Community Chat

[SahmIam]

We have them; I grew up with them. No issue but for those who have never used one- it can be terrifying once they do.

[chrystaltree]

We call them rotaries here.  If you aren't accustomed them, there is a bit of learning curve.  

[Leapergirl]

Many of the larger traffic circles in NJ have been re-designed to remove the circle and add traffic lights instead. With too much traffic they are not such an efficient way to safely navigate an intersection as they were when first built. I have noticed a few smaller ones have shown up recently, at a three way intersection in Princeton Jct and in parking lots of large shopping centers. When I worked in Somerville, I went out of my way on my lunch hour to avoid the infamous “Somerville Circle” with two shopping areas on it. That one now has a flyover for drivers who are staying on Rt 202 so they do not even have to enter the circle. It amuses me that this driving phenomenon is new to people in some parts of the country.

[deeva]

There are a lot of roundabouts in Sedona, Arizona. The problem is that tourists don’t know what to do when they approach one.

 Instead of yielding, the tourists just ignore the cars already in the roundabout.

This is very frustrating and dangerous for the locals.

[software]

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@Sooner wrote:

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@software wrote:

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@IdahoGram wrote:

Personally I don't understand what the problem with roundabouts is.  It's a circle!  Everyone should be going in the same direction, which is clockwise.  You enter the circle when there isn't a car to your immediate left and exit right when you have reached the direction you wish to go.  Easy Peasy!  

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Sure if you are the only one using it.

There's one near me, it's like NASCAR.   No one yields.

And it's not clockwise.

You must be from Europe.

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@software  Well you have supplied the answer to this whole discussion!  In the northeast US and in Europe they don't have NASCAR.  That's the difference.  Here you need roll bars and a firesuit for a traffic circle.  At least here in Oklahoma!  

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Absolutely!

The major malfunction I've seen locally is the rotary is too small.  You get about a dozen cars going and it's almost gridlock.   Now that I'm retired, I try to avoid the busy times of day.

[lovesrecess]

we have a couple in our area now and they are in high-traffic areas new some new restaurants and shopping areas.....they are confusing and poorly designed from what I can see...only a matter of time before there will be a fatality and then they will improve or replace them....that's what it always takes, unfortunately

[jeanlake]

Several simple roundabouts in our area, but a new, complex diverging diamond interchange happened and there are too many wrecks. 

[haddon9]

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@chlema wrote:

@haddon9 I bet this is the same circle that my mother tried to maneuver many years ago lol.  She was a new driver at age 42 and with my brother and I in the back seat, Dad in passenger seat, tried so many times to exit the darn thing.  It's been a long time but I believe we must have gone around in the circle at least 15 times.

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@chlema  Sounds funny now but I'm sure it was very scary at the time!

It really depends on the circle.  Some are much more congested and complex than others. 

[haddon9]

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@lulu1 wrote:

Not all traffic circles in NJ are created equally.  On most the driver ON the circle has the right of way.  On others, you yield to oncoming traffic.

I have a friend who lives in a town with 3 circles within a few miles.  They all have their own set of rules. Recently they altered one.  It was maddening before; now it's utter chaos.

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@lulu1  This is very true!  They all seem to have a different set of rules....you have to be a local to know those rules.

[Sooner]

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@Leapergirl wrote:

Many of the larger traffic circles in NJ have been re-designed to remove the circle and add traffic lights instead. With too much traffic they are not such an efficient way to safely navigate an intersection as they were when first built. I have noticed a few smaller ones have shown up recently, at a three way intersection in Princeton Jct and in parking lots of large shopping centers. When I worked in Somerville, I went out of my way on my lunch hour to avoid the infamous “Somerville Circle” with two shopping areas on it. That one now has a flyover for drivers who are staying on Rt 202 so they do not even have to enter the circle. It amuses me that this driving phenomenon is new to people in some parts of the country.

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@Leapergirl  Why?  We just never found them very useful in many states like Oklahoma that are relatively new and have traffic patterns that put most faster traffic on bigger roads with fewer lights to take care of the flow.  Maybe part of it is that towns were laid out later more in grids (in OK from the 1890's when more setlement began) so it was never part of the mix.