Nah, to summarize: larger vehicles have right of way unless you have a shiny Mercedes or audi. In which case there are no laws which apply for you. Even the deer avoid your car cuz they know you're an asshole
There's one traffic circle on Route 206 in New Jersey where I stole the right-of-way from incoming traffic! Coming from Massachusetts there was NO WAY I was going to stop inside the circle.
@@jmurray1110theoretically yes, but a lot of American road design principles actually reduces efficiency, e.g. non-progammable traffic lights (most traffic lights in the USA are just 2 way lights, people going north-south go, then people going east-west, in most of western europe traffic lights are programmed to enable different combinations), stop signs EVERYWHERE (in the UK if there's a stop sign you know that it's a dangerous junction with poor visibility, stop signs are rare and therefore when they are present you take note), stroads (typical American road design of a busy + relatively high-speed road with multiple exists and entrances off it, the design normally impedes traffic flow). Honestly whenever I visit the USA I'm shocked by the crappy road design, the majority of roads are inefficient and dangerous due to how they are designed.
@@evan, excellent Evan , you have killed all jokes about Americans on roundabouts but don't worry as on the other hand you've opened up a very big target about your planers and civil servants and of course the total lack of common sense 😂😂 . Just thought are the American civil servants as bad as the UK ones ie " Yes minister " /. " Yes Prime Minister " 😃 as appently the program is very true
What's mad is that in cities skylines traffic does obey the UK rules for roundabouts, even in US cities, because actually implementing US driving laws for roundabouts would result in an infuriating game with loads of traffic backups.
Lmao, we don't have rules for roundabouts. We just put them in places that don't need them and move on. Seriously, I am not joking. There are a whole bunch of lawsuits and unresolved bills centered around the fact that we have no standard for how turn signals work on roundabouts. As it stands in most states every car that uses a roundabout is technically breaking the law because it is physically impossible to apply the existing minimum distance for applying turn signals.
loooool XD as a German I would like to say that the Dutch have figured out roundabouts the best way possible. But in any case, I think in all of Europe there's only one rule: those attempting to drive into a roundabout give way to those already in driving in the roundabout. Simple and effective. I'm glad I don't have to drive inside any of these traffic circles lol
My understanding (and it may be wrong) is that in France (and it be specifically Paris or even just the Arc de Triomphe) is that traffic in the circle has to yield to entering traffic. Which seems nuts to me.
@@LiqdPT France some roundabouts in rural areas have signs saying 'you do not have priority' on the approach where this rule applies. (in French of course)
That circle/roundabout at the start of the video is infuriating! They could easily have built an overpass for the "straight through" roads, removing any conflict.
True, but it usually develops over time; what started out as a simple intersection gets converted to a roundabout/circle. By that time, shutting down the intersection to build an overpass would cause the traffic to be a nightmare.
@@auntlynnie Not at all. You would only shut down the straight-through parts. You could still easily, for almost the entire build time, have the actual circle open, which accepts traffic from all directions. You'd only have to close all of it off for maybe a couple of weeks. That's not a big issue. You just route the traffic around those roads, like for every other road construction.
They also could Literally just have had the roundabout..... They could've elongated it so the highway saw the least problems as anyone entering for an exit is already watching their speed at direction closely, like any sane country with more than a 6 year olds intelligence on graduating high school. WHich would have cost less than whatever psychopathic monster they built
The Magic Roundabout in Swindon is still my favourite. I mean, what could be better than FIVE mini roundabouts inside one big roundabout? Even the sign is like a pretty flower!
Six! Swindon's is pretty special, though what I think makes it unique (compared to Hemel's) is that it's all there, in front of you, nothing hidden. You can't as simply squint and pretend that there's only one roundabout there. I used to drive through there regularly, got used to taking all sorts of possible routes around it. It is interesting that the USA has apparently come round to the idea of the roundabout, at long last. It'll take them time to get used to them, but the end result should be roads that are a lot safer.
My friend went to Swindon and had a full blown panic attack at the magic roundabout 🤣 we live in Essex were most people just forget all roundabout rules
I've driven round the one in Hemel Hempstead ... Rules are the same as everywhere : and it's not difficult ... Give way to people already on a roundabout Head around the junctions/roundabouts until you get to the road you want ... you can go either way but one is usually less roundabouts ...
Australian here. I visited the USA in late 2016 and drove all the way from San Francisco to Dallas via Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. I do not recall going through a roundabout until I reached Houston. And negotiating that roundabout was a traumatic experience because, if there were rules, nobody followed them. One has to give way to cars already on the roundabout and to those coming from your left (from the right in Australia). That roundabout became a car park with people tooting the horn and pushing through it. An utterly chaotic situation I'll never forget.
Note for other people on this comment In Australia we have a lot of roundabouts I drive in easily 20 different roundabouts on a pretty regular Occurrence and that’s all staying within 45 minutes of where I live
I live in an area where you have a single-lane roundabout near a neighborhood park in the US within one of your route options described (South Bay). But since most of the US is made with the IHS in mind, there are no roundabouts in more conventional neighborhood layouts.
For many places in the US, especially in 2016, roundabouts are fairly new concepts that most US drivers just cannot comprehend for whatever reason. I live in a county where they've been common for many, many years now and just about everyone knows how to navigate them properly.
I’ve made a catch-all term for wildly complicated obtuse roads in the US which seem to be desperately trying to avoid solving the issue with better public transit. I call them spaghetti roads. Because it’s like someone tossed a bunch of noodles on the blueprint and said “sure”
@@vincentlevarrick6557 I drove across Spaghetti Junction last week, one of the busiest road junctions in the UK. Slow, due to traffic density, but safe and easy. And nothing to do with Roundabouts!
I like that close to all roundabouts in Denmark have art installations or flower fields in the center of them, that can make the roundabouts into easy location markers of you need to give directions to someone who doesnt know the local road names or buildings
There’s one in my town with sheep sculptures. At some point this summer, someone decided they should all be on holiday and dressed them in swimming consumes and gave them luggage. I guess that might qualify as art?
@@myra0224 They are supposed to obstruct the view. You are supposed to be looking at the cars coming from your immediate left, not cars on the opposite side of the roundabout
@@OntarioTrafficMan I know, but you have to see them coming, don't you? And that's not possible because there's stuff in the way of my view. Cars don't drive 10 km/h on a roundabout so you have to be careful...
@@myra0224 if you can't see the cars far enough away then you are approaching too quickly. Even if the cars are circulating at 50 km/h (which would be very fast) you have a few seconds from when you can see them come around the circle.
Straight up . When touring the States in the late 70s I asked a cop in the local Dunkin Donuts the best way to negotiate a rotary after being nearly rammed once or twice , and he repilied " just close your eyes and put your foot down " ! I laughed and practically choked on my donut and he responded " What are you laughing at ? " . Luckily for curious Brits they were pretty rare back then . Im pleased to see the blanket 55mph speed limit on interstates removed . Who says progress has stagnated in America ? The weirdest experience ever was driving along on a road completely devoid of anything ( even a dead skunk ) for countless MILES at 55 mph .
This does seem like a case of the USA not trusting the expertise readily available in other countries regarding roundabouts. A roundabout is not an automatic choice but they are effective when put in the right place and used correctly. I would pretty much trust the road planning department in the UK to put in the sort of roundabout that the junction requires. They might get it wrong sometimes and it might become outdated as time goes by and the traffic passage changes but mostly, they work.
Thankfully, in general, most states are much more sensible (imo) about traffic circles, than New Jersey. I’ve driven extensively in about 60% of our states. My reaction when encountering a roundabout is, “Oh thank goodness.” If we were all like New Jersey, I’d definitely approach a roundabout screaming OH GOD OH GOD WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE. I’ve driven through New Jersey several times, but I only got off the interstate in the northwest corner (buying sheep lol).
These weird circular madhouses of traffic usually resulted from a time when there was no international experience. See, the US was the world's first country to really adopt mass motoring. The result was that nobody else had ever studied this before.
Jug handles are more common in Jersey than circles ( because jug handles are claimed to be safer than "Jersey style" traffic circles).. I grew up in north Jersey and moved to California recently and did not realize until moving how they are only a Jersey thing. Another Jersey thing is all the exit signs being a few feet after the exit and drivers quickly crossing several lanes to prevent missing the exit.... I did not realize New Jersey drivers and roads were so different until I moved...
Most of New England has jughandles as well. Probably not as common as in New Jersey, but I've seen them in Massachusetts and Vermont. NE also has a lot of the 4-way intersection variation, where a turning lane for both directions splits off the right side like an exit ramp, leading to the smaller road at a separate intersection from the main road.
Norwegian here. We have a lot of roundabouts! But we like to combine them with jug handles. Example: You are driving on the highway and you need to exit the highway. You stay in the left lane, and move onto the offramp - usually a long offramp to avoid any possible backup onto the highway. As you drive down the offramp you will enter a roundabout. The roundabout have three exits: * right exit, towards whatever destination is located to the right. * "straight" ahead exit , takes you back onto the same highway you just left - usually via a big jug handle. * left exit, takes you by an overpass to the left of the highway you were driving on - where you will meet an identical roundabout (that makes it possible to go back down on the highway in the opposite direction, via a big jug handle). Thus most highway exits constitutes; two roundabouts, one overpass, four jug handles.
@@jarls5890 The Boston area has a lot of junctions that sound just like what you're describing! I don't think you understand the term "jughandles" though, as I think you're describing what we just call entrance and exit ramps. I suggest looking up the "New Jersey Jughandle" on Google Images for reference. It's used at direct intersections without overpasses, where traffic would turn left from a larger road onto a smaller road - instead of turning left at the intersection, a ramp comes off the right and loops around to the intersection, where you go straight across the large road onto the smaller road instead, eliminating the need for left turns.
That "sign after the exit" situation is not uncommon at least up to Boston. In Massachusetts its even worse, since they have nearly unlit highways in some areas with woeful lane markings (not that NJ is much better with markings). At night, you can barely tell which side of the sign is the road on some exits. It's so dark it's like the air sucks up your headlights before they reach the ground.
For a Roundabout there are only two rules mandatory: -Who's in the circle has right-of-way; others has to yield -if you drive on the right side of the road (USA, Gemany, France,...) you drive counter-clockwise in the circle. BTW, the technical Term in Germany is 'Kreisverkehrsplatz'. In case someome wants to know...
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You are wrong. Right of way is completely separate sign, you will usually have yield sign when you enter roundabout. If there is no yield sign, then you don't have to yield. The roundabout sign itself is the same type of sign as "turn right/left" when you can't go any other direction or "keep right/left" if you have some median on the road. Round blue sign with white symbols that indicate where you should go. If you have to turn, it shows arrow that turns left or right. If you have to keep left/right side of the median, the arrow points on the correct sign. And guess what roundabout sign does. It shows you the direction of traffic flow. It's either left or right. It does not matter if you are in Germany, France or UK. Roundabouts can go both ways and you have to pay attention to what the sign says. It will always show you if it's clockwise or counter clockwise. It's most common to have counter-clockwise roundabouts in right hand drive traffic but it's not always like that. There are no special rules on roundabouts. General rules apply to them.
@he is right tho. A roundabout is by definition a circle intersection where the vehicles inside it have the right of way therfore in order to be named a roundabout, two different signs are needed, a circle sign and a give way sign otherwise we are not talking about a roundabout. An intersection with just the blue&circle is just another intersection and cannot be named a roundabout.
