". But since the US doesn't drive on the left, it's "yield to the left, when approaching a roundabout".
The small city of Idaho Falls in eastern Idaho has several roundabouts. Anywhere that I go in the city, I will go through at least 2 of them. They are much better than traffic lighted intersections. The only problem that I have every had was when I was driving a semi-truck with a 53 foot trailer and I had to get off the interstate and go around a roundabout to get to a truck stop for fuel. I had to keep my cab at the outer edge of the circle and my trailer was still on the concrete curb of the inside of the circle. It was a difficult situation.
I’ll never forget the first time my son and I landed at Heathrow and encountered our first round about. I learned to rent cars from Avis which is outside the circle!
_ xBuki10 it REALLY isn’t that hard. the right lane is for taking the first or second exit. the left lane is for taking the second/third/full circle. as long as everyone is yielding properly and doing a safe speed, you just have to follow the lines.
We have a set of lights locally which used to be a roundabout. Can take 20 minutes to get through so I never go that way. If the lights break down yu get through in no time!!!!
This is probably the best reason for roundabouts. People have absolutely ZERO clue what to do at an intersection when the power is out! Half the people stop at the intersection and just sit there. The other half blow through the intersection like a friggin idiot! Roundabouts eliminate this problem.
@@GrnXnham In Russia, there are actually rules about that. Signals > Temporary signs > Permanent signs > Road quality > Right-hand rule. Actually, intersections are made with shutdown in mind, so every intersection have priority signs.
They do, if a traffic light is malfunctioning or is off it is to be treated as a 4 way stop sign. Did you really think there was no contingency plan for that?
I go to Carmel often and love them. Traffic never stops for long periods. I do think it’s funny when my GPS says, “at the next roundabout” thirty consecutive times when I drive along a fairly long stretch of road.
We Brits have what you call "traffic circles" as well, but we just call them roundabouts, just like the ones without signals. A roundabout with part-time signals has sometimes been along my route to work, so I suppose that in American terms this switches between being a roundabout and being a traffic circle. Signal-controlled roundabouts are useful in busy spots, as they prevent the situation where loads of vehicles coming from certain directions and going in certain directions are preventing those coming from other directions from getting on board. But on the whole, modern roundabouts work well.
one thing to add in comparison to amerocan traffic circles is they're usually smaller here, which makes them more manageable and basically makes it an organised intersection/junction.
As an American, I freakin love roundabouts. It puts shame on me knowing those Americans find “comfort” in a traffic light. There is nothing comforting about a traffic light at all.
Same here. As an Italian, proud to live in the land of the free, I'm always willing to to go through roundabouts. You can safely continue driving through between roads, and have your driving fun.
Me too! Especially since my only accident happened because of a huge intersection where I needed to turn left and had creeped too far into the intersection forcing me to turn despite a car that wasn't slowing down way way over on the other side heading straight towards me. Of course it was labelled my fault despite that they should have stopped.
Sure there are comforts with lights over round-abouts. 1) You will indeed get a turn, even if you have to wait for it. This is not guaranteed at round-abouts. 2) You won't have to drive an annoying curve that only exists because someone decided to make one. 3) You won't have to repeatedly slow down suddenly from 55 to 25 on the highway to make the annoying curve for the sake of some usually empty side roads. 4) You get a quick break to stop and grab that water bottle trying to roll under your gas peddle, hand your kid his snack, etc
@@Ballaurena13 ya we got some lights around here allways green unless someone is waiting at the side road so its a straight shot. Got some new round abouts I'm not a fan of only cause the lights were allways green anyway. I cant imagin a high traffic city like NYC haveing a bunch of round abouts while trying to get your turn into the circle. Though I could see it at least replacing 4 way stop signs. Traffic lights for high traffic, circles instead of 4 way signs and keep the 2 sign streets the same Is how I imagin things being incorporated.
Roundabouts only are needed for small secondary roads with moderate traffic. They aren't a good fit for neighborhood streets, nor extremely busy roads.
How about the real argument: Roundabouts take twice the space of intersections, and the US would have to buy up good cornerstone property to install them in the cities that people think they should be in. And they just don't think it's cost effective.
Several years ago the Mythbusters did a piece on roundabouts where they found results similar to those experienced by bona-fide traffic engineers. It was a glowing report
In Europe, we're so used to roundabouts, we even have some without a real island but only a one feet drawn circle in the middle, the sign at the entrance for roundabouts is completely sufficient to know how to drive. Like that, we have some at extremely small crossroads
My hometown in Australia had roundabouts at nearly every intersection and it was the best. Miss your turn? Take the wrong exit? No need to panic, you can just loop back around within a minute and get it next time. They're SO simple and logical, it's insane that Americans can't figure them out.
I completely agree. Americans say they are more time consuming in heavy traffic but I've found they're much quicker. I've spent more times at lights due to heavy traffic than I have at a roundabout due to heavy traffic
When you can't get out of your housing estate in the morning because you can't get on to the roundabout with giving way to the constant stream of rush hour traffic, you'll learn to hate them. No-one lets you out on a roundabout.
@@khitan1326 honestly, i drive on them al the time and i never ever had that problem. Usually when it is really busy, the traffic on the roundabout will just let you in.
@@khitan1326 Guess you're just 'The American Driver', lazy - with no thought for others that dirve the same highways. We are lucky to have space but don't know how to best use it. I regularly drive the UK, the one thing they ain't got is space. The UK is tiny compared to US. Their round-abouts are just fine if you know how to use them. As they say bud, 'Knowledge is power', we could learn alot from the UK, about driving.
@@khitan1326 This is nonsense. First its not true (in Europe) and second, you dont need someone to let you out. You have always someone who is gonna take the way/street out of the roundabout where you wanna go in. So you can take the free place... if you know how to drive ;).
Im literally 15, and I can drive my moped in traffic here in sweden, and I love roundabouts, I feel safer with them, and the traffic is so much more fluent with them. Also, if a 15 year old can understand and drive in a roundabout (the whole of sweden and europe too), adults in America should also be able to
My first introduction to roundabouts (called rotaries) was on Cape Cod where they have existed since the 1930's! They are multi-lane and very confusing if you don't know where you're going. They are just appearing in the area where I live now in single lane version and I find them really easy after learning how to maneuver the multi-lane ones, and they certainly keep the traffi moving.
Something that might be illegal. It definitely is in Germany. The reason behind this is to prevent people from consistently blocking the entrance, therefore slowing down the traffic.
Near where I live there's a roundabout which at peak times always has a very congested left hand lane. I just use the right lane, go all the way around and then all the traffic has to give way to me lol
@@CS_Mango You might get in trouble for driving multiple rounds on purpose and inhibiting traffic, but no one will complain about you taking an extra turn or two to orient yourself.
And you can keep going if you're feeling silly and singing "go around baby right round" or mimic the "Just keep swimming" by changing it to "just keep circling" A plus of the roundabout at the arc of triomphé in france is that it allows for trafic jam flirting a lit
@@mitsi1995 the roundabout at the "place de l'étoile" (at the Arc de triomphe) is one of the rare case in France where there is no signage whatsoever (no sign and no markings on the road). You then have to respect the yield to the right rule making the traffic ENTERING the roundabout have priority. thus provoking traffic jams
I love that lady's argument that if she misses her exit she has go around again. That's the whole beauty of roundabouts, you are not causing danger to others if you miss your exit. I wonder what she does if she misses her exit on normal junction.
My very first accident happened on a roundabout where another car side swiped me because it was a two lane and not a single lane but back then it was called a “circle”… I still face fear driving around in them…
"What if I miss my exit?" Then nothing happens. You just stay on the round-a-bout and give it another go. Worst case scenario is that you're inconvenienced by about the same amount of time you spend at a traffic light.
We have one in my town and i dont mind. It helps bring to light all of the......well remedial people that live around me and that on its own is worth having it.
You have to drive 75%, complete around the circle, to go to your left side or 100% all around to make a U turn! 😩 make tunnels and bridges only to go left/straight or right like highway intersections and a u turn before the intersection so you can automatically make your choice to go straight were ever direction that you need to go! All in 1 lane for both sides with a yield sign 😊
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Rename them FREEDOM CIRCLES and Americans will go crazy for them
Good idea and also what planet am I even on anymore.
Heck yeah!
'Murica!
@MusicMadMaurice
Better still,
tell them that roundabouts will get rid of that commie scum - the red light.
They will write using them into their constitution.
So true!
