Island or Roundabout?

[Golaboots]

Just read this news story and it made me think back to the first time I went to the midlands in the late 90s, before Sat Nav's. I was lost on the Leicester ring road so stopped at a petrol station to ask directions. "Keep going until you get to a funny shaped island, then turn right" was the reply.

It took me a while to realise they meant a big roundabout, where I came from an island in the traffic sense were raised kerbs between lanes or a mini roundabout. Having travelled abound the country since it would seem that to everyone apart from midlanders a roundabout is indeed a roundabout and not an island. So just curious why they don't follow suit I the midlands, is it to compensate for being so far from the coast?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-21...

[200bhp]

The other thing they say is "Go around the oyland, straight on"

So am I going around the roundabout, or am I going straight on???

[philmots]

Get it a lot in the midlands for some reason.

[HarryFlatters]

Don't get lost in Dundee... they call them 'circles' up there.

[Sixpackpert]

My wife who is from Bingham calls them islands.

She won't be told!

[Captain Muppet]

200bhp said:

The other thing they say is "Go around the oyland, straight on"

So am I going around the roundabout, or am I going straight on???

Maybe they assume that an idiot would drive straight over it unless told to drive around it to the correct exit.

[motco]

I seem to recall a hill being called a bank in Newcastle-on-Tyne.

[Dog Star]

It's a Brummie thing - I've had two girlfriends from Walsall* and they both insisted that they were "oylands".

• one of lifes strange coincidences - I'm from Rossendale in Lancs and have ended up seeing two unrelated females (met one in France and the other at work) who come from about half a mile apart in Walsall. What are the chances of that?

[jimbobs]

Having moved from Kent to Nottingham, this has caused me a certain amount of confusion over the years.

I'd be interested to know the geographical spread of the term "Island". Definitely Birmingham, definitely East Midlands - what do they call them in Sheffield for instance?

[billzeebub]

I would much rather own an Island than a Roundabout

[littleredrooster]

I suppose they could be called 'islands', in a round about sort of way...

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Traffic Islands:



Roundabout:



Failing to see the confusion???!!!

Although these people were clearly confused:

Edited by Petrolhead_Rich on Thursday 28th March 09:20

[williamp]

Arent they known as rotaries in america?? ( the very fwe times I have seen them)

[Fort Jefferson]

Golaboots said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-21...

He's at it again then?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/4559...

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Fort Jefferson said:

Golaboots said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-21...

He's at it again then?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/4559...

Haha

BBC News said:

District Judge Bruce Morgan acquitted him after calling the constable the "creme de la creme" of police drivers.

Clearly...

BBC News said:

PC Mark Milton, 46, from Pendrel Close in Market Drayton, said he was chasing a suspected stolen car on the A442 in Cold Hatton, which has a 40mph limit.

Worcester Crown Court heard the car was travelling at 92mph when it crashed into a traffic island in October 2011.

No other vehicle was involved in the crash. He denies dangerous driving.