RE: Prior Convictions: Merry-Go-Round
Discussion
hammo19 said:
I forgot to add that there are a couple of things we would do well to adopt from the US.
- overtaking either side on the motorway (freeway)
- right turns on traffic lights
Lane discipline on a US freeway is shocking though. Everyone seems to gravitate to the middle lane(s) and then rarely move in or out depending on speed- overtaking either side on the motorway (freeway)
- right turns on traffic lights
Roundabouts... You don't realise to what extend the Brits are doing it right! There are a fair number of roundabouts in Germany, where I used to live. However, each access road is only single lane and the rotating traffic is generally given only 1 (wide) lane, too. So, even if you only want to go round to the next road forking off and could have done so very swiftly in Britain, you end up waiting in a long queue until it's "your turn". Might as well have continued using traffic light controlled junctions like they used to when I was younger...
However, I see many, many drivers struggling with the lane discipline and observation of traffic required to actually make proper use of the roundabout. Maybe that's why other countries don't even bother...
However, I see many, many drivers struggling with the lane discipline and observation of traffic required to actually make proper use of the roundabout. Maybe that's why other countries don't even bother...
Milton Keynes: I've lived here for 9 years and, although the volume of traffic seems to have doubled in that time, the roundabouts generally work well - with one exception. People either "get" roundabouts, or they don't. Those that do will look to the right, expect to go but are prepared to stop. Those that don't will assume they have to stop, or else wait for a gap big enough for a supertanker before going, to the frustration of others. Someone once proposed an explanation for this - there are a great many drivers in the UK now who didn't learn to drive here. Posters above have hinted at the differences between UK and non-UK roundabouts, both in terms of frequency and discipline, so it's hardly surprising.
My 4 mile commute from one side of town to the other sees me negotiate 12 roundabouts and, yes, occasionally it can be a pain in the tailpipe. But other times it just flows: this morning I physically didn't stop from dropping the kids at school to parking at work. That would never happen if the 12 roundabouts I used were replaced with traffic lights or the like.
The layout of the roundabouts helps: MK was built to allow all the major roads to be dualled if it became necessary in the future. It hasn't (yet), but the roundabouts generally have at least two lane approaches and often a third, left turn filter lane too.
Check your mirrors on your approach and you can straight line many of them as well
My 4 mile commute from one side of town to the other sees me negotiate 12 roundabouts and, yes, occasionally it can be a pain in the tailpipe. But other times it just flows: this morning I physically didn't stop from dropping the kids at school to parking at work. That would never happen if the 12 roundabouts I used were replaced with traffic lights or the like.
The layout of the roundabouts helps: MK was built to allow all the major roads to be dualled if it became necessary in the future. It hasn't (yet), but the roundabouts generally have at least two lane approaches and often a third, left turn filter lane too.
Check your mirrors on your approach and you can straight line many of them as well
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