Plant something green and low in the middle that cant wreck a car and call them eco circles. They are popular down under in Aussie and NZ. The only problem I have with them is when there is heavy traffic flow in a particular direction and you're waiting for a gap, but in general people are polite and let you in.
honestly, if you miss the exit in a roundabouts multiple times in a row, you dont deserve to leave it ever again
Night, winter, RWD.. not many reasons to leave anyways
@@janbo8331 as long as there's gas, we'll keep doing circles 😎
@@Enygmate Right on man. If such a day comes, we'll still be there, Flintstone-style.
@@Enygmate nascar moment
But the nature tell us that the Earth never exit!
Not for 5-7 billion years later, maybe?
I’m American born and drove for 10 years only in the US. Then I moved to the UK and then onto Australia. I LOVE ROUNDABOUTS!!! Once you get the hang of them, they make so much sense. When I go back to visit US family I find the traffic lights so frustrating, especially late at night when there is no one on the roads and you’re just sitting at a red light for no reason.
I like them in areas where there isn't a lot of traffic but the 3 and 4 lane roundabouts that are super busy are kind of scary because a lot of people don't pay attention to where they're going and make bad decisions at the last minute. The wait time to get into a busy roundabout can be interminable. People do not let you in.
Roundabouts aren't the issue. Anericans are.
From dumb hicks driving oversized pickups and stupid, entitled mothers driving SUVs neither can handle properly, to treatinf what few roundabouts exist like some combination of NASCAR and roller derby, to not understanding the concept of Yield signs and being only marginally better at Stop signs, to having elserly people far beyond their physical limits impose themselves on others, having young idiots on crotch rockets whipping by between lanes and in rice burners acting like its the Tokyo Grand Prix. . . all of that and more to say American roads are a hellscape.
Thats before you get into the large freight vehicles, supposedly being driven by professionals, blocking traffic on highways or the institutional gang of criminals known as law enforcement robbing and harrassing motorists.
@@lennybuttz2162Those roundabouts are dangerous only because there are so few of them right now that many people don't know how to use them
@@PG-3462 Maybe where you live but here in WI they're everywhere! You can even find them in small towns, it's like an epidemic.
@@lennybuttz2162 I'm from France and we have zero problem with them 😅
A huge part why it's so hard for roundabouts to work in the US, is the general driving culture. In roundabouts, using blinkers is a crucial part, something a lot of people don't even know they have in their cars.
In southern USA people see it as a NASCAR type challenge and try to prevent you changing lanes so few people use signals although things are better now than 20 years ago
a lot of roundabouts i see are set up so that once your in the lane you have to go to the exit associated with that lane to solve that problem exactly. at least that's how they are in louisiana where i live. using the blinkers while in them tend to cause more wrecks bc of confusion here. i've seen people pulled over for changing lanes while in them.
@@javenfryar5009 you don't use blinkers to change lane in them. Only to indicate which exit you are aiming for
@@javenfryar5009 Seems road planners here almost get it but not quite. No idea who the genius was who thought exit lanes on far left of interstate were a good idea?
@@Hirotoro4692 If approaching a roundabout in the UK with the intention of turning right, one should be in the right-hand lane (if there is more than one lane on the appoach) and one should be indicating 'right' until one has passed the last exit before their exit, when they then indicate 'left'.
Obviously it is the opposite of this in the US.
*_R_* 😎
"I'm afraid of missing my exit" GIRL THAT'S THE BEST FEATURE OF THE ROUNDABOUT!!!!! You can miss all the exits you like, you just go round and round and can take your time figuring it out. It's also a free U-turn if you made a mistake earlier and need to backtrack! It's the most forgiving intersection possible.
Also so long as you use your indicators you can make a space by telling everyone where you intend to go.
@@georgethompson1460 Many don't seem to know where the magic stick that makes the light blink is located🤣
@@laurent3415 maybe that's why it wouldn't work for Americans because most don't put our damn blinkers on when trying to make a simple lane change, or don't put it on until they're already turning. Also I'm american here, I'm not shitting on us for no reason, it's from experience.
@@Blue71974 Same here..American also. I live on the busiest 3 miles of the small city I live in and it's like hell some days.
@@Blue71974 Where I live, a couple of times doing that, seen by a cop, and you'll lose your license and have to take all the exams again.
That teaches people in europe, they use blinkers because they have to.
Biggest pro of a roundabout. You’re not stuck at a red light where you’re the only car in sight
Unless, like in some UK roundabouts, there are several lights to go around the roundabout. (The British seem to call these too roundabouts, even though the video claims they're otherwise named.)
I think we call them “signalled roundabouts”, but they are quite rare in comparison to minis and normal ones
Then that trafficlight installation is a cheap-ass one.
yeah, instead, you're stuck waiting for mass traffic to clear out to get through for 20 minutes with assholes behind you honking at you or bumping you forward
it doesn't help traffic, it deorganizes it
Driving in France was such a cool experience because of roundabouts. The fact that you can get all the way through town and never have to stop is amazing.
What is also Amazing is that the entire country of France is about the size of Denver Colorado which is a fairly small city when you think about it.
@@jordancambridge4106 is that a sarcasm or?
You have to stop before you enter the roundabout. Please tell me you didnt just drive without checking for cars.
@@jordancambridge4106 Um, France is 551,295 km² bigger than Denver which is 400.7 km². What are you even talking about?
@@drigsone182 Dude's just talking out his booty cheeks
The raised islands at each entrance are really essential to making it work. We have one small roundabout in our town, but the islands are not raised, only painted. That allows people to make bad decisions and not be kept in the direction of flow.
But as I live in Carmel one issue as a pedestrian is that drivers can't see you until they are in the circle giving them very little time to react. I have almost been hit a few times. It means the pedestrian has to be more aware than they would at a stop.light
@@douglasstemke2444For pedestrians heavy areas it’s common to see traffic lights just outside roundabouts - the key note is they only go red when someone actually passes the button to cross the road.
"I miss my exit and go around 2-3more times than I'd need to"
What? How are you allowed to drive?
I don't know how this is actually possible unless you are practising doughnuts!
Because the requirements to get a driver's license in the US are extremely lax...
That's preferable to someone I saw stop in a roundabout AND THEN BACK UP TO TAKE THE EXIT THEY MISSED. There are a lot of very stupid drivers.
She clearly comes from the land of infomercial people.
@Aidan S I would suggest a better schooling then. Safety is more important than that
As a Brit, I can't think of a single time in 40 years where I've not been able to exit a roundabout. 😂
If you know how to read signs (generally twice before the roundabout), then you're good, if you think you're incorrect just make another round, and if you took the wrong exit then you can always use the next roundabout to make the U-turn, which is excessively hard and dangerous to do with a traffic light.
But you know... Americans will remain Americans... Murica!
R Cruz I think most days over the last 20 years.
DigitalDiabloUK dimwit, exiting is not the problem- its the ability of one ENTRANCE to monopolize the roundabout
But the the UK has similarly failed to understand the concept of dentistry for centuries as well....
@@sdushdiu ... nope... as soon as one vehicle enters from another road, the 'monopolistic entrance' MUST yield to that car. Monopolization is virtually impossible if entering traffic obeys the Yield Mandate!
@@sdushdiu Stop trying to act smart in a TH-cam comment section ''dimwit".
I live in VERY rural Alabama and so I’ve never even driven through a roundabout, and I’ve only ever seen one in person. My friend was driving and we were going to Oklahoma City if I remember correctly, at some point in the drive we come across a round about and I’ll never forget the terrified look on his face and him literally shouting “I DONT KNOW WHAT THE FREAK TO DO!” The moment he saw it 😂
I just imagined that. xd
There you go.
Which is why they need to paint arrows on the road at the junction and within the roundabout! Like they did in the first minute of this video: th-cam.com/video/xsSp8gxzfjo/w-d-xo.html
I live in a very rural area in my country, Italy, as well but we basically only have roundabouts now.
There are only very few traffic lights left
My first experience with roundabouts was in Prague Czech Republic a number of years ago. Had just picked up the rental car and almost immediately entered, without realizing, a very complicated multi-lane roundabout. It had cars, buses, bicycles, pedestrians as I recall. I thought WTF as I went in circles having never heard of these things. It took a few go arounds until I figured it out and managed to escape. Since that time I’ve been through countless roundabouts in Europe. Beginning to see more of them in the US. They are a great idea and eliminate T-bone collisions.
1:48 'you miss the exit once so you go two or three times around' - what are you smoking while driving ?
loooool
Indeed.
Thats what i thought haha
The Americans needs a roundabout DLC for GTA.