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@@Adrian-Ionut No. The definition of roundabout is that traffic runs in circle. If you know any other definition, it's a lie. Don't trust some random sources, TH-camrs, shady web pages. Read Vienna convention. Sign D, 3 ‘COMPULSORY ROUNDABOUT’, shall notify drivers that they must follow the direction at the roundabout indicated by the arrows. If the roundabout is indicated by the sign D, 3 together with the sign B, 1 or B, 2, the driver in the roundabout has priority.
@ It might depend on the country you're in. I live in the Netherlands and rule here is that without signs, traffic going straight staying on the same road has priority over turning traffic. If both vehicles want to turn onto another way, you have to give way to traffic coming from your right. Since a roundabout is a continuous road (just in the shape of a circle), without signs traffic on the roundabout has right of way here. You will usually however see road markings here.
@ kudos for quoting the vienna convention on traffic rules. Not so many people go that deep. However countries can dispute that convention. They can also bring minor changes and different interpretations. Some countries still differentiate the circle intersection and the roundabout as every roundabout is a circle intersection but not any circle intersection is a roundabout.
"common sense" and "caution" are truly antithetical to the overall vibe of New Jersey. watching people make u turns in my driveway is a daily reminder of this fact
The gas one gets me every time I pass through! So weird. The first time, I had an attendant yell at me once as I got out of my car to pump my gas. I had no idea they had such a law!
honestly i kinda like not pumping my own gas, but the roads here are absolutely bonkers. i can think of 2 different very busy 5-way intersections (5 roads branching out from the same light) just from within like 5 miles of my hometown
@@jk-jl2lo y'all even have the pump locks to make the process even more easy than it already is. Shove the tube in the hole, squeeze the handle, lock the handle, and piss off until the tank is full or it spills to the ground because of the lock. Wow, much hard, such difficult task.
@@castform57 Do American pumps not have automatic shut off? In the UK our pumps stop dispensing when the tank is full, even if you're still squeezing the handle.
I lived long time near the biggest (i think, but 1 km in circumstance) traffic circle in the Netherlands. It was converted 20 years ago back to traffic lights because it constantly got congested. I still remember getting stuck for a hour on that roundabout...
UK has converted a few roundabouts to traffic lights before. Some say it's because it makes it safer for cars, but more dangerous for cyclists. To make matters worse, we also use traffic lights on roundabouts when it's best to use one or the other.
You mean the one near Eindhoven? Yeah, that one was pretty terrible... although if you think about it, it was a massive roundabout trying to do the work normally done by an interchange with several flyovers, it was kind of bound to fail :s
I'm old enough to remember when Massachusetts rotaries were legally a free-for-all. But in 1975 or so, the state passed a law requiring traffic entering the rotary to yield to traffic inside the rotary. People still flew in and out (that's where it's fun!) but the smart people knew to slow down entering rotary in case they have to yield. 3:12 That's the Long Beach Circle in California, which looks like a rotary 4:06 and originally was judging by the roadway layout but was signed and striped to behave more like an extra large roundabout as is obvious in the video.
A issues up in canada is there is no consistency in how your suppsed to indicate while in traffic circle/Roundabout. In British Columbia your suppsed to indicate when approaching the Roundabouts ( take first exit right indicator, going throw no indicator, 3/4 left indicator.) Then indicate when exiting Roundabouts. I was taught in Alberta and it was right indicator if your take the first exit, else left indicator until your about to exit. Then indicate your exiting with right indicator.
Oh boy, an Evan Edinger video about roundabouts! Urban and road design is one of my newest special interests and I'm glad to see you beginning to delve into it! It's truly fascinating how stupidly roads and urban environments are laid out, and as you'd imagine America is lauded as probably the worst at it (mostly due to money and politics of course). I highly encourage learning more about this stuff, and in particular checking out what the Dutch road design code is compared to the American one, let's just say there's a good reason the Netherlands is known for cyclists and America is known as a death trap for them. On that note I shall stop before I turn this into a massive essay, rather than a slightly longer than average comment 😅
A jug handle video will blow people’s minds. I grew up in NJ and so jughandles were just natural. I remember the first time I saw my grandparents from NY being totally baffled by it. Me and my brother were in the back seat saying, “no, go right! Go right!” 😂 We were on route 1 and they were going to attempt a left turn where there’s no left turn lane. We were terrified 😅
There are a few jug handles else where, I have run across a couple over 40 years, can't remember where thou, but not NJ. It's basically a clover at street level. No road separation. If it's properly signed like a clover, works pretty good!
I’ve been on a transit TH-cam binge today (playing Simcity again recently) so this is perfect. I did road trip in April with my dad from West Virginia to NYC & driving in NJ is petrifying, everyone was beeping at us for not breaking the speed limit
Aussies call them roundabouts also. We have heaps of them. They're pretty simple to use really. Tho the big multi-laned multi-exit roundabouts can be a bit nervewreking😐😄 Sure glad I don't have to tackle New Jersey traffic circles tho😮.
Roundabouts and traffic circles are different things. Australia is a civilised country so presumably only has roundabouts. The USA has both, and New Jersey only has traffic circles.
You say that but in Brisbane (Indooroopilly specifically) there used to be a roundabout with a set of traffic lights on it and a car dealership in the middle.... yes it was stupid. Luckily they knocked it down and are down building an overpass (meaning it has been constant roadworks for the last two years and until probably the end of 2024.
Germans use kreisverkehr, literally circletraffic. Wikipedia uses 'roundabout' as titles normally go by the most commonly used word (all of UK and 55% of USA). Same with using 'gasoline' instead of 'petrol'
@@katrinabryce they’re only different things in North America where they’ve tried to reinvent the wheel multiple times instead of just installing roundabouts like everyone else.
Great video. You totally nailed New Jersey driving culture. The photos and animations are very informative. Side note: When NJ traffic circles are converted into intersections the businesses often keep their old names. Hence, Circle Lanes (Roxbury) and Circle Lumber (Wayne area).
Roundabouts are so efficient. As an American I loved this concept when I drove all over England for 2 weeks. A drive that normally took 10 minutes only takes 6 or 7 if your intersection were roundabouts. So not only was I on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road I figured this out in mere minutes. I can’t understand why they don’t catch on here.
I agree in general, but they can be annoying if there are too many of them. I moved a year and a half ago and visit the town I used to live in weekly. It's on the other side of the river I live next to, so I have to take either a ferry, or drive over one of two highway bridges. The shortest route is 27 km / 17 miles, and in the 10 miles to the highway there are nine roundabouts. The other route is 37 km / 23 miles and has two, and takes like two minutes longer. I usually take the ferry but if I don't (or it's after closing) I always take the longer route because it's WAY more convenient to just drive on cruise control than to constantly having to break and accelerate. Fuel consumption will be quite equal due to that as well.
All these circular structures have their uses, but roundabouts advocates seem to overgeneralize from experience where they're most efficient -- which they aren't in many cases.
@@goodmaro If you mean roundabouts aren't perfect I'd agree with that. They are better than the alternatives most of the time. Who wouldn't want better?
@@JeanPierreWhite Most of the time? Can't say that. Depends a lot on the details of the roads and traffic that come together there. If you have a crossing of two roads, for instance, and one of them never has anywhere near the traffic of the other, and neither is heavily trafficked, a simple intersection controlled by Yield or even Stop signs is best. If you have heavy enough traffic to justify all the costs, an interchange with over/underpass is best. If the crossing is where pedestrians want to cross, a roundabout is intimidation or death to them. More than 4 spokes at a crossing (that doesn't justify overpasses) will almost always call for either a signalized intersection or a traffic circle too large to call a roundabout.
In my town, there is a "roundabout", where 5 streets meet, with a raised water fountain in the middle. The thing is, that it's not really a roundabout, where you have to go counter clockwise (viewed from above) around it. So, if you want to take the exit to your left, you can just drive left. Fortunately, one of the five street there is now a one way street, leaving this "not-roundabout", but that didn't stop someone, coming out of it, onto this traffic mess, to my right. And, yes, every crossing in this traffic conundrum is a right-before-left situation, so you would actually be better off, driving through it the wrong way. Oh, and as a bonus, there are no traffic lights in my town anywhere, accept at sites, where the road gets worked on.
Google maps reveals: Woodbury is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States, eight miles east of Saint Paul along Interstate 94. It is part of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. The population was 75,102 at the 2020 census, making it Minnesota's eighth most populous city.
Thanks for explaining this in a very roundabout way! My hometown is Flemington with 3 very infamous circles each with their own personalities and historical patterns. They’ve at least started to add signage for those from out of town.
Non-Jersey American here. The rest of the country generally thinks Jersey is nuts, especially the traffic rules. If I were a driver coming up Route 34 and there were no stoplight or stop sign at the entrance to the circle, I'd still yield to the traffic already in the circle coming around from my left, because that's how it's done in every other state! That whole bit about 33 backing up due to 34 entering the circle with the right of way is insane.
In Alexandria, LA there is a square traffic circle that's pretty terrible. I saw an article that said the rate of accidents was 15 to 30 times worse than the state average on the squircle.
@@JeanPierreWhite Back in the days before everyone basically had Satnav in their pockets, I was helping my ex with something on the edge of Swindon that involved printing out directions for people to find the place. They basically consisted of "At the next roundabout, take the third exit. At the next roundabout, take the second exit. At the next roundabout..."
@@AbenZin1 Milton Keynes is pretty much the same. Roundabouts occur what seems like every 400 yards. Here's what ChatGPT says. Milton Keynes has a higher density of roundabouts compared to Swindon. Milton Keynes is well-known for its extensive network of roundabouts, with around 1.46 roundabouts per square kilometer, making it one of the highest concentrations of roundabouts in the UK . On the other hand, Swindon is famous for its complex "Magic Roundabout," but it doesn't have the same density of roundabouts as Milton Keynes
I was in the UK (York specifically) and I love how the roundabouts just work. Back in the US where I am at, small to medium sized roundabouts are gradually popping up with the proper rules applied. For the most part, everyone gets how you are supposed to drive in them but we still get a handful of drivers that either charge their way through yeilding to no one, or they get confused on how to navigate it. I do find it interesting though that in CA, roundabouts have been covered in the handbook for decades but it's only recently that they are being implemented in more places outside of residential areas.
That roundabout from the beginning is actually absurd. An unprotected through roundabout without give way rules!? That would be an absolute deathtrap. The highway running through the middle should be grace separated, or traffic light controlled, and the remaining roads should all give way to the inside like a normal roundabout. It seems like such an easy fix, I can’t believe it existed in such an atrocious state for so long, it could never have been efficient.
EAGERLY awaiting your upcoming jughandle episode. I'm a Canadian whose claim to fame is I've driven to/through/around 49 states and Jersey stands alone with that jughandle nonsense!!!
@@TheSkyGuy77Yeah, I understand why they are there, but it is very unusual, so people who are not used to them will struggle with the concept. A far better solution would be roundabouts.
We have a lot of jughandles here around Burlington, Vermont. They were confusing at first when I moved here, but in my experience since then, they've highly efficient and move traffic faster, and are very safe, and I've gotten over any beef I had with them.
Easy fix for your traffic circles is that all traffic joining/entering must yield to existing traffic. Though having too many lanes makes it hard to navigate, and high speeds make it hard to negotiate merging.
I watched a CNBC youtube video yesterday about roundabouts in the US, and it seemed like the tide was turning over there when it comes to embracing the roundbout, specifically focussing on Carmel Indiana that has been replacing most of their intersections. They didn't talk about this madness in NJ though!
