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

Roundabouts are, in principle a fine thing, and there aren't nearly enough of them in London. They are a great way of easing congestion to areas where lights cannot effectively do the job because of erratic peak flows. You roll up, you get your turn like everyone else.

They ought not to be used in large scale traffic intersections. The larger the roundabout, the more havoc that may be caused within it.

The prime example, is Paris, where complete lack of roadmarkings and multiple undefined entrance and exit areas with as many as around ten 'theoretical' lanes with people that won't use a brake but will use a horn will leave a newcomer scarred for life... and thankful that they paid full insurance with their hired car.

Why do people who are going straight on at a roundabout signal right when they approach it? I was told by my driving instructor that you should treat a roundabout like a crossroads. Assuming that the roundabout has four exits (like most of them), you should approach the roundabout signalling left if you're going to take the first exit, signalling right if you're going to take the third exit, and NOT SIGNAL AT ALL if you're going to take the second exit.

This is one of my own personal irrational hatreds.

I just want to point out that this traffic mess is available on this side of the pond as well: Boston is notorious for having the worst traffic circles in the United States. However, at least in Boston, the right of way rules are fairly well defined: the most dented car wins, always.

"Traffic Circles"? - Sounds a bit like "Corn Circles" in a roundabout way

Anyway, if anyone really wants to be amazed as to how far people can go with this concept, go to Hemel Hempstead (just north of London) sometime. There they have roundabouts within roundabouts. I am not joking. They have one big roundabout which allows traffic to go in both directions around it, and within this roundabout there are six(?) small roundabouts to cope with traffic entering and exiting this network.

Still with me? No? I'm not sure if I get it myself, come to think about it

About the most pointless, and most abused roundabout is the mini roundabout, you know, the ones where its just a small circle painted in the middle of the junction, and which everyone just drives over? What's the point in them?

Thanks Harvey,

Couldn't have said it better myself

I knew there was a connection with Corn Circles somewhere....

I always go to the local traffic circle when I feel I need to brush up on my driving skills. Highway driving makes you soft, and sometimes the only way to regain your assertive driving skills is to visit a traffic circle during rush hour.

I like to shout "Take no prisoners!!!" before entering.

The proliferation of the mini-roundabout is a factor of congestion because at a certain traffic level it becomes impossible to join the major road from the minor at a T-junction. Put in a mini-roundabout and you instantly have priority over half the traffic on the major road.

What I don't understand is when, if ever, do the signs saying "new roundabout ahead" get taken down? When is it no longer new?

When someone, maddened by being stuck in the roundabout for an hour because they're not aggressive enough to get out, closes their eyes, floors the gas, and comes hurtling out in the precise direction necessary to hit the signpost dead-on.

Where roundabouts are not the best option [imho], is in motorway junctions. The cloverleaf junction, even taken to its extreme as per spaghetti junction, is far superior.

Also, I'm not really sure about roundabouts with traffic lights on them - I can see why traffic lights on the approaches to a roundabout would be useful in very heavy traffic situations - but having to stop once on the roundabout seems to make no sense at all.

For maximum fun (if memory serve me correctly) you should go to junction one of the M5 from the Birmingham side. In order to go southbound you have to leave the roundabout from the inside edge - is this unique?

Years ago the border post between Kenya and Ethiopia was a mini-roundabout with a thorn tree in the middle of it - no actual roads leading to it, but a friend of mine was stopped by the border guards for going round it the wrong way. In correcting this mistake he managed to drive over the thorn tree, thus puncturing two tires. The nearest repair shop was the other side of the border to which the car had to be pushed (He'd run out of patches) The combined border patrols lined up to laugh - longest border crossing on record.

In Bradford, Yorkshire roundabouts are Known as Wells, Life the one by the Photography Museum, Jacobs Well (I did not know he was poorly).
In Wakefield one of them is called a Bullring

Does anyone else know other names?

For roundabout chaos, you should go to Swindon to experience the magic roundabout (I think there are one or two others in the UK). It comprises of five mini roundabouts aranged in a pentagon with about 10m between the centres. You can go round it in both directions - round the outside you travel clockwise (turn L onto it) or in the middle you go anti-clockwise (turn R into it).
It's a very scary thing even to people who've been there for quite some time.
The last thing to note is that if you learn to drive in Swindon (like I did) you will go round part of this on your test.

Who paints the mini roundabouts. One day you drive down a road, suddenly the next day theres a painted roundabout. They are everywhere. There is one my McDonalds on the Old Kent Road, another one by Pc world on the Purley Road.

Do we need these painted circles, makes a change from crop circles

The temporary signs for a new roundabout should be removed within three months, but they seldom do!