@@madshorn5826 Brilliant suggestion !!!
"I'm scared I miss the right exit." Ok, can happen if you're distracted for a moment but how stupid or unattentive do you have to be to miss two or even three times?
I can understand taking an extra lap if you're not used to the area and trying to learn which way to turn, so you repeat it to get your bearings, or it's a 5 way intersection and you miss counted, but "oh no, you drive an extra 20 secs in an area", is quite silly.
I was wondering the same thing
The person who misses their exit at roundabout probably would have taken wrong turn after traffic light too...
I guess it's an American thing, like not knowing how to drive stick.
Canada has a bunch of roundabouts and is busily making more. The only times I've had trouble with them were when there were signage issues (ie during construction, things are not well-lit or well signed until everything's complete, even if it's driveable), and using a GPS system that doesn't tell you road names. "Turn. Right. Now." is not helpful when you've got three choices in rapid succession and you don't know whether your navigator is at all delayed.
In my driving test in Sweden i missed the first exit and continued straight, told the examiner 'oops, gonna make a U turn at next roundabout', so I did that. And passed the exam first time.
Getting lost is not illegal.
@@XtreeM_FaiL Making a mistake can still cost you the exam though.
@@PurOwO Depends on the mistake, missing the right way is something that wouldn't be against any rule, it could happen to anyone even with having a license and years and years of experience. So simply correcting the mistake while sticking to the rules by making a U turn where it is allowed and going back is perfectly fine, and allowed. Just like when you park in the exam you are allowed to correct the car's postion if you could't make it perfect the first time.
@@jekyll011 You're right of course. It also depends on where you take your exam though, in Germany you could fail in that first instance, and you're only allowed two corrections or 1 entire re-attempt at parking the car. The exam isn't exactly exemplary of a real drive, and even most licensed and experienced drivers could easily fail it were they re-examined. Really it depends on whether your examiner is a douchebag or not 😬
I just love roundabouts for that reason. Theyre designed to make turns in any direction easy. On the other hand, at an intersection, attempting a u turn is absolute hell
In France we have lots of roundabouts and they work perfectly fine, I see more accidents in regular intersections than roundabouts.
In France we have two types:
- "rond-points" (like the Place de l’Etoile, a 'traffic circle' I guess) where the people entering the roundaout have priority (usually because of triangular signs (priorité) or stop lights)
- "carrefours giratoires" where the people inside the roundabouts have priority
I love how the "reasons" that all of the Americans gave for not liking roundabouts was basically "we don't understand them so they don't work"
That's basically the US's reasoning behind anything.
They are confusing and a bit daunting at first until you get used to them.
They didn't even list the reason that I don't like them. Cars that are exiting a roundabout don't use their signals to tell that they are taking an exit, so I never know if a car that's coming around will be taking the exit before me so that I can go, or if they will continue to go around. In heavy traffic situations it leaves me sitting there forever not knowing when I can go.
@@thatwouldbeillogical some people using things wrong doesn't make them wrong.
@@oxfordsparky By some people, you mean all people, obviously.
„I‘m scared to use the roundabout, because I could miss the exit“
People with that mindset should not be on the street
> skip an exit on an American highway
> that little maneuver will cost us half an hour
> skip an exit on a roundabout
> So scared of losing a minute of my life...
Literally the least rational fear ever
@@mkontent And then in America you have huge, 6 lane highways (where nobody keeps right) with cloverfield junctions and exit ramps on both the left and right at the same time. I never been more confused and stressed in traffic than when i was on vacation in the US driving on the highways
And the lady missed one little detail - if you miss your exit, just drive around the f-in circle one more time, ore two, or 10 times, and you will make it to your desired exit! 🤷🏼♂️
@@Akinto710 Same here actually. I got confused even as a non-driver, trying to assist the driver with the navigator.
If you miss the exit on a roundabout : don't panic, just do a complete turn and you will have another chance. Good Luck, you can do it !
Roundabouts are attractive, they can be used for flower, trees, sculptures, while traffic lights are ugly, waste energy, waste people's time. I am thinking about starting a pro roundabout campaign in California.
We have a few of them here in Oklahoma. The biggest problem I have with them is that people don’t signal to let others know when they are exiting the circle. This makes it difficult for those needing in the circle.
Generally the idea is that you signal where you want to go, not when you're exiting it
@@jacketylon That's the same thing.
@jacketylon1518 actually, the standard is to put on your right blinker when you are exiting. That way someone coming In knows your exiting. Reason why people hate roundabouts is because overconfident people like you think they know what they're doing but do not which intimidates some people into not doing it correctly.
"When they're forced to use their own driving abilities..."
Which "abilities"?
Personally, I'm less concerned about my own driving abilities than I am about the idiot in the other car.
It means they have to put down their phone and pay attention.
I don’t understand what’s so complicated. Car coming? No? Go it’s like turning onto a one way street
@@arriannaniv it is because most American drivers are stupid or selfish. Either they do not know round about etiquette or they still speed/cut off other drivers so they can be first and get to their destination faster.
I fear of an accident everyday since the occurrence of some dumbass ignoring traffic laws is so prevalent. Then we have people "multitasking", on the phone, or who just somehow do not know traffic laws.
"i'm afraid of missing my exit and needing to go around a couple times" ....still less complicated than making a wrong turn and having to flip a bitch where possible and back track
Also going around a roundabout takes like, what, 30 seconds at most? (depending on it's size of course) Whereas you could potentially get stuck at a traffic light for a few minutes.
Also - if most intersections are roundabouts - if you DO exit the roundabout at the wrong place - as you enter the next roundabout it is super easy to do a 180 and go back to the one where you went wrong.
@@jarls5890 this is honestly the best thing about roundabouts, being able to just go back is amazing.
Not the brightest lamp on the tree.
@@dek123 those who can't figure out roundabouts? agreed.
Design is important, I'm sure. My experience is that many do not actually slow drivers down in some directions and it can be difficult judging where vehicles in the circle are going, necessary to yield effectively (particularly if the circle speed is high).
When I returned from Australia to my hometown in the Czech Republic in 1993, I tried to be active at local town halls and suggested they should build one or two roundabouts. The local chief of roads laughed at it and flatly refused it as a nonsense. Ever since I hold my reservations about a typical town officer - today they have many roundabouts around the country capital, but still none in my hometown.
"You can always trust the Americans to do the right thing ....... after they've exhausted all other options" Winston Churchill
He certainly was one for a pithy witticism, that Churchill.
You mean the war criminal racist eugenicist Winston Churchill
crimesofbritain.com/the-crimes-of-winston-churchill/
www.vice.com/en_us/article/ae55v8/winston-churchill-racist-warmonger-sterilize-mentally-ill
www.rt.com/op-ed/416209-churchill-ww2-movie-racist-imperialist/
@@zeeone4492 From a website called crimes of britain... Yeah I don't think we could call it an unbiased source...
I like Churchill optimism..
@@samelbamel3500 Pretty much any .com source is less than reliable, unless it's an actual publication with a history of accuracy. .orgs are much more reliable, at least in terms of historical source information.
It reminds me of when seat belts became mandatory. People "didn't like" them either. They thought they would strangle them and trap them in the car if you had an accident. No matter what safety experts said.
Imagine asking the same people who believe the earth is flat how useful a piece of tech can be
It's also uncomfortable
I know someone who was told their grandma died because she was wearing a seat belt. Dude doesn't wear his. I imagine he's all for reopening the economy tomorrow since we just peaked today.
people still think that.
I still wear a seatbelt since it makes sense in most cases! However I know a guy who literally broke is back in a roughly 5mph crash into a ditch! And the docs told him if he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt he’d have been fine! It just jerked his body in a weird way!
And the other one is my friends dad who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and crashed into a tree! He was driving an old land rover and the force from hitting the tree made his roof fold inwards and had like a sharp edge that pinned him against the steering wheel and although it cut his back, it was just the right speed that it stopped there and didn’t cut his spine! But again he was told that in that case, if he was wearing a seatbelt then the roof would have either chopped his head off or sliced him in half, because the seatbelt would have stopped him from being able to move forward and be pressed up against the steering wheel!
But in most crashes it makes sense! I also knew a guy who died when he rolled his van because he didn’t have a seatbelt on, so on the second roll he fell out the window and the van rolled over him and crushed him! With a seatbelt he probably would have had bruises and nothing more!
In our rural county, a modern roundabout recently replaced a 4-way stop at an intersection that had seen several fatal accidents. It works really well. We almost never have to stop to go through the intersection, even when making what used to be a left turn. We go through this intersection several times a week, and we're glad they built it.