I used to live in Carmel! I remember them building two on one street near where I lived, about 2ish miles apart! The construction took forever, but I remember traffic flow being better when they were done!
Wonderful. As a fellow Southern New Jersey Driver (Gloucester County) I used to deal with one of the two Roundabouts in Swedesboro. (I've retired) These have Yield signs. My biggest issue was that fact some drivers think Yield means right of way (same thought of turn signal gives me right of way). Many a time I've had to jam breaks while in the the roundabout for that reason.
This exactly. First thing coming to my mind is this situation mentioned past 10:35 well before it was mentioned. It's the worst edge case, yet probably happening every single day. Come on...
Actually it does matter. That rule is easiest for circles of a considerable size. In small enough roundabouts, it can be hard even to *see* who's in it already, resulting instead in looking at the next entering roadway. Which is why I think roundabouts are hardly ever worthwhile compared to other controls at a 4-spoke intersection.
@@goodmaro You clearly don't know a thing about intersections. Do some more research, you may not like them, but they are so much better than a 4 way stop in nearly every single way, every single time.
@@goodmaro Which is why I think roundabouts are hardly ever worthwhile compared to other controls at a 4-spoke intersection when I said 4-way stop I meant 4-spoke intersection. Round abouts are better than 4-spoke intersections in every single case.
Sadly, they're getting around to implementing these in Kentucky, where I live, and NO ONE knows how use them. They're also not well-designed, so it's a mess from the ground up.
I stumbled across roundabout in Eastern Europe and Russia where traffic inside has to yield. Those where a nightmare to get out of. I don't want to imagine haw badly those clog up during rush hour.
I'm from Gloucester county....and this is hysterical!! To get to Cherry Hill Mall we had to do Brooklawn, Collingswood, then Airport Circles. Just when you think you're done ~ there are now two circles in Swedesboro...
The rule of right hand applies in all circles in Europe too unless indicated otherwise by traffic signs, which in 99% of circles gives the right of way to people already in the circle. So if there is no sign when entering the circle, people in it have to give way to those incoming. At least our riad laws say so.
In which European country? In the UK that's never been a law (well we do give way to the right, but that's because we go clockwise round the roundabout). In France they changed the laws a few years ago from traffic entering the roundabout having priority to traffic on the roundabout having priority, because it was causing so many issues. Every European country I know of has priority for traffic already on the roundabout, but as every country sets its own laws I'm sure there are exceptions.
In Polish law the C12 sign indicates an 'intersection with circular traffic', a single entity. And then it's added that only when joined with a yield sign does it mean right of way for vehicles on the circle. When it's not this pair of signs you can be mostly sure it's improper signage and should be fixed.
Your bird's eye view of the Collingswood traffic circle... that's the very Mad Max Thunderdome traffic circle I encounter coming and going to work between East Brunswick and Neptune. Every time I get to it ask, often out loud: "Was this designed in an opium den in the 19th century? About two miles north on route 33 is an even crazier traffic feature near JB's dinner. Insanity.
There had been a circle in Pompton, NJ, and my mom got caught in the inside lane of it and it took over 20 minutes for her to finally get out of the circle.
There were no established rules for priorities on roundabouts in Britain too. That was changed overnight on 2 November 1966 when a general advisory rule was introduced "forthwith to the effect that vehicles entering a roundabout should give way to vehicles already in it". Applied to all roundabouts immediately unless there were contrary roadmarkings. This was after a few years of trials which were controversial especially where major flows were suddenly having to give priority to minor ones.
Until 1980 Massachusetts gave the right of way to cars entering rotaries. Also no right on red, and the 2nd and 3rd cars at a stop sign didn't have to stop. To compensate for a slight error on my driving exam, I had to navigate a pair of Cambridge's scariest rotaries (long since changed). Our motto is "Driving is an adventure, and traffic laws for only suggestions".
When my old Canadian home town put a roundabout on one of the two major highway crossings (ok, it's only a little two lane), my dad used to go have coffee at a local restaurant that had a good view and enjoy the chaos of people who had never seen one try to negotiate it. Having experienced that intersection for many years prior as a two way stop, the roundabout is waaay safer and more efficient.
Keep in mind that New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the US. Some of the circles were built when there was far less traffic, too. My "favorite" is the Somerville circle where 2 highways plus another road come together in the middle of a built up area with 2 shopping centers right there. A couple decades ago they put one of the highways on an overpass, but it's still crazy. There are traffic lights regulating the flow into the circle, and a couple of yeild signs within it. It works, but I'd hate to drive through it for the first time, not knowing what to expect.
Exactly! People look at some of the circles that've been around a long time and don't realize they didn't always have those controls, which were retrofit onto them as a compromise solution for an increase in traffic volume.
In Finland we used to have both roundabouts and traffic circles, the difference is/was that in roundabout the cars entering yield but in circle the cars in the circle yield for cars entering. As these circles were inferior, more dangerious and not good for traffic flow, they were depricated and I think they all are now gone.
Morristown, NJ recently added a roundabout and I would say it works really well. Only problem is that they have some pedestrian signs where you can turn on flashers to cross and it works okay but I’d say it’s a positive change
There's at least one TH-cam about those HAWK lights. Confusing as hell when you consider that ordinarily a light that's completely out is to be treated as broken, i.e. a stop sign. Also confusing vis-a-via RR crossing signals.
We have a few roundabouts in my part of Virginia. I was a bit confused the first time I saw one, since it never got covered in driving school... but I figured it out pretty easily by following the signs, thinking about it, and watching what other drivers did. Now I vastly prefer them over pretty much any other sort of medium-to-small size intersection. I might prefer them for large intersections too, but none of the ones I've used are placed on high-traffic roads so I don't currently have an opinion. Ours are all in neighborhoods and recently developed (within the past decade or so) shopping center parking lots.
I didn't know you were from NJ! Love your videos. Started watching your Duolingo ones( I'm on 639 days Español). So funny, "I wanna go to the diner" 😂 I live in South Jersey, near LBI. I avoid all driving in North Jersey and every circle I can lol! Jughandles, those not so bad 😮😊 Ps...I'm from central Jersey...Freehold Twp lived on 33! 😂 Have to start watching all your vids!
9:13 usually in Europe there is a yield sign when entering the roundabout, and vehicles inside the roundabout have the priority road sign (meaning they have the right of way), however, there are rare exceptions where perhaps a road is ending in a large roundabout, that road can have the priority road sign, and the vehicles in that part of the roundabout will get the yield sign, which can be dangerous as in driving school you're taught that vehicles in the roundabout have right of way, so if you didn't see the sign you can have a collision if you're not driving defensively.
Have you taken your UK driving test yet? I remember a couple years ago you mentioned in a video that you had to stop taking lessons due to Covid. I’d love a video on what the experience was like if you have taken it and if not, documenting your driving test journey.
It's so true in NJ the traffic pattern is just set by what people in that area like to do. Every town by me has different styles of yielding and it's very bizarre.
This is how they did a big roundabout on Clearwater Beach originally. You had to yield to people entering. Bonkers. The rumours were they had a Brit consult and then basically ignored their suggestions. Bad idea.
Sounds about right. Majority of people here in my area of the state expect people to yield to those entering but it's so they won't get hit by them as they barrel through not stopping going 40mph. With all the lead foots with egos here it's a scary place to be.
Lmaooo omg this makes me both miss NJ and happy I don't live there anymore at the same time 😂😂 I know the circle you mentioned and I just had flashbacks to visiting my friend that used to live in an apartment off that circle 😅
Learning how to drive on a roundabout scared me - and to this day, I still have a habit of assuming I’m doing something wrong. But once you move to an automatic car from a stick-shift/manual, then it frankly becomes easy and safe to navigate. However, I distinctly remember when I moved back to the US for a year (I grew up in the UK) being taken to see the local roundabout, which my mother remembered deliberately going to drive, because it was the only one. Four-way junctions *seem* great, indeed, easier, until you’re tired, or trying to navigate, then once you’re out of speed-controlled areas (and damn, does half the US drive slooooow for a driving-focused nation, the only ticket I have is from the US, and from topping 65 on a four lane highway that was bigger than most motorways back home, but no, apparently the speed limit dropped to 55 back at the state line) they come deathtraps for the inattentive and unlucky.
We have had 2 roundabouts in my NY town for decades, but recently several more have been added. In the right locations they have definitely improved traffic flow AND reduced accidents. In one resort area (Westhampton), a 5 street lintersection using traffic lights was vastly improved by simply changing it to a roundabout. Another 5 road roundabout was converted to a multi-lane ("turbo") rotary, which also improved traffic flow.
I’m from brooklyn in NYC originally and learned to drive there. The drivers are insane AF. Then I moved to New Jersey and they’re insane in different ways. When I’ve driven on road trips, I’m pleasantly surprised how calm it is lol
Growing up on the west coast, car horns are only for emergencies or to wake up a driver at a light on the phone. Using it otherwise was considered rude. But having been thru New York, the car horn there is used for communication. It seems everyone is tapping the horn for every little thing. I never heard so many horns going off all the time.
Great video, Evan! Looks like that first traffic circle you showed is the 73-70 Olga's Diner circle. I know it well. I'm glad they've fixed it with the over pass for Route 73, which definitely fixed a lot of the traffic on 73 but it's still pretty bad as you approach Church Road in the Ramblewood section. I think that growing up in the 80s driving around all the circles in South Jersey prepared me for when I had to navigate all the roundabouts in the UK! Also, I love the picture of the Airport Circle you showed. I've been looking for a picture like that for years. You can see the future site of The Pub in the upper left of the circle with 38 and 130 approaching from the right, 30 extending north, and 130 leaving to the left. There used to be a big-rig truck dealer right there between 130 and 38. It's been the way it is now for so long, I had forgotten what it looked like back in the 70s and before! Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Well done.
Duh. I should have watched the entire video before commenting. Additionally, you didn't mention that sometimes it's more convenient, if not cheating according to my wife, to go around a circle instead of going straight through when there are lights involved, as in the old 73-70 circle. Currently, there is a circle in Cherry Hill near the Olive Garden where I will, most times, stay to the right and go right around the circle, thus avoiding the red light altogether.
That monstrosity not a roundabout. There are no cross roads in those. But the rules for a roundabout are simple. The people driving in it have priority over those that want to enter, but drive cooperatively to keep up flow. Anything else doesn't work. And no a big highway interchange is not the place for a roundabout. They exist to replace the need for stupid stoplights at small to medium sized crossings. For highway interchanges there are better designs.
Something that might amuse you is France historically has people on the roundabout giving way and STOPPING to let people onto the roundabout rather than the other way round. Personally I feel the rules of if you're on the roundabout you have the right of way it makes the most sense.
I spent a month in India in 2019 and from the outside it looks chaotic, but when you're in the think of it all of the drivers really do take care of how they drive.
7:35 that's exactly how one of our roundabouts work here in our small town in Illinois. And it's the only one that I know of that works this way. The roundabout has a courthouse in the middle of it with businesses surrounding the circle. Traffic coming on to the roundabout do not have to stop or yield (unless there are pedestrians in the crosswalk) and have the right of way, despite this not being written into law. This is the way it has worked since the roundabout was installed around the courthouse in 1909. Locals just "know".
I lived north of Philly for 8 years, and I always forget the NJ is also PvP enabled, just in a different way. Subscribed for the future Jersey Jug Handle. lol
Love it. As an original South Jersey person i got my license in 1967 I was taught to go into the circle, not stop, don’t slow down just close your eyes and keep moving . Born in Maple Shade & moved to Somerdale after married to Camden girl. Now in Florida and New Jersey drivers all over here and there are circles all over now
I live in it. I wasn't born in New Jersey. But, anyone who asks: "I live in central New Jersey, the "Brunswicks", near-ish to Philadelphia". I really don't get involved in the geopolitical drama of it all.
