Roundabout or Four Way Stop. What's your preference?

[applepansy]

I detest roundabouts. They are a waste of gas and tires. I much prefer a 4-way stop or even a 5-way stop. I've seen more accidents in roundabouts because there is always somebody going the wrong way to cut the corner.

[Guest]

I detest roundabouts. They are a waste of gas and tires. I much prefer a 4-way stop or even a 5-way stop. I've seen more accidents in roundabouts because there is always somebody going the wrong way to cut the corner.

I'm trying to imagine what yours must look like. I don't understand how they could waste gas or tires (burns more gas to start and stop than to keep going), and it would be impossible to cut around any corners on ours because of how they're set up, unless people are driving over concrete blocks.

[Traveler]

I think I look at driving differently. I view things as though I am not driving on my road or my property. I have often said that if everybody regularly road a bicycle that their driving habits would change. Also because I travel a lot I have learned to try to understand the culture and attitudes of the people I meet. I try to drive with the attitude I am not driving on my roads but rather I am a guest on other people's road.

I try to pay attention to the signs and design of the road to best conform and utilize the road system. If I encounter a 4 way stop I try not to upset anyone in that intersection and if someone wants really badly to be in that intersection out of turn - I try to accommodate them and let them have that intersection to themselves. Likewise with roundabouts, I honestly try to conform to what the roundabout is trying to accomplish. If someone tries to let me in when I shouldn't - I try not to argue and slip in thankfully. I do not use any of the finger signals to display frustration - I believe that does more harm than good.

In essence - my attitude is not one of preference but one of just trying to get along with everybody else on the road - especially if they are in cars and I am on my bicycle.

The Traveler

[prisonchaplain]

Maybe it's like metric...more precise, more sophisticated, oh-so-European, but a hazzard, distraction and never-to-be-fully-implemented boondogle for us innately resistent Americans.

[applepansy]

I'm trying to imagine what yours must look like. I don't understand how they could waste gas or tires (burns more gas to start and stop than to keep going), and it would be impossible to cut around any corners on ours because of how they're set up, unless people are driving over concrete blocks.

They are going the wrong way on purpose.

Addtionally: there is one place I've seen a roundabout that it made sense. Its in Pleasant View, Utah. On Elberta where one road enters at an angle. That makes sense. Yet, people still go the wrong way. When they first put it in it happened a lot. Now its only occasionally that I'll see someone go the wrong way.

The one by my son's place is useless. It replaced a straight forward three way stop. Now, people run through it so fast its dangerous and to slow people down they put in speeds bumps from Hades. A stop sign worked better.

Sigh.... I don't get angry but I do get tired.

Edited October 10, 2013 by applepansy

[Traveler]

They are going the wrong way on purpose.

Addtionally: there is one place I've seen a roundabout that it made sense. Its in Pleasant View, Utah. On Elberta where one road enters at an angle. That makes sense. Yet, people still go the wrong way. When they first put it in it happened a lot. Now its only occasionally that I'll see someone go the wrong way.

The one by my son's place is useless. It replaced a straight forward three way stop. Now, people run through it so fast its dangerous and to slow people down they put in speeds bumps from Hades. A stop sign worked better.

Sigh.... I don't get angry but I do get tired.

You would love driving in Mexico - they put speed bumps (like none other I have ever seen even attempted anywhere else) on a freeway in the middle of nowhere????

The Traveler

[Guest]

I still can't visualize that. There are concrete barriers on ours that force you to go the right way unless you drive over them, and even then you'd have to have a truck or something.

[classylady]

Eowyn, I think I've seen concrete barriers in the middle, where the circle has the barricade where you can't drive through the middle. But, I don't know of any roundabout that has a concrete barrier that would block driving all the way around the roundabout. In other words, a driver can drive the roundabout more than one time if they miss their exit. I'm thinking if they are driving the wrong way, instead of turning right to go around the circle to take the third exit, they turn left, driving the wrong way, and take that third exit. So, essentially driving the wrong way on a one-way street. The roundabout is basically a one-way street that goes counter-clockwise. If they are driving the wrong way, they enter the roundabout going clockwise.

Edit: Or, do you mean you have concrete barriers that channel the traffic into the roundabout, and you can still drive completely around the circle several times. That would make it difficult to turn left into the roundabout. I don't know if I've seen any like that. And I can't see how you could exit out of the roundabout onto a street like that unless the street is a divided street.