I was just driving through Carmel and the outskirts of Indy. And I can confidently say that if it weren't for those roundabouts the traffic in those areas I passed through would've been an absolute nightmare. Crazy how much they help out with traffic
So basically, "I don't like roundabouts, not because they don't work, but because I'm too incompetent to use them"
They have never used them. They just assume they are too incompetent to use them. Usually when talking about national stereotypes, Americans are seen as very self-confident and boisterous, but suddenly here the majority of Americans genuinely believe they would be unable to use roundabouts. All of Europe can use them, yet the private cars loving Americans supposedly can't. It makes no sense.
To be fair, it's in the common ignorant way of "I just don't like them >:("
Not incompetent, really -- just unaccustomed. Despite Americans' supposed historical reputation for being rugged, adventurous individualists, we're actually very resistant to change. Hence our reluctance to adopt the metric system, the practical impossibility of amending our Constitution, and our irrational clinging to an expensive, byzantine healthcare system and refusal to adopt any kind of universal one that would cover everybody and cost less.
lol, a unversal healthcare system that would cover everybody and cost less. You obviously trust the US government too much. Everything they make fails. Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Dept of Education, Dept of Transportation, etc. They're all gigantic money pits that fail at what they are suppose to do.
ikr, i recently discovered that the vast majority of Americans drive automatic cars lol
Ah yes, the old “I don’t want to have to think” conundrum.
True, i wish it wernt like that and have lots of people driving manuals again cuz its more fun and engaging. Hopefull there be a day we have roundabouts everywhere.
Yes because thinking while driving is a bad thing. Too many people drive off "instinct" which we don't have. Most drivers aren't actively using their brain or thinking of their fellow motorist which is the real problem we have.
This AMERICA!!! We’re all about Football, Trump, stabbing dudes over Popeyes Chicken sandwich’s, narcotics and Porn. Thinking is for communist. You don’t wanna be a communist, do you?
@@joshuad7953 Not thinking is for communists. Afterall, it's better to convince yourself there was no food to begin with than to ponder why in the hell the government starves your family while gorging themselves in the capital
@@theradioactiveplayer3461 have you ever heard of a joke
I used to hate roundabouts, but after I lived in a town that had a few of these things, I did learn to like them. In fact I noticed a portion of my road rage dropped due to some stupidity I no longer had to face at normal intersections.
I lived in Ireland for 3 years; I HATED ROUNDABOUTS! So glad we don't have a ot of them in the U.S.
It's crazy how you're not required to navigate a roundabout during your driving license education!
I live in Danmark and I had a whole 45 minute lesson where I just drove around an area with tons of roundabouts🥴
By the end of it I did learn to; slow down, look around, shift to 2. gear, go in, look around and exit
So I'm thankful I can do that
But DAMN
I think that might contribute A LOT to America's disdain towards roundabouts, because I cannot imagine learning my way around a roundabout if I haven't been taught on how to navigate it, what speed to drive at and where to look for orientation
That sounds incredibly stressful and dangerous! Even though roundabouts are chill
I've also noticed that Americans obsess over manual cars being "hard to drive" and preach automatic cars and then come to Europe and aren't licensed to drive 80% of the cars because they can't be bothered putting in an extra hour a week to get a manual license lmao.
I'll never understand only being licensed for automatic cars because surely that restricts you from so many options?? Need a rental ? oops they only have 2 automatic cars. need to borrow a friend's car? whoops its a manual.
I’ve navigated a number of roundabouts in the U.S., Germany, and Australia. I much prefer them to having to stop at traffic lights.
@@blu.berriiwhy would I go out of my way to learn how to drive a manual when a vast majority of cars in the US are automatic? And no youth of America actually struggles with roundabouts, only the elderly
@@blu.berriiou don't need a special license to drive a manual vs automatic. The problem why most Americans can't drive manuals is they don't even make and sell those here. Same goes with a roundabout there are not enough of them in USA for people to practice on. I drive a manual truck but I had to specifically ask for it and that was 18-years ago if I were to buy a new truck it would be automatic.
'When they are forced to rely on their own driving abilities it leads to a confusing and scary experience'
lmao
And having to rely on the actions of others. This is clearly the reason why roundabouts are not common in the USA!
LOL
Nervous drivers slow down, making everything safer. Like how wide streets can make residential areas more dangerous.
@@tlangdon12 You rely on the actions of others at lights as well, that's why they're more dangerous.
They aren't used to go round corners
I think it’s a bit like the metric system to Americans. If roundabouts had been installed back in the 40s or 50s, people would know how to use them. As it is, people are afraid of change and highly resistant to learning a new method even if it’s actually a better system.
That's definitely the case! But it feels like roundabouts are gaining traction faster than the metric system is...
Maybe in 1,000 years we'll adopt the Metric System!
Absolutely, its a shame too.
@@mortimersnead5821
I wouldn't bet a cent on that.
That's exactly the case unfortunately.
I love how roundabouts require no power (except lighting for larger ones) and are almost maintenance free, making them reliable throughout the year regardless of the weather.
You're forgetting about the cost involved in putting the roundabout it in, it's HUGE! They still need to be maintained, painted, cleaned, plowed, they are not maintenance free.
@@lennybuttz2162 I didn't say it's "maintenance free". I said "almost maintenance free". I'm in Hongkong and there are quite a few roundabouts near where I live. In comparison I'm pretty sure I've seen more faulty/damaged traffic lights that need to be worked on than roundabouts. In fact I don't even remember the last time seeing any maintenance work on roundabouts, and those that I've been using pretty much remain unchanged for decades. Yes large ones do require substantial maintenance costs, on top of the initial setup cost for putting them there in the first place. But there are also very small ones that are nothing more than just a painted circle a few metres wide in the middle of a junction so I don't know how expensive they can be to maintain compared to a set of traffic lights? 🤔️
One thing that was not mentioned in the video is the different amount of lanes typically present in US. Here in Europe we typically have 1 or 2 Lanes in one direction: Ideal for a roundabout. In US however, especially in and around the cities you typically see 2-3 lanes in one direction. And there is the problem, a 3-Lane-roundabout doesn‘t work! I guess the comparison is not that simple, best would be to use either type in the correct environment. Here in Europe, we also don‘t have that many roundabouts in the city center because it wouldn’t work as well as traffic lights. They are mostly used in smaller towns with 1 lane traffic and we have a lot of small town connected to another, therefor more roundabouts in general
Good Grief we have roundabout in our city that have 4 main lanes and 2 exit lanes at each "corner". Then you have people driving these super huge SUVs who think they own the road paying more attention to their phone than the lane they're traveling in and aren't the least bit bothered by wandering into another lane as if the lines on the road are there for decoration.
You won’t get a lot of comments or likes on this post lol! People love half information.
@@Oblitus-te3czspace is at a much higher premium in European countries, America has an overabundance of space.
@@exeterman2 Not in downtown areas.
We have 4 lane roundabouts in major cities across the world
"scared I might miss the exit"
I'm picturing that girl going around the roundabout indefinitely and screaming in panic in her car.
Hahahahahahahaa underrated comment
What a nightmare.
Poor girl, not having a brain sucks these days
That's a Simpsons Episode :p
😂😂😂
If that woman at the start is typical when she implies that she goes around them multiple times then I think your problem is one of education.
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”
Blaming Americans drivers is just wrong... Even European drivers who have to navigate a roundabout THE WRONG WAY ROUND result in momentary hesitatation but only that.
David Lowe
I mean does she have the intelligence to drive a car? most women don't
@@Bossanova. the issue isnt women, its americans
Honestly, I would think that being able to go around multiple times is a benefit, if your lost. You don't have the pressure to make an immediate decision.
I live in Kingsport TN where we have several roundabouts. I have no problems with them and love the fact when I come upon one my wait to get in and through is very short. This region is also experimenting with divergent intersections. Those work nicely too, if one has a functioning brain.
They just work great and are cheap, but you have to follow the rules! Here in Brazil, the drivers usually don't, for example, you have to keep the left turn light on when you're circling it, and the change it to the right turning light when you're going to exit, also, the car that is already in the roundabout has the priority over the ones that are trying to enter it
I dont think this can be correct. I have been driving for 20+ years and just pastg my motocycle licence. Blinkers should only be used when you change the lane on the roundabout or exiting it, showing the left blinker when you are not changeing to an inner lane is confuseing to other drivers.