I go through the traffic circle near the AC airport in Egg Harbor Township everyday for work. It’s a breeze in the early mornings, but it’s an absolute nightmare during rush hour
There used to be a traffic circle in North Jersey, and mind you I am going back like 50 years here, that had a diner in the center island. Basically the circle went around the diner and the diner's parking lot. In fact there were a number of incidences where someone, traveling at high speed, drove straight into the parking lot of the diner thinking it was the road. Eventually the circle and the diner got demolished to make way for an interchange.
Technically some roundabouts in the UK are also known as gyratorieas 🤭 I had no idea till one near where I work was closed due to an accident and that’s what the Police called it!
Gyratories in UK are spiral / turbo roundabouts where the lanes spiral out rather than having concentric circles for the multiple lanes. Once you're in the correct lane you stay in lane as opposed to conventional roundabouts where you cross lanes to exit.
@@andyalder7910 Sometimes a gyratory is basically a small one-way system, with a few one-way roads forming a small loop, but still acting as separate roads.
I remember reading the "no set rules" sentence in my manual and going wtf? My mom's from Massachusetts and she always taught me that those in rotary have the right of way. It's the wild wild west here in Jersey.
Canadian here (living in the UK now), and the first time I encountered a roundabout I was in Australia in a rental car. I made it from central Brisbane and out onto the motorway without any problems, but when I got the exit I needed, I panicked in traffic at the roundabout and just turned left. After driving down a country road for miles and miles, I finally found a place to turn around, but pulled back into traffic on the incorrect side and almost caused a head-on crash. After I made it to my destination (uni town), I went out after dark and practiced while traffic was light. Never had issues again. Now I love roundabouts!
I think our biggest difficulty would be driving on the left side. I would want to practice somewhere without traffic before I endanger a country citizen or myself. I would hate to be an incompetent driver in the UK. That would be irresponsible. I've been driving a standard since 1970 in the states, however, having the stick shift on my left would require some practice. I once saw a TV program with Hugh Jackman suddenly put behind the wheel of a standard in the UK. He freaked out at first, it was the left hand shifter, he did end up grinding some gears. And laughing a bit. I don't remember who was in the passenger seat forcing him to drive.
I found in Germany that my employers and coworkers all assumed as an American that I didn't drive a standard car. I got made fun of BEFORE I had a chance to speak. I was given a company car to drive. When they closed their mouths while grinning at me, I quietly told them I had been driving one since 1970 in Detroit. They were stunned. Growing up in the muscle car era was a blast, we were all so fortunate. However, if you couldn't drive a standard, you were called a chicken or a Wuss. That was an older slang that actually meant um.... Cat. Well, it rhymed with.... the 1st word. We were a huge generation of manual drivers.
@@anitapeludat256 I agree with that. I can remember my first time driving a hire car in Europe - there was a lot to get used to all at once, as well as find one's way around unfamiliar streets! The one bit of muscle memory that carries over is the feet - the pedals are at least in the same order. The whole thing is definitely made a lot easier if one's first time is in a car with automatic transmission. And yes - a little preparation helps an awful lot. Reading the rules is a good move. There's so many different ways / customs for how people use roads. For example in France they have "priorite a droit" - priority to the right. In some towns, traffic joining a main road from a T junction has priority. The *only* way of knowing you're in such a town is if the road markings show no Give Way / Yield line for the joining traffic. And, it's not every town. You have to be very careful of that in France, because it changes on a town boundary, and in a built up area you may not even realise the rules have suddenly changed. It's also now comparatively rare. Most Mayors have seen sense, but some haven't, so the rarity value makes one even less familiar with dealing with it. In Germany, it's illegal to overtake a bus stopped at the bus stop. It isn't in the UK. There's so many gotchas. Child seats are difficult. In Europe you can drive across a border and, suddenly, the child seating becomes illegal. In France, they can be seated looking forward. In Germany, they have to be facing backwards until the age of 4. Having an arrangement that is legal in every country is really difficult to pull off. In Norway there's a lot of "low emissions" roads and streets - go past the sign saying so in the wrong car and you cop a large fine without knowing it! Different countries have different rules on the amount and type of emergency kit one has to have on board (reflector triangles, etc). Generally, before driving in Europe, I consult the website for the UK's Automobile Association - they have very useful driving guides for every country in Europe, which are kept right up to date. Being in English, they'd be as useful to any English speaking person going to drive in Europe as they are to ourselves. Having driven a lot all over the world, I find the one thing that I've not been able to shake off is looking left for the rear view mirror. I end up using the side mirror. These days, good satnav takes a lot of the pain out of dealing with unfamiliar streets. I reckon picking up a hire car from the airport is the worst, because generally they dump you straight on to motorway / autoroute or something similar, and a mistake doing that can be a long diversion! With Britain being so close to Europe, there's a lot more "popping across the channel", so a lot of Brits are doing it. This does cause problems in the Calais region of France. The accident rate caused by Brits driving on the wrong side of the road is actually quite high, and the nature of the accidents (head on collisions) is disproportionally bad. It's become a bit of a political issue in that part of France, with calls to ban all drivers from countries that drive on the left until they've passed a French driving test. That would be an excessive response and wouldn't solve the problem of infrequent exposure to a different driving environment - the actual problem. Fortunately it's not become a French National politics issue (where it would be something that could become law). British tourism amounts to something like 5% of the entire French economy, so it's a fairly big deal.
LoL I haven't driven the Brooklawn circle in over a decade. I avoid it because whenever it rains its usually flooded and somehow I'm usually driving the back way through Bellmawr/Gloucester City to hit up that ShopRite.
Europe has some crazy roundabouts too. The top two in my list are multilane roundabouts in Valencia and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Every time I exited them in a cold sweat.
As someone that lives in the routes 33, 34, and 35 area, I'm proud to share that over the last few years theyve been fixing the circles. Most of them around me now have Yield signs at entry, giving right if way to those in the circle. I believe that includes that messy 33/34 intersection in the video (drove through it last night, although it was late and there watsnt much traffic so i might have missed something on one of the other entrances).
9:23 That's like how France used to be passage a droite (right) et gauche (left) give way to drivers entering the circle. They got rid of that eventually but I was there mid way through on my First ever time driving in France, fun times.
I've visited NJ four times but only travelled as a passenger with someone familiar with local driving. I wasn't aware of any of these complications on journeys between Newark and Cape May.
This video was great! I spent nearly all of my childhood in South Jersey, and the longest chunk of that was in Pennsauken (Airport Circle), although we actually lived on the other side of town near Cherry Hill (Racetrack Circle). During my teens we moved way up to sort-of North Jersey and the town of North Brunswick (Route 1/130 circle, deceased). It was great preparation living in the Boston area after college. Say what you want about Boston drivers, but rotaries at least make sense.
Hey, I'm in Voorhees, haha. Brigantine lighthouse circle, the circle just north of the Delilah exit of AC expressway... both so frustrating as well. You forgot to mention that, in NJ, the horn is an essential communication device for locals, and that people will stay stopped at a green light to let someone turn left, even if they have a light that gives them a turn to do it, hahaha.
My experience of driving in Italy for 2 years (mid 80's), was they practiced the left yields to right and thus the circles became jammed packed and traffic came to stand still. It was horrible. My state of Alaska's 1st rule in an roundabout is right yields to left. Therefore the circle is always self clearing! Wow, NJ needs to get its act together!
Im from Bakersfield, CA and we have what is called a traffic circle downtown. I honestly dont remember if there are any official rules in the DMV handbook regarding traffic circles. Most learn fairly quickly that you yield to those already in the circle and even though there are 3 lanes within the circle it's best to enter from the right lane into the right lane and just stay there until your desired exit point, and always have your foot poised over the brake because traffic from the inner lanes are going to cut in front of you to exit. Oh, and only navigate it as a pedestrian or cyclist in late evening or early morning unless you have a deathwish.
So to sum up the New Jersey rules governing traffic circles, "The larger vehicle has right of way if you want to live."
and that is why american vehicles are so big, if i lived there i would what to drive the biggest and scarier vehicle. fortunaly i live in europe.
Nah, to summarize: larger vehicles have right of way unless you have a shiny Mercedes or audi. In which case there are no laws which apply for you. Even the deer avoid your car cuz they know you're an asshole
I think of that as the supreme, crimson rule of the road.
There's one traffic circle on Route 206 in New Jersey where I stole the right-of-way from incoming traffic! Coming from Massachusetts there was NO WAY I was going to stop inside the circle.
@@edwardmiessner6502 which one was it? 206, and 22? That circle SUUUUUCKS
The more I learn about American roads, the more I'm convinced that they're not designed to have any vehicles on them
*people 😅
@@evan I'm including self-driving vehicles. They can't make sense of them either
They are entirely designed and thruput not effectiveness or safety
@@jmurray1110theoretically yes, but a lot of American road design principles actually reduces efficiency, e.g. non-progammable traffic lights (most traffic lights in the USA are just 2 way lights, people going north-south go, then people going east-west, in most of western europe traffic lights are programmed to enable different combinations), stop signs EVERYWHERE (in the UK if there's a stop sign you know that it's a dangerous junction with poor visibility, stop signs are rare and therefore when they are present you take note), stroads (typical American road design of a busy + relatively high-speed road with multiple exists and entrances off it, the design normally impedes traffic flow). Honestly whenever I visit the USA I'm shocked by the crappy road design, the majority of roads are inefficient and dangerous due to how they are designed.
@@evan, excellent Evan , you have killed all jokes about Americans on roundabouts but don't worry as on the other hand you've opened up a very big target about your planers and civil servants and of course the total lack of common sense 😂😂 .
Just thought are the American civil servants as bad as the UK ones ie " Yes minister " /. " Yes Prime Minister " 😃 as appently the program is very true
What's mad is that in cities skylines traffic does obey the UK rules for roundabouts, even in US cities, because actually implementing US driving laws for roundabouts would result in an infuriating game with loads of traffic backups.
Traffic in cities skylines is mental already at times.
Implementing US driving laws for roundabouts would result in pileups and drivers getting shot.
It's not US laws that are the issue, it's specifically New Jersey. Plenty of other states have similar laws to the UK and everywhere else in the world
@@davidt-rex2062 Traffic is mental at times. FTFY.
Lmao, we don't have rules for roundabouts. We just put them in places that don't need them and move on.
Seriously, I am not joking. There are a whole bunch of lawsuits and unresolved bills centered around the fact that we have no standard for how turn signals work on roundabouts. As it stands in most states every car that uses a roundabout is technically breaking the law because it is physically impossible to apply the existing minimum distance for applying turn signals.
loooool XD as a German I would like to say that the Dutch have figured out roundabouts the best way possible. But in any case, I think in all of Europe there's only one rule: those attempting to drive into a roundabout give way to those already in driving in the roundabout. Simple and effective. I'm glad I don't have to drive inside any of these traffic circles lol
My understanding (and it may be wrong) is that in France (and it be specifically Paris or even just the Arc de Triomphe) is that traffic in the circle has to yield to entering traffic. Which seems nuts to me.
