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We have those roundabouts every where and it works pretty good. This is IMO the safest way for every one.
BUT these roundabouts are only safe in a city environment at 50 km/hr or 70 max. Roundabouts in highway constructions as countries like France and Belgium do are very dangerous.
I've worked on the tendering of this project in Lummen, Belgium to remodel the former roundabout into a safe crossing of highways. This is now a Turbine- Intersection, or what we call a Shamrock crossing.
Before this project was done they had many, many serious accidents. When we were there for inspection of the work that had to be done, it was almost impossible to safely enter the roundabout. Traffic coming from all sides to all end there in a disastrous jam with little to no guiding.
It's the guiding in the form of lines, signs and obstacles that makes sure there's just one way to go in the chosen direction. If that isn't there, it becomes a death trap.
I'd like to know how much fuel is wasted because of unnecessary roundabouts in France. Germany could build some more that's true, but the other extreme is equally annoying.
For example, there, planners thought a 110 km/h expressway was necessary and then decided to put a traffic circle every couple kilometers. Drivers have to decelerate from 110 km/h to nearly a full stop 6 times in less than 10 kilometers. How many barrels of oil a year does that represent, I don't know. There are many examples of that throughout the country.
The few super roundabouts they have are neatly designed. Driving through this is much more relaxing than driving through this mess (though the latter works surprisingly well, too).
I have never seen roundabouts before 1985 or so until I travelled to France. I had an accident because some local drivers went very fast, and I was not used at all. Since then, they are everywhere.
France hardly had roundabouts before the end of the 80's, now France is the country with the highest number of it.
Paris had traffic circles but it is not roundabouts. Infact there are no roundabouts inside the city limits of Paris (their numbers are quite limited in Paris suburbs).
In the south of France, the number of roundabouts is quite exaggerated in many place. I have seen roundabouts in place with no intersections.
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My God, is that for real?? I wonder how many accidents happen there. This is the most crappy engineering I've ever seen LOL