@@sheepdog8442 you might be right, but the law in Brazil says that you have to keep the left blinker on, you can even get a ticket if you don't, but drivers ignore it anyway, they don't use the left, neither the right blinker
@@sheepdog8442 Its the rule in Norway as well. It’s less for signalling to others in the roundabout, and more to tell the people outside where you’re planning on going. Plus if you’re blinking left in the inner most lane there isn’t really anywhere you could go that would be confusing🤷🏻♂️
In Denmark we use it to signal that we'll take the last exist
It's not a law, it's not required, but it's a neat indicator to your intentions
But just in general: IF YOU NEED TO LEAVE THE CIRCLE BLINK MF
So many times I've missed my opening, just cuz some driver turned their thinker off and "I turn here, no need blink, I just go🤤"
Grrr
Roundabouts are bullshit. With traffic lights, everyone knows how they work. There is no "estimating the distance and safety factor." There is just stop or go. Roundabouts complicate it.
"I might miss my exit" Meanwhile america has interstate intersections with dozens of bridges and exits and hundreds of potential collision points.
Also it's a circle, just go again.
It’s an attempt to use evolution to improve drivers
And if you miss your exit you have to drive a few miles to come back!
Yes.. That reason tickles me too.. It's simple alright.. Turn right = first exit, go straight = second exit, and so on.. 🙄
I've Been in hundreds of roundabouts. Only a drunk, nurveous, speeding, or stupid driver will miss their exit, and these kind shouldn't be on roads anyway. Or if you are new to the area, your navigator is f*kd up, yes, google too. Roundabouts over Traffic lights any day for me.
You ever drive home and get stuck at red light even though there’s no traffic? Yeah a roundabout solves that problem.
Red light sensors don't always change for motorcycles, either.
@@lesterjargus5311 Sometimes they are mounted incorrectly and will miss a small car.
Another solution some places use is just turning those off at night and allowing other traffic rules to take precedent. But yeah, roundabouts are generally more responsive to the ebb and flow of traffic, that could only really be achieved with fancy automation otherwise.
Yeah, until they restart putting traffic lights/signals up again at roundabouts causing the problem they were built to solve! And then, some idiot comes up with the idea of a throughabout!
What about driving to work, already being late, and now you have to sit at a yield sign for 30 minutes to get into what feels like a gigantic car-blender because there's nothing there to force other drivers to wait and balance the traffic? This is something that basically happened to me and my family on a vacation when we encountered a roundabout for the first time. We nearly got smashed by a commercial truck because after 30 minutes, my dad, who was driving, got tired of waiting and took the first opening he could. He nearly stopped all traffic on the roundabout and almost caused a likely fatal accident. I was only six or seven, but I remember looking out all the windows and having a legitimate panic attack because I was worried all the cars were just going to smash us without a second thought. Even my mom and dad had thought that it was incredibly dangerous.
I think the problem most Americans have with roundabouts is similar to this. They have to rely on the idea that other drivers won't just turn it into a massive steel blender and you just can't do that when nobody else knows the rules any better than you do. If people were *educated* about roundabouts in driver's education, I'd think implementing them would be a good idea, but *only* once everyone who doesn't know about roundabouts is off the road. Until then, roundabouts will always be considered death spirals by those who aren't used to them, and those who are will always be incredibly stressed about the people who aren't possibly making a poor decision and causing a massive accident.
Then again I also believe people should have to retake their driver's test every year basically.
My first encounter with a Roundabout was in Kansas City. This was back in the late 1980’s when I lived there. There were a couple of them, and my Cousin took me through them, and showed me how they worked.
Jacksonville Florida, and all over Florida , more and more Roundabouts are gaining in “popularity “ by various DOT offices.
I think it’s less people not liking them, but more, people don’t know how to use them. They get confused.
I have no problem with them, other than others being clueless.
📻🙂
Great video, Christine. With most new ideas in life, this principle applies: 'An attitude change is nearly preceded by a behaviour change.' Your observation in the last couple of minutes of the video is an excellent example of this.
Once you've mastered the roundabout, you can then battle the boss, the magic roundabout in Swindon, UK (5 mini roundabouts on a roundabout)
American screaming noises😂😂😂😂
They just don’t understand the words safety and healthy like we do in europe😅
I wanna try that!
Is the two way roundabout still in Hemel Hempstead?
This comment is so underated :)
Hatton Cross Station near Heathrow Airport and Colchester and High Wycombe as well. All 5 mini in one big. Colchester was the first time I saw one, and I went the long way around taking 3 minis instead of just one. 😆
European young drivers drift in it with a manual & don’t miss the exit.
Guess Australia is not a modern country
Germans sometimes miss the exit.
Shadey: Germany is in Europe, So far from my personal experience European’s in general are good when it comes to roundabout turns and use of the right exit.
Personally so far I have never missed my exit, unless I’m in a new place and accidentally miss the exit or take the wrong exit.
The best thing about roundabout is say you accidentally miss the exit, don’t stop or panic just act normal and stay on the roundabout and when your right exit approaches just exit and make sure to use the right indicators so that you don’t confuse the traffic and this also helps in indicating where you are trying to exit to.
No... No they dont
It's not like roundabouts are hard LOL! Why would you insinuate that? Do YOU think they're difficult? Also, you don't drift in, there's a yield to cars entering. That is unless you're used to having ZERO traffic. Then of course you get on and off without looking. Doing something easy doesn't make you good, kid, LOL!
Also, you people don't know what actual traffic is. Your roundabout is pointless.
My city has installed about a half dozen roundabouts, and our neighbors have installed a few themselves. I personally love them and I wish every intersection had them.
I have never encountered a traffic circle but still don't have a good experience with roundabouts. But only when they are multi lane roundabouts if they are one lane then it is fine and works smoothly. My main problem with the roundabouts is switching lanes in the roundabout.
If you can’t figure out a roundabout you shouldn’t be driving.
-thanks for the support in like minded thinking.
Very much agreed
Exactly. If only the one that plans the city actually know how to drive.
If you can't figure out how to ride a bike on your own you shouldn't be breathing.
@@kathic6402 You're just being stupid. There's a huge difference between common sense and learned skills.
Get off my planet.
Chance Black: If you can't figure out how to say something useful, you shouldn't be typing.
I drove in europe for 2 weeks, roundabouts became normal in a few days and when I got back to the US I realized how much 4 way intersections suck
4-way intersections are the worst... I finally learned to navigate them when I realized it was like a game of chicken...
FINALLY. thanks
The only people who hate roundabouts are ones who've either never actually driven through one or who encounter them only very rarely... and the truly ignorant.
@@tjampman - Circles are the worst as they are a higher speed game of chicken. You can't control other drivers. At 4-way intersections, as long as people stop, nobody is at risk of a moderate speed impact. In a circle, that risk is always there. I prefer control. Granted, when the traffic works in my favor, I love not stopping. However, sooner or later a bad driver or even a series of mildly sub-optimal decisions by various drivers can result in an accident.
@@Becvar80 - People like you assume you know it all. Maybe you live in a place where there is no "real" traffic. I don't know what, but your viewpoint is incomplete. I live in an area with circles. I don't like them. You have to rapidly accelerate to match speeds with the flow (fuel efficient cars these days don't do that well). You also have to watch out for people crossing two lanes to take an exit before they pass it. You have to watch out for people ahead of you suddenly braking for an exit, even as you must look behind you at the people racing up your rear. If you think that is not stressful, you don't live in an area with real traffic or else you fail to understand human biology and autonomic stress response.
My experience with traffic circles was great - Lander Circle in Pepper Pike Ohio. So, I eagerly embrace the roundabout, and think it was a great solution for a 3 road convergence on Vrooman Road in Leroy Ohio.
Even in the UK where we are used to roundabouts, they are really only comfortable to use when they are 2 lanes wide. Once they get up to 4 or more lanes, drivers unfamiliar with the area don't know which lane to be in and how to migrate across for the exit they need, so they switch at the last moment causing chaos to the traffic flow. Yes, the lanes are marked with signage on the road surface and sometimes on overhead gantries, but you can't see the markings well when it is wet or against the sun. On the really big junctions (like where there's a 6 lane motorway) the roundabouts underneath or above end up having traffic lights, kind of like a traffic circle idea. Then there are complex roundabouts with mini roundabouts at the entries and exits. Look up 'The Magic Roundabout of Swindon'.
If you have more than two lanes of traffic, you don't need a roundabout. You need a train.
Roundabout Pros:
+ Faster
+ Safer
Cons:
- Requires a drivers license
So if there are no roundabouts, I don't need a license??? the DMV lied to me!!!
