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We have IMO a unique traffic circle in my area. All approaching vehicles have to yield to those already in the circle except for the outside lane which only exits at the next turnoff. The inside lane has the right of way and can continue around till they get to their exit. Pretty simple and it works great. However there are still poor drivers who somehow continue to screw it up. Signaling is not necessary and would only confuse some people.
In some American towns, there are "squareabouts". Crockett, Texas, is one that comes to mind. There is a town square, and all sides of the square are one-way traffic, with all movement in counter-clockwise direction around the square. Here, you can follow Goolglecar around the square.
To make it even more exciting, you have to watch for cars backing out of diagonal parking spaces on both the inner and outer ring of the roundabout, as well as pedestrians walking to the courthouse.
In some American towns, there are "squareabouts". Crockett, Texas, is one that comes to mind. There is a town square, and all sides of the square are one-way traffic, with all movement in counter-clockwise direction around the square. Here, you can follow Goolglecar around the square.
I work in Carmel and live in Fishers, next door. I love the roundabouts! So much better than a 4-way stop or sitting at a traffic light. And they are so much safer as well. The only time it becomes dangerous is when people don't pay attention. I don't know how many people I've seen continue left in a roundabout when they're in the right lane or when a single lane road widens into a two lane roundabout and the left lane is supposed to go left but people still go straight. Despite all kinds of markings with signs and paintings on the road, people still don't realize you can't always turn left in the right lane. And every once in a while you do come across the idiot that is already in the roundabout and stops to let people waiting enter!
As for the OPs question, where I work supposedly has more roundabouts than anywhere in the U.S. and I almost never see anyone signal in them. When I see someone approaching the roundabout with their right turn signal on, I assume it means they are turning right, though many times I've seen them continue on through the roundabout. But 99.5% of the time nobody signals at all. And if I ever saw someone signal anything in a roundabout, I wouldn't believe them. I just wait and see what they are going to do.
I work in Carmel and live in Fishers, next door. I love the roundabouts! So much better than a 4-way stop or sitting at a traffic light. And they are so much safer as well. The only time it becomes dangerous is when people don't pay attention. I don't know how many people I've seen continue left in a roundabout when they're in the right lane or when a single lane road widens into a two lane roundabout and the left lane is supposed to go left but people still go straight. Despite all kinds of markings with signs and paintings on the road, people still don't realize you can't always turn left in the right lane. And every once in a while you do come across the idiot that is already in the roundabout and stops to let people waiting enter!
As for the OPs question, where I work supposedly has more roundabouts than anywhere in the U.S. and I almost never see anyone signal in them. When I see someone approaching the roundabout with their right turn signal on, I assume it means they are turning right, though many times I've seen them continue on through the roundabout. But 99.5% of the time nobody signals at all. And if I ever saw someone signal anything in a roundabout, I wouldn't believe them. I just wait and see what they are going to do.
So 99.5% of the time, people are rude jackasses. Good to know. Anecdotally, I'd say people here signal their exit from a rotary with the same frequency they signal a lane change, not even 50% of the time (sad in both cases, isn't it?). Not many signal a left if they're going more than half-way around, but that's nowhere near as bad as not signaling the exit, imho.
This flash animation shows pretty much exactly how I learned to do it (if a picture is worth 1,000 words, then an animation ought to be worth a 10,000). The professional drivers (school buses and semis) seem to follow the same procedure as well, at least up here, even if a significant chunk of the rest do not.
Ugh, Anderson Cooper mispronounces the name of Carmel. At least the voiceover on the video report got it right. I wish they would have interviewed some locals about how they feel about the roundabouts. Everyone I know that lives here loves them. The people you usually find here that don't like the roundabouts are from out of town and never have to deal with them.
Ugh, Anderson Cooper mispronounces the name of Carmel. At least the voiceover on the video report got it right. I wish they would have interviewed some locals about how they feel about the roundabouts. Everyone I know that lives here loves them. The people you usually find here that don't like the roundabouts are from out of town and never have to deal with them.
I know what you're speaking of. I resided near Lawrenceville, Illinois years ago and would cringe when people mispronounced Mt. Carmel, Illinois. or, Olney, Illinois, calling it Onley.
lay on the horn and hit the gas-thats how massachusette drivers negotiate a rotary
i use them every week, the portsmouth n.h. one sucks,,,very busy and the approach lane is always way backed up,,, its pretty tough to come in on the right side and cut in to the left,,, new york and mass-hole drivers are great at this,,,but i havent mastered it yet
the rotaries in maine are quite mild-the busiest ones are in augusta- when i took my drivers license drivers exam as a teenager , we had to go around those rotaries-so we got to know them pretty good..
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Anecdotally, I'd say people here signal their exit from a rotary with the same frequency they signal a lane change, not even 50% of the time (sad in both cases, isn't it?). Not many signal a left if they're going more than half-way around, but that's nowhere near as bad as not signaling the exit, imho.
