Talk about stuff that has nothing to do with Ghostbusters!
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By Alphagaia
#4948596
This video showed up on my feed and it just baffled me.

https://www.dumpert.nl/?selectedId=8107057_2edacaba

Americans hate roundabouts?
Here in the Netherlands we are almost drowning in them, with tragic lights and crossings being replaced with roundabouts to speed up traffic.

The video even says you don't have to learn how to navigate one to get your driver's license.

Is this true? Do you guys dislike them?
User avatar
By NotSabbat
#4948601
Generally speaking; yes. Can confirm that people in America do a lot of complaining about roundabouts. However, I think they are great and save a lot of time. Would rather deal with a roundabout than a 4-way traffic light.
Alphagaia, Kingpin liked this
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By deadderek
#4948619
Alphagaia wrote: April 25th, 2021, 10:29 am This video showed up on my feed and it just baffled me.

https://www.dumpert.nl/?selectedId=8107057_2edacaba

Americans hate roundabouts?
Here in the Netherlands we are almost drowning in them, with tragic lights and crossings being replaced with roundabouts to speed up traffic.

The video even says you don't have to learn how to navigate one to get your driver's license.

Is this true? Do you guys dislike them?
In most states you don't have to to get a license, but in mine ya do.

The likely reason why is because in a lot states they don't exist, so there's no need to make it a requirement.

The first local roundabout where I live was only put in about 10 years ago.

If everyone knew how to properly proceed through them the benefits are wonderful.

Unfortunately because we aren't used to them, it causes a lot of issues, especially when you get a driver who has never encountered one before.
Kingpin liked this
User avatar
By Alphagaia
#4948627
CT1983 wrote: April 25th, 2021, 8:35 pm You can blame Clark Griswold’s trip to Big Ben and Parliament for the current American opinion of roundabouts.
What happened?

Edit: Oh! It's the guy from the movie. The video I linked mentioned this as well. Same with the Simpsons.
Last edited by Alphagaia on April 25th, 2021, 11:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
By Alphagaia
#4948630
Sav C wrote: April 25th, 2021, 11:14 pm Yeah, I'm from Canada and have only been on a couple of roundabouts in my life. I like them to be honest. Just learned what a "Michigan left" is the other day, and don't think that didn't blow my wee little mind...
I just googled that. My god. Just. Put. A. Roundabout. There.
Sav C, deadderek liked this
User avatar
By deadderek
#4948635
Sav C wrote: April 25th, 2021, 11:14 pm Yeah, I'm from Canada and have only been on a couple of roundabouts in my life. I like them to be honest. Just learned what a "Michigan left" is the other day, and don't think that didn't blow my wee little mind...
As a Michigan resident, it always cracks me up explaining it to people who have never driven in our state before. Turning right to turn left. :P

Hey Sav C, try some coney dogs if you haven't had them yet.
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User avatar
By Sav C
#4948637
deadderek wrote: April 26th, 2021, 12:29 am Hey Sav C, try some coney dogs if you haven't had them yet.
Had to google those and they look tasty! We have...nothing like them here. I will have to make some (or move back east)!
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User avatar
By GBfan77
#4948670
Canadians hate them too. Especially when they are unnecessary, like when they put in this round about too small for larger vehicles when really all they had to do was install a set of lights.
deadderek liked this
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By Alphagaia
#4948671
GBfan77 wrote: April 27th, 2021, 2:56 am Canadians hate them too. Especially when they are unnecessary, like when they put in this round about too small for larger vehicles when really all they had to do was install a set of lights.
How small are we talking here? Sounds like they either don't know how to create a good size, or people go to fast on them, because it's supposed to be faster (and cheaper and safer) when compared to a set of lights.
User avatar
By Zharthaddeus
#4951372
Ever since Michigan added these 'headaches' they're a
big pain!
User avatar
By RichardLess
#4951374
Alphagaia wrote: April 25th, 2021, 10:29 am This video showed up on my feed and it just baffled me.

https://www.dumpert.nl/?selectedId=8107057_2edacaba

Americans hate roundabouts?
Here in the Netherlands we are almost drowning in them, with tragic lights and crossings being replaced with roundabouts to speed up traffic.

The video even says you don't have to learn how to navigate one to get your driver's license.

Is this true? Do you guys dislike them?
We Canadians hate them too. Apparently they cut down on accidents but they feel so much more dangerous and unruly. They’ve also been a more recent thing for us(last 15-20 years). People usually don’t like getting use to new ways of doing things. I don’t know why but whenever I approach a roundabout I get tense. I grip the wheel harder. I’d rather have an intersection any day. 100%. There’s something comforting knowing that we all generally understand the way the lights work. With a roundabout…it feels like the Wild West. Again, even tho stats say they are safer, they don’t have the illusion of safety. If that makes any sense.
JediJones liked this
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By Kingpin
#4951386
RichardLess wrote: July 5th, 2021, 12:38 pmWith a roundabout…it feels like the Wild West.
*Laughs in British*

Seriously though, I blame North American road systems for the hesitation with roundabouts.

Whilst we do have roundabouts that can be supplied by 2-4 lanes of traffic, I think we're just used to them since the first official UK roundabout was built in 1909 (though we've had older circular junctions)... I believe North American drivers wouldn't have as hard a time if North American road networks weren't so gargantuan. Things like stroads seem like some sort of ungodly hellspawn compared to roads here in the UK, and that's accepting some here are nightmares.

The grid system definitely works, and New York and Washington D.C. have good examples of that, though I think there is room to allow for roundabouts so that you don't have to drive for blocks and blocks to get to a street going the direction you want... I think Americans would benefit from roundabouts... But it's trickier to implement thanks to a century of road planning without the concept being included in the design process.
By ccv66
#4951391
From California, when implemented correctly I like them. It's nice in residentials, forces people to slow down without stop signs. It is nice on some small freeways, prevents one side from stopping and one side from playing frogger. However I also see stop signs at roundabouts , drives me nuts and no matter how idiot proof they make things, " they keep making a better idiot"
User avatar
By Alphagaia
#4951414
I feel it's just a situation where people just aren't used to them.

For me as an European not accepting roundabouts looks like people who learned how to crawl but refuse to walk because they can fall over and hurt themselves.

They really should include learning them while obtaining your drivers license so people can get a sense of how easy and safe it is.
It's like a crossroad where you only have to check left to see if you can go on.
ccv66, Kingpin, ZeroSum liked this
By ccv66
#4951415
If I was in charge, I'd make license so much harder to get it.. force people to know how to backup trailers and drive on ice. Nothing like watching someone try to unload a boat or the people in San Francisco going to the snow in lake Tahoe
By JediJones
#4953364
I don't think I ever even saw one before I got my license. I hate them. It is so hard to know where to take the "exit" to get out of one. I've missed it many times.
User avatar
By SpaceBallz
#4953565
Northern Michiganer here, can confirm with our latest and first roundabout that everybody hates it and there's been accidents. I have heard of some people turning left in our roundabout.
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By Sav C
#4953567
We have the saddest little "roundabout" in our town. It's the only one we have. The city took a regular three way intersection, located on a very quiet street, and plunked down a circular barrier in the middle that people have to drive around. Now it's a "roundabout," haha.

We've got some really odd intersections in my town. I can think of a few four way intersections where the streets don't line up properly on either side (at all). We also have a five way intersection.
User avatar
By CobaltCrimson
#4960104
You don't usually see them here other than in the center of some of the older towns where the town square was built around it in a circle but you're seeing them more but not large ones. As confusing as they can be it honestly beats the traffic lights they replaced.

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