@@JerEditz i mean if they dont even educate u to use one the right way. I think more like a no
@@rlas the right of way works the same on a traditional 4 way intersection. Just the roundabout is more of like if you're merging on a very slow interchange.
@@JerEditz the thing is the "fast living feel" while people are in cars. This goes for everyone with HP under the hood (not only the US). People got in general issues with accepting to wait because someone else got the priority. Its also rare that someone gives up on his priority, that can lead to stuck traffic. (Can also happen when there is one roundabout and a ton other crossroads with traffic lights. Its a long process i guess
@@rlas yeah probably
"I'm scared I'm gonna miss the exit" Aye, we lost aunt Sally that way. Missed her exit on the roundabout off the M1 and still running circling there, like the perpetual movement of the planets around the sun.
Lol
When im a passenger and there aren't too many cars around i always ask the driver to go round a few times just for fun, cracks me up.
I have done that a lot.... I circle around one more time, if I miss my exit.
Doesn't explain why 1 lane roundabouts aren't started with though. Can't get trapped on a 1 lane roundabout.
Reminds me of the simpson joke where they can't go out of the roundabout and stay in it for hours lol
I remember one time we were driving in the circle of a roundabout and somebody entered without waiting for us to finish passing. I screamed and my mom hit the breaks. I still remember the car was inches away from us and it felt like it was moving in slow motion for a second.
It's the mini roundabouts that can be a pain. Four junctions to a mini roundabout and each junction got a car on them, like at Salterhebble UK. Who goes first? Sometimes all cars wait, or all go together and bang.
Once you start playing Cities: Skyline you're just going to be constantly critiquing road layouts everywhere you go.
LMAO!!!!
True that!
Man I'm so pissed off by the way my city layout was built.
Cities skylines is proof round abouts work and that traffic lights suck.
Correction, women don't like roundabouts because they can't deal with space time like men. Is a simple fact which comes from the 150000 years of evolution when men use to deal with space time matters wholesomely. Unfortunately feminism indoctrinate people making them think men and women have the same type of brain and or tries to impose stupid propositions insulting men's intelligence. Feminism is a form of indoctrination which is there to make women WORK, and salaries go down, just like immigration and the whole propaganda to make women like what men likes and men like what women like. You see when only one parent used to work salaries were higher since there was less competition... and that is not to even mention how men is more often starting their own companies and also more often striking when there are unacceptable situations... UNIONS USE TO BE THE 4th POWER. In Argentina, where roundabouts are common coin, women don't even discuss how men can deal with this and other similar situations when driving better. And these culture is also derived from the same countries USA does, only difference between USA and Argentina is 10 times less people and legal system does not work so it is all more corrupt like in all Latino America... though USA just lost its legal system so everything goes down... Should fight more for juries to be called just as often as before so corporations don't go away just bargaining and never getting sentences and setting precedents.
@@whowhowhowhowhowho8139 ...wtf are you even talking about?
When I'm driving in the middle of the night and there is virtually no traffic, it seems silly to have to stop and wait at every other intersection because of a red light. Especially if there are no other vehicles on the road. With roundabouts, I can zip right through without wasting time with the constant stopping and waiting for green.
Exacly so...and when the road is busy the flow is easier, the rules being very simple... just give way to the traffic on the roundabout..... If one is unfamiliar with the area and you miss your exit, just go round again... piece of cake!
@@KathrynLiz1 in Heavy traffic they are not as good. if you have heavy traffic on 2 sides or more, other never get a chance to go at all and causes greater traffic problems. They are ideal in light to moderate traffic, but infact suck in heavy traffic conditions. Add snow to these and your in for a big treat as well :) They tend to feeze and melt and freeze, making for Ice circle of death! When going in straight lines you don't have this issue....
@@rogersmith1408 Of course there are intersections that are not ideal for a roundabout. It's the street planner's responsibility to decide where a roundabout makes sense and where it doesn't make sense.
@@rookmaster7502 Totally agree.
More modern American cities just change all the lights to yellow at a certain hour so this doesn’t happen, and in NY we don’t give a fuck about roundabouts especially because if no ones around then it’s just a stop sign bro lmao
Drove about about a week in the UK recently. The first big roundabout I hit was confusing - but after that - no problems. Yield as you enter and get in the correct lane and you're gold. Superior for low to medium traffic to stoplights and stop signs IMO. I found UK drivers were generally more patient and considerate as well, which makes sense when you have to drive on some of their narrow country roads.
I have worked in Carmel for 23 years. There are BIG, medium and small roundabouts. Lightly used and very busy roundabouts. Highly effective and highly ineffective roundabouts. Super cost efficient and wasteful roundabouts. But ALL are vastly superior to the previous intersections.
The only perceived problem is rush hour traffic. We get so use to the efficiency, that at rush hour we are upset waiting in line for 5 cars to enter the roundabout.
Then 7 miles away we get a dose of reality on the drive home when we have to wait for 20+ cars to pass through multiple cycles of the stop sign on the road to my house. Thankfully NEXT WEEK, the road is shutting for 2 months to install a roundabout. Yeah!!!!😊
Now, if they would install a roundabout at the end of our street, we could cut several more minutes off the time to work, waiting to make a left turn.
I'm an American living in Finland. I can usually drive from my house to the market, which is 15 miles away, without hitting the brakes even once. So, the roundabouts save on brakes and on fuel consumption.
I'd like to visit Finland someday, such a fascinating history.
Roundabouts literately are better in every single way to a light interjunction in a congested area. Better traffic flow, Better fuel/car maintenance/consumption, No electricity needed, Low maintenance of junction and safer in every way.
I mean the world including roundabout users still use light junctions so it's not like people are asking to get rid of them, it's just strange that people straight hate them for no valid reason lol
Finland doesn't exist man.
@@hifjurrahman8060 I guess you create your own reality.
“I’m scared I’m gonna miss the exit”
Well I’m scared you’re allowed to drive.
They think they’ll all be Clark Griswold staring at Big Ben and Parliament for three hours going in a circle.
and the obvious benefit of it being a circle is that you can just drive round and try again... now try that on a crossing
arPos Craft yep. I accidentally missed my turn one so I just went around again. Instead of doing a u turn or taking another street.
It's obvious that the chick in that clip is speaking hypothetically and hasn't experienced them. It's reasonable to be unclear about something unfamiliar
If you miss your exit you just go around again. I like the roundabout. It doesn't back up traffic at intersections.
We now have more than 140 in Carmel, Indiana. Most everyone seems to be comfortable with them. In fact, it's a little weird to see a stoplight other than in the downtown area.
And they're finally becoming commonplace in most of the neighboring communities.
The reduction in fatalities alone seems enough to make the shift.
I used to live in Essex (UK) and we had a roundabout that was nicknamed "The Magic Roundabout" it had several sets of traffic lights on it and you could go around it in either direction!
"You can always expect Americans to do the right thing. After they've tried everything else."
Winston Churchill
Defer to.vehicles on the left, signal and exit from the right
that's hilarious
At least they drive on the right side of the road like 90% of the world
@@wernersgaminglounge5235 But they lose so many points because of the imperial system, almost nothing can make them come back from that. Well, kicking the orange buffoon out earn them some points, but putting an old guard post 9/11-globalist clintonian there instead automatically take away 50% of the buffoon points.
Being absolutely instrumental to the western allies in WW2 and also being the first, and only, nation to land on the moon gave A LOT of points, but sadly the Vietnam War and various Cold War shenanigans lost them those points - like neo-conservatist Reagan *cough*contra affair*cough* Lewinsky was cute, so a few points there, but Bill lost those. Then 9/11 gave them a lot of much needed sympathy points, but Bushin' it into Iraq for oil lost some of those, I'm afraid. Offing a few zealots here and there earned some points, too. Obama was funny and got Lad Binny, so points.
Epstein and everyone in power chillin' at his Pedo Island lost points, believe you me. Even Tiger King couldn't make up for that loss! Also, Game of Thrones final season lost A LOT of points.
I'm not keeping count of these points at all btw, but regardless I still like Americlaw, whilst I truly loathe my own Swedenpuff. We practice the darkest of the arts (even worse than all the forbidden spells): Nonus Europeanius Massius Migrationis. There's no coming back from that point loss.
@@lindgrenland Du bist mir ein wilder Typ
Long story short Americans don't like change
12 minute video sumed up in one sentence
That is a Human condition, not just American!!
@@mikesmicroshop4385 Mostly American.
And they're dumb.
