h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What were they thinking when they created that? Are those little nuclear hazard symbols on the Magic Roundabout sign, or perhaps recycling symbols? I would never drive through that, as it is I try to avoid left turns whenever possible (remember, we drive on the right side of the road here).

There are a few roundabouts in SLC but nothing on a big through street. I think that it would encourage the idiots in this state to kill themselves at the wheel.

If I ever pass through Swindon, it will be with my eyes closed.

Z, if my life depended on it, I couldn't tell you which was my liver side and which was my spleen side.

[B4]

[Phoenix]

[BC]

I ususally have to wave my hands about when I'm thinking about left and right to see which one I right with. Funnily enough though it's not a problem in a car, but I think that's because I'm positioned very accurately in the car, and my immediate surroundings don't change if you see what I mean. I dred to think what would happen if I started driving on the right over here: it's already screwed with my instincts about which way to look up and down the street.

Stevenage, my home town, is the roundabout capital of the world I reckon. Being a new town all the roads were built on a roundabout system. I'm dam good at roundabouts. I shall make a special trip to Swindon one day to play with that wonderful example.

I'm terrible at trffic lights, though. Stevenage only used to have one set (now, I think it has two) and they are only turned on in rush hours. The tension mounts as I approach ("Is it gonna change? Is it gonna change? Is it gonna change? IS IT GONNA CHANGE???!!!"), and by the time I'm through I'm a nervous wreck.

We are also well supplied with twisty narrow country lanes, hedged with high hedges, which had B in a fugue state of horror this Xmas as my Mother casually accelerated down the straights, flung the car around corners, and occassionally had to push her way into the vegitation to let other cars past. The funny thing was, she'd taken that rounte back from St Albans on purpose, so that B could enjoy the pretty route rather than the motorway. It's all about what you are used to I guess. I loathe getting into a car with practically anyone in Moscow. It's possible to pay for your driving licence here if you fail the test ( and it's so common that everybody knows the pay scales: X if you fail it all, Y if you fail this and that bit, and Z if you only fail a bit), and this does not inspire me with confidence.

[{Courtesy}]

So kind of the server to finally let me log on. Apparently, the times when it is willing to let me come on board are times when I'm involved with real life.

Driving tests: The first three times I took the test was with the Driving School car, and the final, successful exam was with my trusty rusty L-Reg Vauxhall Viva, what cost me 80 quid. The car did, I mean. I had the same examiner every time, too.

Friends and relations have a hard time letting one forget one's mistakes. After I passed my driving test, which I took in an old-fashioned manual shift VW beetle, dad took me out in the main family car, which was a late 60's model Oldsmobile 98. Fellow Yanks understand the transition I'm talking about here -- from a subcompact bug to a behemoth that automatically expanded to fill any traffic lane it found itself in. I was terrified, but drove to the store and then back home successfully, until the very end, when I hit the side pillar of the garage entrance. Just a wee ding, not even worth having repaired, and you would think family would understand about the radical difference in mass and size, but no. I have been hearing about it ever since, and will continue to do so until either my brother or I die first. HE totalled the bug. HE needed two tries to get his license. And HE was allowed to drive and I wasn't.


Two driving licenses, one for each side of the road, and I have never had a ticket.

One of the things I love about the Magic Roundabout is the reactions it gets from people in (wiser?) countries. You take it one junction at a time, and end up going round the whole thing counter-clockwise, by going around each individual one clockwise. It's fine, and works surprisingly well, once you are used to the idea. It acquired it's name from a children's tv show.

Left and Right. As y'all know I drove on the right hand side of the road for the first time about a month or so ago, on a long trip. I found it easy enough to do, (I was in a local car, which helps massively, as someone else has already noted).

What was wierd was that I appear to be hardwired that "nearside" = "left" and "offside" = "right": I continued to use the word "left" to desecribe turnings on the passenger's side of the road and "right" for turnings on my side.

Does that make sense?

Ben

Hey, I never said things were wiser over here. I do know that with the incredibly poor drivers in Utah, someone would die at that intersection.

Yup. I think that's what I mean too when I mean I don't have trouble with left and right in a car. So we've got "left/right" "spleen/ liver" and "nearside/ offside". I wonder how many other ways people have for not going the wrong way.

Take the second turn to righteousness, follow the road past the pub and the post offine, and then turn towards evil at the lights?



Ben

It *is* always littered with little sparkly bits of red, orange and white glass; I do know that, Marv!

Lights? Who needs 'em?

B

would you not get additional harrasment by the police for broken tail lights marker lights etc? That is a common reason to pull someone over here. Even a cracked tail light is considered a saftey violation in Utah.

Well, Swindon has an - er - unusual attitude to policing. They are the only place I know which put speed bumps into the streets where the working girls ply their trade, to slow the traffic down to a crawl!

To be honest, in the UK, the police don't go much for minor traffic and car violations. Speeding is checked automatically by camera, and there are sometimes traffic police on the motorways, but that is about it. I drive about 10 or 20 hours of motorway per month, and probably see about 2 traffic police cars in that time.

We are a fairly lightly policed society.

B

I have narrowly avoided Swindon on several occasions, as we have friends in the area. But the Magic Roundabout is tempting enough for me to consider a diversion, but perhaps not in the new car.

Is somewhere near Brum that has the UK's most confusing motorway sign? It looks sort of like a Y.

H is driving a company owned Merc automatic until he takes over the Black Beauty (it was his originally) and with my legs sretched out, arms on the rests (which I occasionally have to grip as the seats are leather), I feel like the Queen!

Swindon and trafic is a strange place...
They decided everything had to be roundabouts and no traffic lights. Till there was too much traffic on the main roundabouts so they started to install traffic lights on the roundabout to control the junction. Caused choas, even more so when the police switched the system off on the first day because the traffic was backed up from the junction so bad. Then again I've not lived there for 5 or so years, things could have changed for the better but I doubt it.

The best way to experience the Magic Roundabout is when towing a 15ft glider trailer .

I'm sitting here in an unnaturally clean and tidy nest, wearing an ironed chambray shirt and my new jeans, waiting for some genetically related ants to pay their annual visit. I daren't move.

I hope you've dusted the collection and got them nicely arranged in suitable receptacles round the room, Amy.

I too have been knuckling down to some housew*rk ahead of a similar visit at the weekend, not that Dad would notice anyway.

There was an article in the local rag last week about building a roundabout hereabouts. I thought it was a mistake. Folks here can't figure out 4 way stops. How the heck are they going to figure out a roundabout? We CAN manage cloverleafs - as long as it's light outside.

And road signs. People here don't know that you're supposed to read them. Lane closing 1 mile ahead means drive right up to the end of the road as fast as you can then block traffic trying to get into the correct lane.