@LiqdPT yeah I'm pretty sure france is the opposite which makes zero sense
@@LiqdPT France is a special kind of Europe, yes
That's changed then. There was a time when you gave way to traffic entering the roundabout in the Neterlands
@@LiqdPT France some roundabouts in rural areas have signs saying 'you do not have priority' on the approach where this rule applies. (in French of course)
That circle/roundabout at the start of the video is infuriating! They could easily have built an overpass for the "straight through" roads, removing any conflict.
True, but it usually develops over time; what started out as a simple intersection gets converted to a roundabout/circle. By that time, shutting down the intersection to build an overpass would cause the traffic to be a nightmare.
@@auntlynnie Not at all. You would only shut down the straight-through parts. You could still easily, for almost the entire build time, have the actual circle open, which accepts traffic from all directions. You'd only have to close all of it off for maybe a couple of weeks. That's not a big issue. You just route the traffic around those roads, like for every other road construction.
@@mytube001this is USA where common sense & long term thinking doesn't apply.
They also could Literally just have had the roundabout.....
They could've elongated it so the highway saw the least problems as anyone entering for an exit is already watching their speed at direction closely, like any sane country with more than a 6 year olds intelligence on graduating high school.
WHich would have cost less than whatever psychopathic monster they built
Flyovers / overpasses cost a lot to build, hamburger roundabouts are much cheaper although inelegant and have to be covered with traffic lights.
The Magic Roundabout in Swindon is still my favourite. I mean, what could be better than FIVE mini roundabouts inside one big roundabout? Even the sign is like a pretty flower!
Six! Swindon's is pretty special, though what I think makes it unique (compared to Hemel's) is that it's all there, in front of you, nothing hidden. You can't as simply squint and pretend that there's only one roundabout there. I used to drive through there regularly, got used to taking all sorts of possible routes around it.
It is interesting that the USA has apparently come round to the idea of the roundabout, at long last. It'll take them time to get used to them, but the end result should be roads that are a lot safer.
Like the Magic roundabout in b Hemel Hempstead. I've driven both and took time to figure out mini roundabouts on a big roundabout.
My friend went to Swindon and had a full blown panic attack at the magic roundabout 🤣 we live in Essex were most people just forget all roundabout rules
Anything would be better than roundabouts inside roundabouts
I've driven round the one in Hemel Hempstead ...
Rules are the same as everywhere : and it's not difficult ...
Give way to people already on a roundabout
Head around the junctions/roundabouts until you get to the road you want ... you can go either way but one is usually less roundabouts ...
Australian here. I visited the USA in late 2016 and drove all the way from San Francisco to Dallas via Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. I do not recall going through a roundabout until I reached Houston. And negotiating that roundabout was a traumatic experience because, if there were rules, nobody followed them. One has to give way to cars already on the roundabout and to those coming from your left (from the right in Australia). That roundabout became a car park with people tooting the horn and pushing through it. An utterly chaotic situation I'll never forget.
Note for other people on this comment
In Australia we have a lot of roundabouts I drive in easily 20 different roundabouts on a pretty regular Occurrence and that’s all staying within 45 minutes of where I live
I live in an area where you have a single-lane roundabout near a neighborhood park in the US within one of your route options described (South Bay). But since most of the US is made with the IHS in mind, there are no roundabouts in more conventional neighborhood layouts.
That’s because Houston is full of people from New Jersey.
It's anywhere there's a traffic circle. Our drivers education is terrible.
For many places in the US, especially in 2016, roundabouts are fairly new concepts that most US drivers just cannot comprehend for whatever reason. I live in a county where they've been common for many, many years now and just about everyone knows how to navigate them properly.
I’ve made a catch-all term for wildly complicated obtuse roads in the US which seem to be desperately trying to avoid solving the issue with better public transit. I call them spaghetti roads. Because it’s like someone tossed a bunch of noodles on the blueprint and said “sure”
The term "Spaghetti Junction" is not new nor is it unique to you.
@@vincentlevarrick6557 But it is tasty
@@vincentlevarrick6557 I drove across Spaghetti Junction last week, one of the busiest road junctions in the UK. Slow, due to traffic density, but safe and easy. And nothing to do with Roundabouts!
@@vincentlevarrick6557 I didn’t know that! Actually kinda cool to know I wasn’t the only one who thought of the resemblance
@@lindenbugspaghetti is used in all sorts of sectors as a metaphor for complication.
Spaghetti code is confusingly programmed code.
I like that close to all roundabouts in Denmark have art installations or flower fields in the center of them, that can make the roundabouts into easy location markers of you need to give directions to someone who doesnt know the local road names or buildings
Sadly here in Belgium they often obscure the view so you can barely see if a car is on the roundabout 😢
There’s one in my town with sheep sculptures. At some point this summer, someone decided they should all be on holiday and dressed them in swimming consumes and gave them luggage. I guess that might qualify as art?
@@myra0224 They are supposed to obstruct the view. You are supposed to be looking at the cars coming from your immediate left, not cars on the opposite side of the roundabout
@@OntarioTrafficMan I know, but you have to see them coming, don't you? And that's not possible because there's stuff in the way of my view. Cars don't drive 10 km/h on a roundabout so you have to be careful...
@@myra0224 if you can't see the cars far enough away then you are approaching too quickly. Even if the cars are circulating at 50 km/h (which would be very fast) you have a few seconds from when you can see them come around the circle.
Straight up . When touring the States in the late 70s I asked a cop in the local Dunkin Donuts the best way to negotiate a rotary after being nearly rammed once or twice , and he repilied " just close your eyes and put your foot down " ! I laughed and practically choked on my donut and he responded " What are you laughing at ? " . Luckily for curious Brits they were pretty rare back then .
Im pleased to see the blanket 55mph speed limit on interstates removed . Who says progress has stagnated in America ? The weirdest experience ever was driving along on a road completely devoid of anything ( even a dead skunk ) for countless MILES at 55 mph .
This does seem like a case of the USA not trusting the expertise readily available in other countries regarding roundabouts. A roundabout is not an automatic choice but they are effective when put in the right place and used correctly.
I would pretty much trust the road planning department in the UK to put in the sort of roundabout that the junction requires. They might get it wrong sometimes and it might become outdated as time goes by and the traffic passage changes but mostly, they work.
Thankfully, in general, most states are much more sensible (imo) about traffic circles, than New Jersey. I’ve driven extensively in about 60% of our states. My reaction when encountering a roundabout is, “Oh thank goodness.”
If we were all like New Jersey, I’d definitely approach a roundabout screaming OH GOD OH GOD WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE. I’ve driven through New Jersey several times, but I only got off the interstate in the northwest corner (buying sheep lol).
That’s one thing I hate about a lot of countries including my own
if another country dose something better just copy them
It's a case of a youtuber making mistakes. The circle he used as an example does NOT prioritize traffic from 33W. All entering traffic yields there.
These weird circular madhouses of traffic usually resulted from a time when there was no international experience. See, the US was the world's first country to really adopt mass motoring. The result was that nobody else had ever studied this before.
Jug handles are more common in Jersey than circles ( because jug handles are claimed to be safer than "Jersey style" traffic circles).. I grew up in north Jersey and moved to California recently and did not realize until moving how they are only a Jersey thing. Another Jersey thing is all the exit signs being a few feet after the exit and drivers quickly crossing several lanes to prevent missing the exit.... I did not realize New Jersey drivers and roads were so different until I moved...
Most of New England has jughandles as well. Probably not as common as in New Jersey, but I've seen them in Massachusetts and Vermont. NE also has a lot of the 4-way intersection variation, where a turning lane for both directions splits off the right side like an exit ramp, leading to the smaller road at a separate intersection from the main road.
Norwegian here. We have a lot of roundabouts! But we like to combine them with jug handles. Example: You are driving on the highway and you need to exit the highway. You stay in the left lane, and move onto the offramp - usually a long offramp to avoid any possible backup onto the highway.
As you drive down the offramp you will enter a roundabout.
The roundabout have three exits:
* right exit, towards whatever destination is located to the right.
* "straight" ahead exit , takes you back onto the same highway you just left - usually via a big jug handle.
* left exit, takes you by an overpass to the left of the highway you were driving on - where you will meet an identical roundabout (that makes it possible to go back down on the highway in the opposite direction, via a big jug handle).
Thus most highway exits constitutes; two roundabouts, one overpass, four jug handles.
Unless you're using a gps it's so fucking easy to miss an exit, and then still even if you're using one!!!!!! I hate driving here 😭
@@jarls5890 The Boston area has a lot of junctions that sound just like what you're describing!
I don't think you understand the term "jughandles" though, as I think you're describing what we just call entrance and exit ramps. I suggest looking up the "New Jersey Jughandle" on Google Images for reference. It's used at direct intersections without overpasses, where traffic would turn left from a larger road onto a smaller road - instead of turning left at the intersection, a ramp comes off the right and loops around to the intersection, where you go straight across the large road onto the smaller road instead, eliminating the need for left turns.
That "sign after the exit" situation is not uncommon at least up to Boston. In Massachusetts its even worse, since they have nearly unlit highways in some areas with woeful lane markings (not that NJ is much better with markings). At night, you can barely tell which side of the sign is the road on some exits. It's so dark it's like the air sucks up your headlights before they reach the ground.
For a Roundabout there are only two rules mandatory:
-Who's in the circle has right-of-way; others has to yield
-if you drive on the right side of the road (USA, Gemany, France,...) you drive counter-clockwise in the circle.
BTW, the technical Term in Germany is 'Kreisverkehrsplatz'. In case someome wants to know...
You are wrong. Right of way is completely separate sign, you will usually have yield sign when you enter roundabout. If there is no yield sign, then you don't have to yield. The roundabout sign itself is the same type of sign as "turn right/left" when you can't go any other direction or "keep right/left" if you have some median on the road. Round blue sign with white symbols that indicate where you should go. If you have to turn, it shows arrow that turns left or right. If you have to keep left/right side of the median, the arrow points on the correct sign. And guess what roundabout sign does. It shows you the direction of traffic flow. It's either left or right. It does not matter if you are in Germany, France or UK. Roundabouts can go both ways and you have to pay attention to what the sign says. It will always show you if it's clockwise or counter clockwise. It's most common to have counter-clockwise roundabouts in right hand drive traffic but it's not always like that.
There are no special rules on roundabouts. General rules apply to them.
@he is right tho. A roundabout is by definition a circle intersection where the vehicles inside it have the right of way therfore in order to be named a roundabout, two different signs are needed, a circle sign and a give way sign otherwise we are not talking about a roundabout. An intersection with just the blue&circle is just another intersection and cannot be named a roundabout.
@@Adrian-Ionut No. The definition of roundabout is that traffic runs in circle. If you know any other definition, it's a lie. Don't trust some random sources, TH-camrs, shady web pages. Read Vienna convention.
Sign D, 3 ‘COMPULSORY ROUNDABOUT’, shall notify drivers that they must follow
the direction at the roundabout indicated by the arrows. If the roundabout is indicated by the sign
D, 3 together with the sign B, 1 or B, 2, the driver in the roundabout has priority.
@ It might depend on the country you're in. I live in the Netherlands and rule here is that without signs, traffic going straight staying on the same road has priority over turning traffic. If both vehicles want to turn onto another way, you have to give way to traffic coming from your right. Since a roundabout is a continuous road (just in the shape of a circle), without signs traffic on the roundabout has right of way here. You will usually however see road markings here.
@ kudos for quoting the vienna convention on traffic rules. Not so many people go that deep. However countries can dispute that convention. They can also bring minor changes and different interpretations. Some countries still differentiate the circle intersection and the roundabout as every roundabout is a circle intersection but not any circle intersection is a roundabout.