New England has a bunch of them, I can think of three within an hour of me rn
I spent 6 years in England and I learned to use the roundabouts they are great. Even though I had to drive them going clock wise. I still loved them.
As an American who loves roundabouts, it is absolutely baffling to me why anybody would be against them. In Utah, where I live, there seems to be a big push for more and more of them . . . AND I LOVE IT! They're popping up in new developments (Utah is one of the most rapidly growing states in the country), but also replacing established signal intersections. I drive through one near my house almost every single day and it's so convenient. Prior to the roundabout, that particular intersection caused ridiculous traffic back-ups. Now people just sail through it smoothly after a brief slow-down and pause.
The video doesnt explain that in addition to lower speeds, one of the other reasons fewer people a killed or seriously injured on a roundabout, is that if is designed properly, then it is nearly impossible to T bone another vehicle. Most collisions on a roundabout tend to be at an oblique angle or low speed rear enders which significantly reduces the injury risk.
as someone who’s been rear ended at a low speed on a roundabout, roundabouts r the best thing ever
That's actually a really good point. Thanks for bringing that up
Youre also all going the same way. So rear end collision speed difference of 5-10 mph tops. Otherwise up to 30 mph compared to a combined difference of 60 mph for a head on. Worst case.
Yep. With intersections so many accidents happen cause someone wants to make a yellow light and then t-bone someone at speeds of 70-80km/h. Roundabouts force you to slow down no matter what.
Buddy, you just said the magic word, "if"
"Scared I might miss the exit"
Then just drive another round? That takes about 5 seconds? If you miss your exit multiple times then you're just either distracted all the time or just not fit to drive a car.
Truly, she's not the brightest candle on the chandelier.
"just not fit to drive a car" most muricans aren't
These are the same people that will reverse on a highway if they miss and exit.
If you are distracted all the time while driving, you *ARE* not fit to drive a car imo 😅
@@overtheworl thats what happens if you get taught by your parents for like 4 weeks instead of an actual driving teacher
In australia, we have round-a-bouts in 3 or more lane situations about 1/3 of the time, depending on the density and location. I prefer them (and yearn for them) in many situations, but it's not a complete winner every time. It sucks when people go slow or queue whilst traversing the roundabout.
The yield rule is different in different countries. Traditionally British rules have been that vehicles in the circle are in the intersection and vehicles entering a circle must yield to vehicles in the circle, but in most of continental Europe vehicles in the circle had to yield to vehicles entering the circle. Later, EU member countries adopted the British yield rule, but non-EU European countries often still require vehicles in the circle to yield to vehicles entering the circle.
"I'm afraid I'm going to miss my exit and so I just go around three or four times".
Solution; Pay more attention to where you need to go.
On the plus side, roundabouts are more forgiving in that respect. Missing a junction that isn't a roundabout can often lead to a longer journey.
Yeah she made a damn fool of herself. How are you gonna be so big of a dumbass that you go around a roundabout 4 times? It’s seriously not that hard.
@@thatguy1630 they are less afraid of an oncoming collision than a second roundabout - it's ingenious.
Thats just paint a picture of the people in the US. A rather bad picture, what i would love to not accept, but soo many times ive seen this same stupidity portrayed by US Americans, i just cant imagine, its not true.
Also, follow the rules of circulating in a roundabout and you'll never miss your exit
@@Boborjan1986 I’m American and you’d be surprised how many mentally deficient people have a license. A seriously question how many of these people actually passed their driving exam.
I'm an American and I've used roundabouts in my local area. They are very convenient and I think that they are desperately needed in certian areas of cities.
My city has very few of them; I can only think of one offhand. I'd love to see how the worst intersection in town would change if it was replaced by a roundabout overnight.
I keep imagining how these terrible 5-way+ intersections near me would be improved by a roundabout. In some places the inherent u-turn ability of roundabouts would also be very useful.
Sometimes they are okay but the negative aspects of roundabouts include requiring up to 3x or more space to build compared to an intersection, increased property damage and single car crashes, and making it extremely dangerous or even impossible for cyclists or pedestrians to cross.
I go into a roundabout on my way to work. This particular one has people yielding to those coming into the roundabout.
In New Jersey, though, we still call them traffic circles.
@@aespa690 i don't see how roundabouts are more dangerous for cyclists, the pace is slower than in intersection, you can even make a special line for cyclists. Same for pedestrian you can have crossroads on the exits and since the pace is slower cars can stop easily.
The benefits of the roundabouts are terrific and makes great sense, from fewer fatalities, to the savings of not installing lights, and having the cost and maintenance to keep them working; I like that traffic can keep flowing, instead of bunch of cars going at once.
we have a few where I live and people still have no idea how they work. There's at least one accident a week and every time I use it there's a close collision somewhere in there. Also 3 of the 5 roundabouts here are 4 way stops so the roundabout is essentially useless.
"oh no, I have to actually think while driving! Such an annoyance!" -most of the United States for some reason.
Not limited to driving.
Most of america? Cheddar is wrong we dont hate roundabouts its that we cant fit in anywhere
@@yourfriendlyneighborhoodcl4824 roundabouts don't actually take up much more space than intersections with traffic lights and the likes, so that shouldn't be an issue. The Netherlands, where I'm from, is a small but very densely populated country where space is at a premium, but we have lots of roundabouts and prefer them over intersections.
@@RudyBleeker Here in nyc we have roundabouts in and near the end of the residential places of queens Brooklyn and bronx
@@yourfriendlyneighborhoodcl4824 space is not the issue. We made a few out of tiny intersections. They can be small and doesn't have to be as big as shown in the video
"...drivers must yield..." And therein lies the problem in the US.
I guess "yield to the left" is too communistic for some.
@@wohlhabendermanager while in russia and even in soviet times people yield to traffic from the right. Only Japan yields to traffic from the left by default.
@@tr33c21 In roundabouts, I rarely have to yield to traffic from the right though. Most roundabouts prioritize traffic on the roundabout over oncoming traffic. Hence "yield to the left", because when I want to get on a roundabout the traffic is coming from the left, not from the right.
In the UK and Australia (where they drive on the left) it's of course "yield to the right, when entering a roundabout". But since the US doesn't drive on the left, it's "yield to the left, when approaching a roundabout".
@@wohlhabendermanager We yield to the right, which isn't necessarily compatible with a roundabout, but works for all other preexisting intersections.
@@wohlhabendermanager Yep. Traffic circles are incompatible with the US "yield to the right" system used on all other uncontrolled intersections.
The small city of Idaho Falls in eastern Idaho has several roundabouts. Anywhere that I go in the city, I will go through at least 2 of them. They are much better than traffic lighted intersections. The only problem that I have every had was when I was driving a semi-truck with a 53 foot trailer and I had to get off the interstate and go around a roundabout to get to a truck stop for fuel. I had to keep my cab at the outer edge of the circle and my trailer was still on the concrete curb of the inside of the circle. It was a difficult situation.
I’ll never forget the first time my son and I landed at Heathrow and encountered our first round about. I learned to rent cars from Avis which is outside the circle!
Reality: 90% less fatalities
Americans: its scary
AlmostSober I get scared even when I’m not driving
AlmostSober I mean I like round a bouts but when there's more than one lane I get confused
_ xBuki10 it REALLY isn’t that hard.
the right lane is for taking the first or second exit. the left lane is for taking the second/third/full circle. as long as everyone is yielding properly and doing a safe speed, you just have to follow the lines.
Raziza I know I’m for roundabouts I just don’t have any 2 lane ones by me it’s just the merging after the first and second exit that’s confusing
_ xBuki10 just watch some videos on it. it is quite possibly one of the simplest things to understand
Roundabouts work after a hurricane while traffic lights don’t.
We have a set of lights locally which used to be a roundabout. Can take 20 minutes to get through so I never go that way. If the lights break down yu get through in no time!!!!
This is probably the best reason for roundabouts. People have absolutely ZERO clue what to do at an intersection when the power is out! Half the people stop at the intersection and just sit there. The other half blow through the intersection like a friggin idiot! Roundabouts eliminate this problem.
@@GrnXnham
In Russia, there are actually rules about that. Signals > Temporary signs > Permanent signs > Road quality > Right-hand rule.
Actually, intersections are made with shutdown in mind, so every intersection have priority signs.
@@Rybakov22 in American you treat non working lights as stop signs but people freak out and can’t remember that.
They do, if a traffic light is malfunctioning or is off it is to be treated as a 4 way stop sign. Did you really think there was no contingency plan for that?