Edited October 11, 2013 by classylady

[Guest]

I was just looking on google images because I wasn't familiar with roundabouts until they started putting them in around here, so I assumed they were all similar. Ours do have barriers at the onramps (is that what they are?) that direct traffic in the correct direction, so you would have to drive over them to go the wrong direction. I see from my image search that many don't have these barriers. Ours look something like this:

http://poohatur.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/roundabout.gif

[Guest]

I was just looking on google images because I wasn't familiar with roundabouts until they started putting them in around here, so I assumed they were all similar. Ours do have barriers at the onramps (is that what they are?) that direct traffic in the correct direction, so you would have to drive over them to go the wrong direction. I see from my image search that many don't have these barriers. Ours look something like this:

http://poohatur.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/roundabout.gif

This is if the lanes leading into the roundabout are 2-way streets. There are some roundabouts (we have some in our town) where the road leading into the roundabout is a one-way street.

So, look at that picture you posted... instead of the road leading into the roundabout having an entry on the right of the concrete and an exit on the left side of the concrete, you have the entry on the left side of the concrete and another entry on the right side of the concrete ONLY for those who are exiting on the next off-road on the roundabout. So, if you are not exiting on the next exit, you are supposed to go on the left side of the concrete to enter the roundabout going counter-clockwise still. But, those unfamiliar with roundabouts would enter on the left side of the concrete and turn left on the roundabout going the oppose direction of roundabout traffic. Make sense?

Sometimes, the entry road has multi-lane entry lanes and 1 exit lane. So the left-most lane is for exiting traffic, the right-most lane is for entry traffic that are exiting on the next exit of the roundabout, and the middle lane is for all the other exits.

Sometimes, there are 3 roads entering... right-most to exit first, next-to-the-right-most to exit on the 2nd exit, everything else on the other lanes to go into the roundabout.

Sometimes, you have a "Magic Roundabout"... the entry and exit into the Giant Roundabout are smaller roundabouts! Yep! No, not in my city. This is in England.

[Drpepper]

I love roundabouts sometimes I will go round a few times just because I can. My kids think I'm nuts.

[Mahone]

I love roundabouts sometimes I will go round a few times just because I can. My kids think I'm nuts.

Ah. Reminds me of one of my childhood favourites:

(skip to 5:40)

[Vort]

I love roundabouts sometimes I will go round a few times just because I can. My kids think I'm nuts.

Will you be my

?

[classylady]

Will you be my

?

Love this classic!

[NightSG]

I've seen more accidents in roundabouts because there is always somebody going the wrong way to cut the corner.

The solution I suggested several times for one in Richardson was wrong-way tire damagers. Partly because every idiot I nearly hit head on in it was driving a truck with huge, expensive tires.

[applepansy]

The solution I suggested several times for one in Richardson was wrong-way tire damagers. Partly because every idiot I nearly hit head on in it was driving a truck with huge, expensive tires.

I detest wrong-way tire damagers too. :)

[bytebear]

I was thinking about this as I drive in my area. It's mostly new developments, and they have several main roads that have three lanes of traffic each way with one or two turn lanes. The lights have no left turn yields so you have to wait for the turn light to change. The annoying thing is, because the area is new development, there is no traffic. I wish they would at least do blinking red lights, but no, I gotta wait for the green arrow, looking at lanes and lanes of empty.

[Guest]

I was thinking about this as I drive in my area. It's mostly new developments, and they have several main roads that have three lanes of traffic each way with one or two turn lanes. The lights have no left turn yields so you have to wait for the turn light to change. The annoying thing is, because the area is new development, there is no traffic. I wish they would at least do blinking red lights, but no, I gotta wait for the green arrow, looking at lanes and lanes of empty.

I was just talking about this to my friends yesterday. I'm the type of person who lets logic win over traffic signs - a product of Filipino culture. 4-way stop. There is nobody on each of the roads. I don't stop - I slow down to see that there's nobody carooming down the cross-lanes and I keep going... which ends up with me getting a ticket. But, of course, logic tells me the cops need more money to fund the department because tax money is not enough. So that's what my ticket is for... more tax.

[pam]

I was just talking about this to my friends yesterday. I'm the type of person who lets logic win over traffic signs - a product of Filipino culture. 4-way stop. There is nobody on each of the roads. I don't stop - I slow down to see that there's nobody carooming down the cross-lanes and I keep going... which ends up with me getting a ticket. But, of course, logic tells me the cops need more money to fund the department because tax money is not enough. So that's what my ticket is for... more tax.

Haha and logic would tell me you got a ticket for not following the laws of the road. :)

[applepansy]

I was just talking about this to my friends yesterday. I'm the type of person who lets logic win over traffic signs - a product of Filipino culture. 4-way stop. There is nobody on each of the roads. I don't stop - I slow down to see that there's nobody carooming down the cross-lanes and I keep going... which ends up with me getting a ticket. But, of course, logic tells me the cops need more money to fund the department because tax money is not enough. So that's what my ticket is for... more tax.

What is illogical about stop meaning stop?

I know a family who lost there father because someone decided stop signs were optional.