"common sense" and "caution" are truly antithetical to the overall vibe of New Jersey. watching people make u turns in my driveway is a daily reminder of this fact
It's an ironic thing to say coming from people who clearly have no common sense.
The average NJ driver would be 100% comfortable operating under the same driving rules as Mad Max: Fury Road
I wish I was kidding.
“I asserted my dominance” made me laugh out loud. 😂☠️😂☠️😂
Me too, in a library XD
New Jersey: We trust you to navigate a our confusing mess of traffic.
Also New Jersey: YOU'D BETTER NOT PUMP YOUR OWN GAS.
The gas one gets me every time I pass through! So weird. The first time, I had an attendant yell at me once as I got out of my car to pump my gas. I had no idea they had such a law!
honestly i kinda like not pumping my own gas, but the roads here are absolutely bonkers. i can think of 2 different very busy 5-way intersections (5 roads branching out from the same light) just from within like 5 miles of my hometown
@@jk-jl2lo y'all even have the pump locks to make the process even more easy than it already is. Shove the tube in the hole, squeeze the handle, lock the handle, and piss off until the tank is full or it spills to the ground because of the lock. Wow, much hard, such difficult task.
@@castform57 Do American pumps not have automatic shut off? In the UK our pumps stop dispensing when the tank is full, even if you're still squeezing the handle.
@@hannahk1306 Same in Denmark, by law
I lived long time near the biggest (i think, but 1 km in circumstance) traffic circle in the Netherlands. It was converted 20 years ago back to traffic lights because it constantly got congested. I still remember getting stuck for a hour on that roundabout...
UK has converted a few roundabouts to traffic lights before. Some say it's because it makes it safer for cars, but more dangerous for cyclists. To make matters worse, we also use traffic lights on roundabouts when it's best to use one or the other.
So the key issue is that it was a traffic circle, not a roundabout
You mean the one near Eindhoven? Yeah, that one was pretty terrible... although if you think about it, it was a massive roundabout trying to do the work normally done by an interchange with several flyovers, it was kind of bound to fail :s
I'm old enough to remember when Massachusetts rotaries were legally a free-for-all. But in 1975 or so, the state passed a law requiring traffic entering the rotary to yield to traffic inside the rotary. People still flew in and out (that's where it's fun!) but the smart people knew to slow down entering rotary in case they have to yield.
3:12 That's the Long Beach Circle in California, which looks like a rotary 4:06 and originally was judging by the roadway layout but was signed and striped to behave more like an extra large roundabout as is obvious in the video.
A issues up in canada is there is no consistency in how your suppsed to indicate while in traffic circle/Roundabout. In British Columbia your suppsed to indicate when approaching the Roundabouts ( take first exit right indicator, going throw no indicator, 3/4 left indicator.) Then indicate when exiting Roundabouts. I was taught in Alberta and it was right indicator if your take the first exit, else left indicator until your about to exit. Then indicate your exiting with right indicator.
Oh boy, an Evan Edinger video about roundabouts! Urban and road design is one of my newest special interests and I'm glad to see you beginning to delve into it! It's truly fascinating how stupidly roads and urban environments are laid out, and as you'd imagine America is lauded as probably the worst at it (mostly due to money and politics of course). I highly encourage learning more about this stuff, and in particular checking out what the Dutch road design code is compared to the American one, let's just say there's a good reason the Netherlands is known for cyclists and America is known as a death trap for them. On that note I shall stop before I turn this into a massive essay, rather than a slightly longer than average comment 😅
A jug handle video will blow people’s minds. I grew up in NJ and so jughandles were just natural. I remember the first time I saw my grandparents from NY being totally baffled by it. Me and my brother were in the back seat saying, “no, go right! Go right!” 😂 We were on route 1 and they were going to attempt a left turn where there’s no left turn lane. We were terrified 😅
There are a few jug handles else where, I have run across a couple over 40 years, can't remember where thou, but not NJ. It's basically a clover at street level. No road separation. If it's properly signed like a clover, works pretty good!
I’ve been on a transit TH-cam binge today (playing Simcity again recently) so this is perfect. I did road trip in April with my dad from West Virginia to NYC & driving in NJ is petrifying, everyone was beeping at us for not breaking the speed limit
going 10 over is normal in the busy part of the country I dont like it either
You may want to give Cities Skylines a try. Best city building sim out there!
Aussies call them roundabouts also. We have heaps of them. They're pretty simple to use really. Tho the big multi-laned multi-exit roundabouts can be a bit nervewreking😐😄
Sure glad I don't have to tackle New Jersey traffic circles tho😮.
Roundabouts and traffic circles are different things. Australia is a civilised country so presumably only has roundabouts. The USA has both, and New Jersey only has traffic circles.
You say that but in Brisbane (Indooroopilly specifically) there used to be a roundabout with a set of traffic lights on it and a car dealership in the middle.... yes it was stupid. Luckily they knocked it down and are down building an overpass (meaning it has been constant roadworks for the last two years and until probably the end of 2024.
Germans use kreisverkehr, literally circletraffic. Wikipedia uses 'roundabout' as titles normally go by the most commonly used word (all of UK and 55% of USA). Same with using 'gasoline' instead of 'petrol'
@@katrinabryce they’re only different things in North America where they’ve tried to reinvent the wheel multiple times instead of just installing roundabouts like everyone else.
*freedom rings
Great video. You totally nailed New Jersey driving culture. The photos and animations are very informative. Side note: When NJ traffic circles are converted into intersections the businesses often keep their old names. Hence, Circle Lanes (Roxbury) and Circle Lumber (Wayne area).
Roundabouts are so efficient. As an American I loved this concept when I drove all over England for 2 weeks. A drive that normally took 10 minutes only takes 6 or 7 if your intersection were roundabouts. So not only was I on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road I figured this out in mere minutes. I can’t understand why they don’t catch on here.
I agree in general, but they can be annoying if there are too many of them. I moved a year and a half ago and visit the town I used to live in weekly. It's on the other side of the river I live next to, so I have to take either a ferry, or drive over one of two highway bridges. The shortest route is 27 km / 17 miles, and in the 10 miles to the highway there are nine roundabouts. The other route is 37 km / 23 miles and has two, and takes like two minutes longer. I usually take the ferry but if I don't (or it's after closing) I always take the longer route because it's WAY more convenient to just drive on cruise control than to constantly having to break and accelerate. Fuel consumption will be quite equal due to that as well.
Because of the failed attempts like in new Jersey traumatizing people for life.
All these circular structures have their uses, but roundabouts advocates seem to overgeneralize from experience where they're most efficient -- which they aren't in many cases.
@@goodmaro If you mean roundabouts aren't perfect I'd agree with that. They are better than the alternatives most of the time. Who wouldn't want better?
@@JeanPierreWhite Most of the time? Can't say that. Depends a lot on the details of the roads and traffic that come together there. If you have a crossing of two roads, for instance, and one of them never has anywhere near the traffic of the other, and neither is heavily trafficked, a simple intersection controlled by Yield or even Stop signs is best. If you have heavy enough traffic to justify all the costs, an interchange with over/underpass is best. If the crossing is where pedestrians want to cross, a roundabout is intimidation or death to them. More than 4 spokes at a crossing (that doesn't justify overpasses) will almost always call for either a signalized intersection or a traffic circle too large to call a roundabout.
In Nairobi, when upgrading the infrastructure, several roundabouts were removed and turned into crossroads. A f*****g free for all.
Well done Evan. You're channeling Jay Foreman brilliantly.
In my town, there is a "roundabout", where 5 streets meet, with a raised water fountain in the middle. The thing is, that it's not really a roundabout, where you have to go counter clockwise (viewed from above) around it. So, if you want to take the exit to your left, you can just drive left. Fortunately, one of the five street there is now a one way street, leaving this "not-roundabout", but that didn't stop someone, coming out of it, onto this traffic mess, to my right. And, yes, every crossing in this traffic conundrum is a right-before-left situation, so you would actually be better off, driving through it the wrong way.
Oh, and as a bonus, there are no traffic lights in my town anywhere, accept at sites, where the road gets worked on.
Google maps reveals: Woodbury is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States, eight miles east of Saint Paul along Interstate 94. It is part of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. The population was 75,102 at the 2020 census, making it Minnesota's eighth most populous city.
Thanks for explaining this in a very roundabout way! My hometown is Flemington with 3 very infamous circles each with their own personalities and historical patterns. They’ve at least started to add signage for those from out of town.
Non-Jersey American here. The rest of the country generally thinks Jersey is nuts, especially the traffic rules. If I were a driver coming up Route 34 and there were no stoplight or stop sign at the entrance to the circle, I'd still yield to the traffic already in the circle coming around from my left, because that's how it's done in every other state! That whole bit about 33 backing up due to 34 entering the circle with the right of way is insane.
In Alexandria, LA there is a square traffic circle that's pretty terrible. I saw an article that said the rate of accidents was 15 to 30 times worse than the state average on the squircle.
I'm trying to geometry this in my head and it's giving me a headache. How in the name of christ do you square a traffic circle?
9000 roundabouts?? That's almost as many as Swindon!
Swindon?!? Bollocks, Milton Keynes has to be the roundabout capital of the UK.
@@JeanPierreWhite Back in the days before everyone basically had Satnav in their pockets, I was helping my ex with something on the edge of Swindon that involved printing out directions for people to find the place. They basically consisted of "At the next roundabout, take the third exit. At the next roundabout, take the second exit. At the next roundabout..."
@@AbenZin1 Milton Keynes is pretty much the same. Roundabouts occur what seems like every 400 yards. Here's what ChatGPT says.
Milton Keynes has a higher density of roundabouts compared to Swindon. Milton Keynes is well-known for its extensive network of roundabouts, with around 1.46 roundabouts per square kilometer, making it one of the highest concentrations of roundabouts in the UK
. On the other hand, Swindon is famous for its complex "Magic Roundabout," but it doesn't have the same density of roundabouts as Milton Keynes
I was in the UK (York specifically) and I love how the roundabouts just work.
Back in the US where I am at, small to medium sized roundabouts are gradually popping up with the proper rules applied. For the most part, everyone gets how you are supposed to drive in them but we still get a handful of drivers that either charge their way through yeilding to no one, or they get confused on how to navigate it.
I do find it interesting though that in CA, roundabouts have been covered in the handbook for decades but it's only recently that they are being implemented in more places outside of residential areas.
I love the amount of effort you put into your videos 😌 You never disappoint
Thanks! Took me ages to animate the car bits in this one
That roundabout from the beginning is actually absurd. An unprotected through roundabout without give way rules!? That would be an absolute deathtrap. The highway running through the middle should be grace separated, or traffic light controlled, and the remaining roads should all give way to the inside like a normal roundabout. It seems like such an easy fix, I can’t believe it existed in such an atrocious state for so long, it could never have been efficient.
EAGERLY awaiting your upcoming jughandle episode. I'm a Canadian whose claim to fame is I've driven to/through/around 49 states and Jersey stands alone with that jughandle nonsense!!!
Yeah, it was definitely interesting figuring out how to turn left in New Jersey.
Its to stop left turn accidents
@@TheSkyGuy77Yeah, I understand why they are there, but it is very unusual, so people who are not used to them will struggle with the concept. A far better solution would be roundabouts.
@@beauthestdane I have never once intended to turn left and gotten in the rightmost lane to do so. Other than once I got the hang of Jersey.