I go to Carmel often and love them. Traffic never stops for long periods. I do think it’s funny when my GPS says, “at the next roundabout” thirty consecutive times when I drive along a fairly long stretch of road.
We Brits have what you call "traffic circles" as well, but we just call them roundabouts, just like the ones without signals. A roundabout with part-time signals has sometimes been along my route to work, so I suppose that in American terms this switches between being a roundabout and being a traffic circle. Signal-controlled roundabouts are useful in busy spots, as they prevent the situation where loads of vehicles coming from certain directions and going in certain directions are preventing those coming from other directions from getting on board. But on the whole, modern roundabouts work well.
one thing to add in comparison to amerocan traffic circles is they're usually smaller here, which makes them more manageable and basically makes it an organised intersection/junction.
As an American, I freakin love roundabouts. It puts shame on me knowing those Americans find “comfort” in a traffic light. There is nothing comforting about a traffic light at all.
Same here. As an Italian, proud to live in the land of the free, I'm always willing to to go through roundabouts. You can safely continue driving through between roads, and have your driving fun.
Me too! Especially since my only accident happened because of a huge intersection where I needed to turn left and had creeped too far into the intersection forcing me to turn despite a car that wasn't slowing down way way over on the other side heading straight towards me. Of course it was labelled my fault despite that they should have stopped.
Sure there are comforts with lights over round-abouts.
1) You will indeed get a turn, even if you have to wait for it. This is not guaranteed at round-abouts.
2) You won't have to drive an annoying curve that only exists because someone decided to make one.
3) You won't have to repeatedly slow down suddenly from 55 to 25 on the highway to make the annoying curve for the sake of some usually empty side roads.
4) You get a quick break to stop and grab that water bottle trying to roll under your gas peddle, hand your kid his snack, etc
@@Ballaurena13 ya we got some lights around here allways green unless someone is waiting at the side road so its a straight shot. Got some new round abouts I'm not a fan of only cause the lights were allways green anyway. I cant imagin a high traffic city like NYC haveing a bunch of round abouts while trying to get your turn into the circle.
Though I could see it at least replacing 4 way stop signs.
Traffic lights for high traffic, circles instead of 4 way signs and keep the 2 sign streets the same Is how I imagin things being incorporated.
Roundabouts only are needed for small secondary roads with moderate traffic. They aren't a good fit for neighborhood streets, nor extremely busy roads.
it's so annoying when someone's counterargument boils down to I don't feel like changing.
As is when the argument for change is merely change itself.
And yet, protesting the change requires they change their day to day life anyway. The hypocrisy is stronk.
How about the real argument:
Roundabouts take twice the space of intersections, and the US would have to buy up good cornerstone property to install them in the cities that people think they should be in. And they just don't think it's cost effective.
re: literally all conservative thought
@@Ravenwraithstudios dang it, back to law school for me.
Several years ago the Mythbusters did a piece on roundabouts where they found results similar to those experienced by bona-fide traffic engineers. It was a glowing report
In Europe, we're so used to roundabouts, we even have some without a real island but only a one feet drawn circle in the middle, the sign at the entrance for roundabouts is completely sufficient to know how to drive. Like that, we have some at extremely small crossroads
My hometown in Australia had roundabouts at nearly every intersection and it was the best. Miss your turn? Take the wrong exit? No need to panic, you can just loop back around within a minute and get it next time. They're SO simple and logical, it's insane that Americans can't figure them out.
Canberra?
We Got Lots of Them in *NordicNations* as well. Its A Much.. MUCH Safer way for Vehicle Traffic.
I completely agree. Americans say they are more time consuming in heavy traffic but I've found they're much quicker. I've spent more times at lights due to heavy traffic than I have at a roundabout due to heavy traffic
What are you talking about?
They are so simple and logical, so of COURSE Americans won't be using them.
Don’t blame Americans, blame our dumb government leaders
When you forget something at home and need to turn around, you'll learn to appreciate roundabouts.
When you can't get out of your housing estate in the morning because you can't get on to the roundabout with giving way to the constant stream of rush hour traffic, you'll learn to hate them. No-one lets you out on a roundabout.
@@khitan1326 honestly, i drive on them al the time and i never ever had that problem. Usually when it is really busy, the traffic on the roundabout will just let you in.
@@khitan1326 I've never seen that happen in my life.
@@khitan1326 Guess you're just 'The American Driver', lazy - with no thought for others that dirve the same highways. We are lucky to have space but don't know how to best use it. I regularly drive the UK, the one thing they ain't got is space. The UK is tiny compared to US. Their round-abouts are just fine if you know how to use them. As they say bud, 'Knowledge is power', we could learn alot from the UK, about driving.
@@khitan1326 This is nonsense. First its not true (in Europe) and second, you dont need someone to let you out. You have always someone who is gonna take the way/street out of the roundabout where you wanna go in. So you can take the free place... if you know how to drive ;).
Im literally 15, and I can drive my moped in traffic here in sweden, and I love roundabouts, I feel safer with them, and the traffic is so much more fluent with them. Also, if a 15 year old can understand and drive in a roundabout (the whole of sweden and europe too), adults in America should also be able to
My first introduction to roundabouts (called rotaries) was on Cape Cod where they have existed since the 1930's! They are multi-lane and very confusing if you don't know where you're going. They are just appearing in the area where I live now in single lane version and I find them really easy after learning how to maneuver the multi-lane ones, and they certainly keep the traffi moving.
I think the best way to introduce them is single lane and once people have had some time to get used to it then you can start building two lane ones.
1:45 One of the advantages of a roundabout is that you can go round again if you're unsure, or go back the way you came if you've forgotten something.
Something that might be illegal. It definitely is in Germany. The reason behind this is to prevent people from consistently blocking the entrance, therefore slowing down the traffic.
Near where I live there's a roundabout which at peak times always has a very congested left hand lane.
I just use the right lane, go all the way around and then all the traffic has to give way to me lol
@@CS_Mango You might get in trouble for driving multiple rounds on purpose and inhibiting traffic, but no one will complain about you taking an extra turn or two to orient yourself.
And you can keep going if you're feeling silly and singing "go around baby right round" or mimic the "Just keep swimming" by changing it to "just keep circling"
A plus of the roundabout at the arc of triomphé in france is that it allows for trafic jam flirting a lit
@@mitsi1995 the roundabout at the "place de l'étoile" (at the Arc de triomphe) is one of the rare case in France where there is no signage whatsoever (no sign and no markings on the road).
You then have to respect the yield to the right rule making the traffic ENTERING the roundabout have priority.
thus provoking traffic jams
I love that lady's argument that if she misses her exit she has go around again. That's the whole beauty of roundabouts, you are not causing danger to others if you miss your exit. I wonder what she does if she misses her exit on normal junction.
[reversing light comes on]
she makes an illegal U-Turn, i guess
@@evilmessiah81 It's basically a round one way street, there is no opposite direction to u-turn into.
She did not understand what a circle is. So I wonder wether she should be allowed to drive a car.
Reminds me of the arguments Oregonians had about SOME towns making self-serve gasoline legal.
I first used them while I was stationed in Germany in the early 80's. I'm very happy to see more and more of them. Good bye traffic jams.
My very first accident happened on a roundabout where another car side swiped me because it was a two lane and not a single lane but back then it was called a “circle”… I still face fear driving around in them…
"What if I miss my exit?"
Then nothing happens. You just stay on the round-a-bout and give it another go. Worst case scenario is that you're inconvenienced by about the same amount of time you spend at a traffic light.
And you use less gas if you don't have to come to a dead stop.
If you take the wrong turn at the lights...
It can also be easily avoided by not being an idiot.
Thomas 123 bravo 👏
However, the only problem is: Getting motion sick by having to try that attempt again 3-5 times. (or getting dizzy)
Another benefit is that the roundabout works as usual during a power outage.
What's a power outage? Is that a US thing?
@@hobmoor2042 When power ceases to work, or "goes out".
wait is this a joke
OMG! I hate when the traffic lights don't work on a busy avenue or busy street.
Imagine trying to evacuate a forest fire like the one in Paradise, California with no working traffic lights. Yikes!
Metalcell funny. Where I live when the traffic signal goes out, traffic flows better.
We have one in my town and i dont mind. It helps bring to light all of the......well remedial people that live around me and that on its own is worth having it.
You have to drive 75%, complete around the circle, to go to your left side or 100% all around to make a U turn! 😩 make tunnels and bridges only to go left/straight or right like highway intersections and a u turn before the intersection so you can automatically make your choice to go straight were ever direction that you need to go!
All in 1 lane for both sides with a yield sign 😊