There were quite a few of those in NJ years ago controlling intersecting divided highways. I loved them but apparently increasing accident rates (bad drivers) led to their demise.
Yep, see them here in the bigger cities. Confusing might not cover it! However, once figured out, most seem okay. It's the people who forgot which end is up that makes them dangerous. :icon_drive: Glad we live in the boonies where they finally have traffic lites. However most people either can't see them or are color blind. I thought driving in the midwest was scarey---till we moved to Floriduuuh!
Washington, DC has "traffic circles" all over town, which have so many streets leading in and out of them and so much traffic in several lanes in the circle, than you can consider yourself lucky if you can get back out of the circle in time to exit on the street of your choice. But if you think the traffic circle makes it faster to get through, then guess again. Theres still traffic lights on the circle, and to make a full lap of the circle could take getting though maybe eight different traffic lights. Out here in the suburbs, the "roundabouts" have shown up recently on RT 15 in northern Virginia and in Maryland, and RT 50 in Virginia. I admit that (for now) traffic moves smoother and quicker without traffic lights, but I don't like them. On 15 in Maryland for example, 90 % of the traffic moves north/south, but as soon as someone wants to go around the roundabout to make a left turn, all bets are off. Suddenly everyone has to hit the brakes because someone is doing something different from the regular flow, I'm sure there have been more than a few rear end accidents along 15 due to the roundabouts. In Virginia they built a new connector road between RT 50 and RT 15 and created a series of three roundabouts to get through a single intersection that previously was controlled by a single traffic light. The plan actually has eased backups during rush hour, but after two years its already at the maximum traffic capacity it can handle and any growth in the area will certainly turn it to gridlock. Also, they made some of these roundabouts so small, that big trucks can't make it around them without stopping all traffic in all directions. They should have just installed an overpass. An overpass would have been more efficient and would have required a lot less of the valuable real estate than the set of three roundabouts and the connector road.
Once ah-pon-ah-time there waz one ah them round-D-round thingz at the base of signal hill in Long Beach, ca. at the intersection of Pacific Coast hiway and Rosemead Blvd. There waz FOUR LANEZ IN THE CIRCLE and if youz folks think that little cutie wasn't fun you haven't lived I waz convinced when it disappered in the late 50's that the parted seaz came back together and took it away A VERY GOOD I THOUGHT.
The first one in New Minas has 2 lanes, they say more is coming. Something to do with the premier owning a road construction co.!
There is a two lane one in New MInas? The two in Milford are only one lane, it'll be interesting to see what shakes out in Truro.
Exactly! We have a few, and to be honest it has helped congestion on liter traffic roads compared to street lites. The only beef I have is, the morons who want to make a feft turn in one rather than drive straight through. Your still making a left turn, your still supposed to use your turn signal. However though, at our airport some idiout decided that 2 round to rounds side by side, basickly a figure 8 was a great idea...great for auto body shops that is. It's extreamly insane dangerous with lots of accidents.
We have had them in Kansas City for a long time, pre-WWII in the older areas of town, on some of our larger streets and boulevards. Newer construction in my area has included round abouts, and some intersections have been changed over to round abouts. I think people around here are used to them, and traffic volume doesn't bog things down. I like them better than 4 way stops.
New Jersey has had them for years, and they are called "circles". There is one in Livingston NJ at the end of Northfield Avenue where it intersects with Route 10. I can remember falling out of the car door when I was about 8 years old as my mother drove around the circle, and the door popped open. She stopped, I got back into the car, and we continued onto our destination. Back then, the cars went around the circle slowly, and I didn't get hurt. Damn.. I sure do miss that old car..
And because of clumsy kids like Junk we all wear seatbelts today and have childproof car doors. .... ! I feel so much better, having someone to blame!