We have a lot of jughandles here around Burlington, Vermont. They were confusing at first when I moved here, but in my experience since then, they've highly efficient and move traffic faster, and are very safe, and I've gotten over any beef I had with them.
Easy fix for your traffic circles is that all traffic joining/entering must yield to existing traffic.
Though having too many lanes makes it hard to navigate, and high speeds make it hard to negotiate merging.
I watched a CNBC youtube video yesterday about roundabouts in the US, and it seemed like the tide was turning over there when it comes to embracing the roundbout, specifically focussing on Carmel Indiana that has been replacing most of their intersections.
They didn't talk about this madness in NJ though!
I used to live in Carmel! I remember them building two on one street near where I lived, about 2ish miles apart! The construction took forever, but I remember traffic flow being better when they were done!
The center of the country has no problem with roundabouts. I have five in my small town.
Wonderful. As a fellow Southern New Jersey Driver (Gloucester County) I used to deal with one of the two Roundabouts in Swedesboro. (I've retired) These have Yield signs. My biggest issue was that fact some drivers think Yield means right of way (same thought of turn signal gives me right of way). Many a time I've had to jam breaks while in the the roundabout for that reason.
Size doesn't matter, you just have to give priority to whoever is already inside first.
This exactly. First thing coming to my mind is this situation mentioned past 10:35 well before it was mentioned. It's the worst edge case, yet probably happening every single day. Come on...
Actually it does matter. That rule is easiest for circles of a considerable size. In small enough roundabouts, it can be hard even to *see* who's in it already, resulting instead in looking at the next entering roadway. Which is why I think roundabouts are hardly ever worthwhile compared to other controls at a 4-spoke intersection.
@@goodmaro You clearly don't know a thing about intersections. Do some more research, you may not like them, but they are so much better than a 4 way stop in nearly every single way, every single time.
@@MegaLokopo Where did I ever say I liked all-way stops? Those are nearly always the worst choice.
@@goodmaro Which is why I think roundabouts are hardly ever worthwhile compared to other controls at a 4-spoke intersection
when I said 4-way stop I meant 4-spoke intersection. Round abouts are better than 4-spoke intersections in every single case.
Sadly, they're getting around to implementing these in Kentucky, where I live, and NO ONE knows how use them. They're also not well-designed, so it's a mess from the ground up.
I stumbled across roundabout in Eastern Europe and Russia where traffic inside has to yield.
Those where a nightmare to get out of. I don't want to imagine haw badly those clog up during rush hour.
I'm from Gloucester county....and this is hysterical!! To get to Cherry Hill Mall we had to do Brooklawn, Collingswood, then Airport Circles. Just when you think you're done ~ there are now two circles in Swedesboro...
The rule of right hand applies in all circles in Europe too unless indicated otherwise by traffic signs, which in 99% of circles gives the right of way to people already in the circle. So if there is no sign when entering the circle, people in it have to give way to those incoming. At least our riad laws say so.
In which European country? In the UK that's never been a law (well we do give way to the right, but that's because we go clockwise round the roundabout).
In France they changed the laws a few years ago from traffic entering the roundabout having priority to traffic on the roundabout having priority, because it was causing so many issues.
Every European country I know of has priority for traffic already on the roundabout, but as every country sets its own laws I'm sure there are exceptions.
In Polish law the C12 sign indicates an 'intersection with circular traffic', a single entity. And then it's added that only when joined with a yield sign does it mean right of way for vehicles on the circle.
When it's not this pair of signs you can be mostly sure it's improper signage and should be fixed.
Your bird's eye view of the Collingswood traffic circle... that's the very Mad Max Thunderdome traffic circle I encounter coming and going to work between East Brunswick and Neptune. Every time I get to it ask, often out loud: "Was this designed in an opium den in the 19th century?
About two miles north on route 33 is an even crazier traffic feature near JB's dinner. Insanity.
33 is expert level
There had been a circle in Pompton, NJ, and my mom got caught in the inside lane of it and it took over 20 minutes for her to finally get out of the circle.
There were no established rules for priorities on roundabouts in Britain too. That was changed overnight on 2 November 1966 when a general advisory rule was introduced "forthwith to the effect that vehicles entering a roundabout should give way to vehicles already in it". Applied to all roundabouts immediately unless there were contrary roadmarkings. This was after a few years of trials which were controversial especially where major flows were suddenly having to give priority to minor ones.
Until 1980 Massachusetts gave the right of way to cars entering rotaries. Also no right on red, and the 2nd and 3rd cars at a stop sign didn't have to stop. To compensate for a slight error on my driving exam, I had to navigate a pair of Cambridge's scariest rotaries (long since changed). Our motto is "Driving is an adventure, and traffic laws for only suggestions".
I thought the motto was "in case of doubt, _I_ have priority".
@@AdrianColley Well, it is Massachusetts so ...
I wish we had kept no right on red. It’s safer for pedestrians.
Manasquan circle now makes all roads yield to those already in the circle. New info. I’m loving this video👍
No wonder Gotham City is in New Jersey. Those circles are bound to render you clinically insane.
It helps if you report on them correctly. The circle he described in Wall, NJ has yield signs for all entering traffic.
When my old Canadian home town put a roundabout on one of the two major highway crossings (ok, it's only a little two lane), my dad used to go have coffee at a local restaurant that had a good view and enjoy the chaos of people who had never seen one try to negotiate it. Having experienced that intersection for many years prior as a two way stop, the roundabout is waaay safer and more efficient.
Keep in mind that New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the US. Some of the circles were built when there was far less traffic, too.
My "favorite" is the Somerville circle where 2 highways plus another road come together in the middle of a built up area with 2 shopping centers right there. A couple decades ago they put one of the highways on an overpass, but it's still crazy. There are traffic lights regulating the flow into the circle, and a couple of yeild signs within it. It works, but I'd hate to drive through it for the first time, not knowing what to expect.
Union city , New Jersey is the 37th most densely populated city in the world ...
Exactly! People look at some of the circles that've been around a long time and don't realize they didn't always have those controls, which were retrofit onto them as a compromise solution for an increase in traffic volume.
In Finland we used to have both roundabouts and traffic circles, the difference is/was that in roundabout the cars entering yield but in circle the cars in the circle yield for cars entering. As these circles were inferior, more dangerious and not good for traffic flow, they were depricated and I think they all are now gone.
Morristown, NJ recently added a roundabout and I would say it works really well. Only problem is that they have some pedestrian signs where you can turn on flashers to cross and it works okay but I’d say it’s a positive change
There's at least one TH-cam about those HAWK lights. Confusing as hell when you consider that ordinarily a light that's completely out is to be treated as broken, i.e. a stop sign. Also confusing vis-a-via RR crossing signals.
We have a few roundabouts in my part of Virginia. I was a bit confused the first time I saw one, since it never got covered in driving school... but I figured it out pretty easily by following the signs, thinking about it, and watching what other drivers did. Now I vastly prefer them over pretty much any other sort of medium-to-small size intersection.
I might prefer them for large intersections too, but none of the ones I've used are placed on high-traffic roads so I don't currently have an opinion. Ours are all in neighborhoods and recently developed (within the past decade or so) shopping center parking lots.
I didn't know you were from NJ! Love your videos. Started watching your Duolingo ones( I'm on 639 days Español). So funny, "I wanna go to the diner" 😂
I live in South Jersey, near LBI. I avoid all driving in North Jersey and every circle I can lol! Jughandles, those not so bad 😮😊
Ps...I'm from central Jersey...Freehold Twp lived on 33! 😂
Have to start watching all your vids!
CENTRAL JERSEY RISE UP! (I’m from Matawan/Old Bridge)
@@AlexxShmalex 😁 best part of Jersey!
9:13 usually in Europe there is a yield sign when entering the roundabout, and vehicles inside the roundabout have the priority road sign (meaning they have the right of way), however, there are rare exceptions where perhaps a road is ending in a large roundabout, that road can have the priority road sign, and the vehicles in that part of the roundabout will get the yield sign, which can be dangerous as in driving school you're taught that vehicles in the roundabout have right of way, so if you didn't see the sign you can have a collision if you're not driving defensively.
Have you taken your UK driving test yet? I remember a couple years ago you mentioned in a video that you had to stop taking lessons due to Covid. I’d love a video on what the experience was like if you have taken it and if not, documenting your driving test journey.
It's so true in NJ the traffic pattern is just set by what people in that area like to do.
Every town by me has different styles of yielding and it's very bizarre.
This is how they did a big roundabout on Clearwater Beach originally. You had to yield to people entering. Bonkers. The rumours were they had a Brit consult and then basically ignored their suggestions. Bad idea.
Sounds about right. Majority of people here in my area of the state expect people to yield to those entering but it's so they won't get hit by them as they barrel through not stopping going 40mph. With all the lead foots with egos here it's a scary place to be.
Lmaooo omg this makes me both miss NJ and happy I don't live there anymore at the same time 😂😂 I know the circle you mentioned and I just had flashbacks to visiting my friend that used to live in an apartment off that circle 😅
Uk roundabouts - one rule - give way (yield) to traffic already on the roundabout.
@7:09, very few of these intersections exist In the uk, however they come with traffic lights so makes the process a lot easier.
Learning how to drive on a roundabout scared me - and to this day, I still have a habit of assuming I’m doing something wrong. But once you move to an automatic car from a stick-shift/manual, then it frankly becomes easy and safe to navigate.
However, I distinctly remember when I moved back to the US for a year (I grew up in the UK) being taken to see the local roundabout, which my mother remembered deliberately going to drive, because it was the only one.
Four-way junctions *seem* great, indeed, easier, until you’re tired, or trying to navigate, then once you’re out of speed-controlled areas (and damn, does half the US drive slooooow for a driving-focused nation, the only ticket I have is from the US, and from topping 65 on a four lane highway that was bigger than most motorways back home, but no, apparently the speed limit dropped to 55 back at the state line) they come deathtraps for the inattentive and unlucky.
We have had 2 roundabouts in my NY town for decades, but recently several more have been added. In the right locations they have definitely improved traffic flow AND reduced accidents. In one resort area (Westhampton), a 5 street lintersection using traffic lights was vastly improved by simply changing it to a roundabout. Another 5 road roundabout was converted to a multi-lane ("turbo") rotary, which also improved traffic flow.
I’m from brooklyn in NYC originally and learned to drive there. The drivers are insane AF. Then I moved to New Jersey and they’re insane in different ways. When I’ve driven on road trips, I’m pleasantly surprised how calm it is lol
Growing up on the west coast, car horns are only for emergencies or to wake up a driver at a light on the phone. Using it otherwise was considered rude. But having been thru New York, the car horn there is used for communication. It seems everyone is tapping the horn for every little thing. I never heard so many horns going off all the time.
Great video, Evan!
Looks like that first traffic circle you showed is the 73-70 Olga's Diner circle. I know it well. I'm glad they've fixed it with the over pass for Route 73, which definitely fixed a lot of the traffic on 73 but it's still pretty bad as you approach Church Road in the Ramblewood section.
I think that growing up in the 80s driving around all the circles in South Jersey prepared me for when I had to navigate all the roundabouts in the UK!
Also, I love the picture of the Airport Circle you showed. I've been looking for a picture like that for years. You can see the future site of The Pub in the upper left of the circle with 38 and 130 approaching from the right, 30 extending north, and 130 leaving to the left. There used to be a big-rig truck dealer right there between 130 and 38. It's been the way it is now for so long, I had forgotten what it looked like back in the 70s and before!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Well done.
Duh. I should have watched the entire video before commenting.
