[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by harpoonalt

We just got back from vacation. ON the way home we hit a traffic circle with 2 feed in lanes. What kind of holy hell is this? Not only do you need to watch the traffic in the circle, but the guy next to you who may or may not go where he's supposed to. All it takes is one person doing the wrong thing and the whole pattern gets disrupted. I'm not a fan.

It might be one of the circles of Hell Dante wrote of in his Inferno.

[Mtneer12]

Still better than the traffic light-the worst invention in the history of the world!

[Oriz]

I think the worst invention is the stop sign(what's wrong with yield signs? Sometimes it's ridiculous to have to STOP). But, traffic lights are second.

[arctichomesteader]

You don't need to go around in that long circle, just go straight across to whatever road you need.

[red4tribe]

Is it called a traffic circle, a roundabout or a rotary?

[GregW]

Early in the morning I have been know to use a traffic circle as a skid pad to check out just how much traction was available. Too bad we don't have circles that move clockwise.

I actually prefer 4 way stops more than crowded traffic circles. The stops are slower and less confusing for the other drivers.

FWIW if you think TC's are exciting in a car try them on a motorcycle.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by GregW

Early in the morning I have been know to use a traffic circle as a skid pad to check out just how much traction was available. Too bad we don't have circles that move clockwise.

I actually prefer 4 way stops more than crowded traffic circles. The stops are slower and less confusing for the other drivers.

FWIW if you think TC's are exciting in a car try them on a motorcycle.

The 4-Way stop is my personal hell. I always wind up at one where 3 others have arrived around the same time. They look at each other and no one proceeds to move. Frustrated by the inertia, I pull forward, and with that at least 2 of the other drivers do the same. Everyone then stops. I continue forward as I haven't time for their hokey-pokey.

[Oriz]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

The 4-Way stop is my personal hell. I always wind up at one where 3 others have arrived around the same time. They look at each other and no one proceeds to move. Frustrated by the inertia, I pull forward, and with that at least 2 of the other drivers do the same. Everyone then stops. I continue forward as I haven't time for their hokey-pokey.

LOL...I was just going to say, that's one reason I think they are stupid, but the other reason is they put totally unnecessary wear on your breaks, by having to completely stop 5 times in less than 1 mile at times for no reason at all cause there is no one else in the intersection, whereas in a roundabout you would just keep going. And it wastes time, too. And when you're in a hurry the last thing you want to do is keep stopping.

[Oriz]

Originally Posted by red4tribe

Is it called a traffic circle, a roundabout or a rotary?

A traffic circle is a rotary. A roundabout is different.

Traffic circles are circular or elliptical islands, with a central island 300 to 600 feet wide. They are designed for vehicles to enter, merge, circulate, change lanes and exit at relatively high speeds - 30 to 50 mph.

Traffic circles are very large and are designed for high-speed vehicle operation. Roundabouts are designed as small as possible, 16 to 180 feet wide, and operate at 15 mph to 25 mph.

The design of roundabouts forces drivers to slow as they approach them, then limits drivers' circulating and exit speed. It is difficult to pass through a well-designed roundabout above these design speeds.

More here:

A traffic circle and a roundabout are not the same | HeraldTribune.com

[wisvishr0]

Originally Posted by Targo

Clearly the handful of traffic circles we have here in VT overwhelm many drivers ability to cope with their clearly confusing and confounding nature. Here a few tips to help those people survive their encounters with the dreaded round-about.

1. Traffic circles are designed with the idea of traffic FLOW in mind. The ENTIRE idea is to MERG with the traffic already in the circle. You DO NOT have to slam on your breaks and come to a stop before entering the circle. This is especially important when they're NO OTHER VEHICLES IN THE CIRCLE! I mean really, do you see a stop sign ANYWHERE?

Member CFSCD [Citizens For Semi Competent Driving]

At the same time, it doesn't mean you MUST keep moving. At least here in DC, there's usually so much traffic that you often do have to stop before you yield. Obviously merging is ideal, but you always have to be ready to stop. Many people have gotten into accidents thinking that that they're never supposed to stop at a traffic circle. Be prepared for anything.

If you're merging onto a highway, you definitely can't stop, because traffic is going so much faster than you. Traffic circles are usually low-speed, though, so you have to be prepared for anything.

We have plenty of roundabouts here in DC, and no one seems to get confused with them... Maybe we're just used to them?