Additionally, you didn't mention that sometimes it's more convenient, if not cheating according to my wife, to go around a circle instead of going straight through when there are lights involved, as in the old 73-70 circle. Currently, there is a circle in Cherry Hill near the Olive Garden where I will, most times, stay to the right and go right around the circle, thus avoiding the red light altogether.
That monstrosity not a roundabout. There are no cross roads in those. But the rules for a roundabout are simple. The people driving in it have priority over those that want to enter, but drive cooperatively to keep up flow. Anything else doesn't work. And no a big highway interchange is not the place for a roundabout. They exist to replace the need for stupid stoplights at small to medium sized crossings. For highway interchanges there are better designs.
Something that might amuse you is France historically has people on the roundabout giving way and STOPPING to let people onto the roundabout rather than the other way round. Personally I feel the rules of if you're on the roundabout you have the right of way it makes the most sense.
This is chaos.. 😂
In India we look at all ways before crossing a one way.
I spent a month in India in 2019 and from the outside it looks chaotic, but when you're in the think of it all of the drivers really do take care of how they drive.
7:35 that's exactly how one of our roundabouts work here in our small town in Illinois. And it's the only one that I know of that works this way. The roundabout has a courthouse in the middle of it with businesses surrounding the circle. Traffic coming on to the roundabout do not have to stop or yield (unless there are pedestrians in the crosswalk) and have the right of way, despite this not being written into law. This is the way it has worked since the roundabout was installed around the courthouse in 1909. Locals just "know".
How did the Americans fuck up a roundabout this is insane and negates the whole point of a roundabout what 😑😪
Those are traffic circle. Roundabout developed from that but totally different now
This explains why AMericans are so resistant to the suggestion of a roundabout. Who could blame them with these types of monstrosities.
I lived north of Philly for 8 years, and I always forget the NJ is also PvP enabled, just in a different way. Subscribed for the future Jersey Jug Handle. lol
Good video as usual
Love it. As an original South Jersey person i got my license in 1967 I was taught to go into the circle, not stop, don’t slow down just close your eyes and keep moving . Born in Maple Shade & moved to Somerdale after married to Camden girl. Now in Florida and New Jersey drivers all over here and there are circles all over now
My roommate from North Jersey that sadly believes in Central Jersey walked in when you said Central Jersey doesn’t exist 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I live in it. I wasn't born in New Jersey. But, anyone who asks: "I live in central New Jersey, the "Brunswicks", near-ish to Philadelphia". I really don't get involved in the geopolitical drama of it all.
That circle at the start of the video gave me a giggle as it looks a lot like the notorious Switch Island near to me in Liverpool, UK.
So a rotary is like a mini highway in the place of a roundabout. That sounds so USA. 😎
Just New Jersey. The rest of us are scared of New Jersey.
I go through the traffic circle near the AC airport in Egg Harbor Township everyday for work. It’s a breeze in the early mornings, but it’s an absolute nightmare during rush hour
A traffic circle is not a roundabout
There used to be a traffic circle in North Jersey, and mind you I am going back like 50 years here, that had a diner in the center island. Basically the circle went around the diner and the diner's parking lot. In fact there were a number of incidences where someone, traveling at high speed, drove straight into the parking lot of the diner thinking it was the road. Eventually the circle and the diner got demolished to make way for an interchange.
Technically some roundabouts in the UK are also known as gyratorieas 🤭 I had no idea till one near where I work was closed due to an accident and that’s what the Police called it!
Gyratories in UK are spiral / turbo roundabouts where the lanes spiral out rather than having concentric circles for the multiple lanes. Once you're in the correct lane you stay in lane as opposed to conventional roundabouts where you cross lanes to exit.
@@andyalder7910 Sometimes a gyratory is basically a small one-way system, with a few one-way roads forming a small loop, but still acting as separate roads.
@@barneylaurance1865 Yes, Hammersmith Gyratory for example, but the roundabouts called gyratories are generally spiral roundabouts.
Dear lord why 😂
I remember reading the "no set rules" sentence in my manual and going wtf? My mom's from Massachusetts and she always taught me that those in rotary have the right of way. It's the wild wild west here in Jersey.
Thanks Evan, I now know less about roundabouts than I did before
Canadian here (living in the UK now), and the first time I encountered a roundabout I was in Australia in a rental car. I made it from central Brisbane and out onto the motorway without any problems, but when I got the exit I needed, I panicked in traffic at the roundabout and just turned left. After driving down a country road for miles and miles, I finally found a place to turn around, but pulled back into traffic on the incorrect side and almost caused a head-on crash. After I made it to my destination (uni town), I went out after dark and practiced while traffic was light. Never had issues again. Now I love roundabouts!
How would Americans ever manage to drive around the 'Magic Roundabout' in Swindon UK 🤷😂
It has been done, successfully! Took a lot of preparation though.
I think our biggest difficulty would be driving on the left side. I would want to practice somewhere without traffic before I endanger a country citizen or myself. I would hate to be an incompetent driver in the UK. That would be irresponsible. I've been driving a standard since 1970 in the states, however, having the stick shift on my left would require some practice.
I once saw a TV program with Hugh Jackman suddenly put behind the wheel of a standard in the UK. He freaked out at first, it was the left hand shifter, he did end up grinding some gears. And laughing a bit. I don't remember who was in the passenger seat forcing him to drive.
I found in Germany that my employers and coworkers all assumed as an American that I didn't drive a standard car. I got made fun of BEFORE I had a chance to speak. I was given a company car to drive. When they closed their mouths while grinning at me, I quietly told them I had been driving one since 1970 in Detroit. They were stunned.
Growing up in the muscle car era was a blast, we were all so fortunate. However, if you couldn't drive a standard, you were called a chicken or a Wuss. That was an older slang that actually meant um.... Cat. Well, it rhymed with.... the 1st word. We were a huge generation of manual drivers.
@@anitapeludat256 I agree with that. I can remember my first time driving a hire car in Europe - there was a lot to get used to all at once, as well as find one's way around unfamiliar streets! The one bit of muscle memory that carries over is the feet - the pedals are at least in the same order. The whole thing is definitely made a lot easier if one's first time is in a car with automatic transmission.
And yes - a little preparation helps an awful lot. Reading the rules is a good move. There's so many different ways / customs for how people use roads.
For example in France they have "priorite a droit" - priority to the right. In some towns, traffic joining a main road from a T junction has priority. The *only* way of knowing you're in such a town is if the road markings show no Give Way / Yield line for the joining traffic. And, it's not every town. You have to be very careful of that in France, because it changes on a town boundary, and in a built up area you may not even realise the rules have suddenly changed. It's also now comparatively rare. Most Mayors have seen sense, but some haven't, so the rarity value makes one even less familiar with dealing with it.
In Germany, it's illegal to overtake a bus stopped at the bus stop. It isn't in the UK. There's so many gotchas.
Child seats are difficult. In Europe you can drive across a border and, suddenly, the child seating becomes illegal. In France, they can be seated looking forward. In Germany, they have to be facing backwards until the age of 4. Having an arrangement that is legal in every country is really difficult to pull off. In Norway there's a lot of "low emissions" roads and streets - go past the sign saying so in the wrong car and you cop a large fine without knowing it! Different countries have different rules on the amount and type of emergency kit one has to have on board (reflector triangles, etc).
Generally, before driving in Europe, I consult the website for the UK's Automobile Association - they have very useful driving guides for every country in Europe, which are kept right up to date. Being in English, they'd be as useful to any English speaking person going to drive in Europe as they are to ourselves.
Having driven a lot all over the world, I find the one thing that I've not been able to shake off is looking left for the rear view mirror. I end up using the side mirror.
These days, good satnav takes a lot of the pain out of dealing with unfamiliar streets. I reckon picking up a hire car from the airport is the worst, because generally they dump you straight on to motorway / autoroute or something similar, and a mistake doing that can be a long diversion!
With Britain being so close to Europe, there's a lot more "popping across the channel", so a lot of Brits are doing it. This does cause problems in the Calais region of France. The accident rate caused by Brits driving on the wrong side of the road is actually quite high, and the nature of the accidents (head on collisions) is disproportionally bad. It's become a bit of a political issue in that part of France, with calls to ban all drivers from countries that drive on the left until they've passed a French driving test. That would be an excessive response and wouldn't solve the problem of infrequent exposure to a different driving environment - the actual problem. Fortunately it's not become a French National politics issue (where it would be something that could become law). British tourism amounts to something like 5% of the entire French economy, so it's a fairly big deal.
LoL I haven't driven the Brooklawn circle in over a decade. I avoid it because whenever it rains its usually flooded and somehow I'm usually driving the back way through Bellmawr/Gloucester City to hit up that ShopRite.
I dunno how America manages to fuck up circles but its impresssive.
Europe has some crazy roundabouts too. The top two in my list are multilane roundabouts in Valencia and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Every time I exited them in a cold sweat.
Americans react to common sense like Vampires to light
Ouch, but fair
As someone that lives in the routes 33, 34, and 35 area, I'm proud to share that over the last few years theyve been fixing the circles. Most of them around me now have Yield signs at entry, giving right if way to those in the circle. I believe that includes that messy 33/34 intersection in the video (drove through it last night, although it was late and there watsnt much traffic so i might have missed something on one of the other entrances).
Anyone else thinking about their Cities: Skylines roads while watching this? 👀
Literally playing right now and YUP OH BOY
Ya know I’ve never played it but the subreddit came up quite a lot in my research haha. Can you build a jughandle tho
@@evanon a PC with mods, absolutely.
Some of the most prolific Cities: Skylines TH-camrs are British. Biffa is my fav.
9:23 That's like how France used to be passage a droite (right) et gauche (left) give way to drivers entering the circle. They got rid of that eventually but I was there mid way through on my First ever time driving in France, fun times.
I've visited NJ four times but only travelled as a passenger with someone familiar with local driving. I wasn't aware of any of these complications on journeys between Newark and Cape May.
This video was great! I spent nearly all of my childhood in South Jersey, and the longest chunk of that was in Pennsauken (Airport Circle), although we actually lived on the other side of town near Cherry Hill (Racetrack Circle). During my teens we moved way up to sort-of North Jersey and the town of North Brunswick (Route 1/130 circle, deceased). It was great preparation living in the Boston area after college. Say what you want about Boston drivers, but rotaries at least make sense.
Hey, I'm in Voorhees, haha.
Brigantine lighthouse circle, the circle just north of the Delilah exit of AC expressway... both so frustrating as well.
You forgot to mention that, in NJ, the horn is an essential communication device for locals, and that people will stay stopped at a green light to let someone turn left, even if they have a light that gives them a turn to do it, hahaha.
So I take it that most belt route are really just much larger roudabouts or rotarys.
My experience of driving in Italy for 2 years (mid 80's), was they practiced the left yields to right and thus the circles became jammed packed and traffic came to stand still. It was horrible. My state of Alaska's 1st rule in an roundabout is right yields to left. Therefore the circle is always self clearing! Wow, NJ needs to get its act together!
Im from Bakersfield, CA and we have what is called a traffic circle downtown. I honestly dont remember if there are any official rules in the DMV handbook regarding traffic circles. Most learn fairly quickly that you yield to those already in the circle and even though there are 3 lanes within the circle it's best to enter from the right lane into the right lane and just stay there until your desired exit point, and always have your foot poised over the brake because traffic from the inner lanes are going to cut in front of you to exit. Oh, and only navigate it as a pedestrian or cyclist in late evening or early morning unless you have a deathwish.