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Posted by chief
- July 03, 2013, 18:41:34 PMMy problem was driving my American GT-6 (left hand drive), on the LEFT side of the road and coming to a roundabout... only had a split second to make the decision whether I was supposed to go left or right ... fortunately... no traffic !
Posted by John Hopkins
- July 03, 2013, 10:50:39 AMQuote from: Troll on July 03, 2013, 07:15:10 AMBut surely if you drive on the right you yield to the left..T junction you give way to the oncoming traffic which is approaching from your left..traffic on the main road keeps going and doesn't stop every time someone want's to pull out on their right..roundabouts are the same as approaching a T junction from the downward stroke of the T towards the top section..if you make a circle out of the top sections of the T with the downward strokes of the T as the spokes that is a roundabout..That's exactly what happened at the one in Germany that I witnessed. Picture this: A driver, unused to the traffic circle system texting as they arrive......For the entire driving life of the average motorist, they've been told to yield to the right, and now they have to do something different for a few seconds, out of the blue....
John.
Posted by chief
- July 03, 2013, 10:09:21 AMQuote from: John Hopkins on July 03, 2013, 04:30:19 AMThat info is in most driver test manuals, so the government figures you should still remember from the test you took at 16. Roundabouts aren't NEW in the USA, just rare.It seems to me that if something new is being introduced to your roads the government should put adverts on all TV stations explaining how they work..that is what happens here..
John.
Posted by Troll
- July 03, 2013, 07:15:10 AMThat's exactly what happened at the one in Germany that I witnessed. Picture this: A driver, unused to the traffic circle system texting as they arrive......For the entire driving life of the average motorist, they've been told to yield to the right, and now they have to do something different for a few seconds, out of the blue....
Posted by DC
- July 03, 2013, 06:59:58 AM. . . but that would be common sense, which we seem to have little of here. 
Posted by John Hopkins
- July 03, 2013, 04:30:19 AMIt seems to me that if something new is being introduced to your roads the government should put adverts on all TV stations explaining how they work..that is what happens here..
John.
Posted by 49Reo
- July 02, 2013, 23:59:35 PMSeveral years ago, my wife witnessed a rather abrupt end to some poor slobs vacation; it happened in Dawson Creek, B.C., Mile 'O' of the famed "Alaska Highway'. This poor guy pulled up to the traffic circle, saw the sign pointing 'left' to Alaska, and discovered that hanging a quick left when entering a traffic circle is hazardous to say the least. Head on with a semi. Luckily they were only doing 5-10 mph. Sure wiped out the leading end of that motor-home, though. 
Posted by chief
- July 02, 2013, 10:49:48 AMQuote from: John Hopkins on June 30, 2013, 07:51:15 AMYep, UK is the "roundabout" capital IMHO.I think we invented them, we have thousands of them, singles, doubles, triples, quads..we even have them painted on the road..some I can take at 50mph and others at 30mph others I have to stop for..because we drive on the left the rule is give way to the right so the speed I take the roundabout at depends on how far away I can see the oncoming traffic..There is always a sign to warn me when I am approaching one so I have plenty of time to slow down if I need to..
I hate city riding, traffic lights within 20 yards of each other, bus lanes, one way streets, so much traffic you can't see the road direction signs, cameras, no parking, accidents..
I live in a quiet town, about 16000 people and in five minutes I am out in a national park..
John.
Posted by DC
- July 02, 2013, 06:46:34 AMThen there are the kids that want to do a turf job on the grass in the center and end up getting stuck.
Posted by ChilliDrift
- July 01, 2013, 13:28:37 PMQuote from: John Hopkins on July 01, 2013, 13:21:47 PMYou are supposed to treat them as you would a T junction, give way to oncoming traffic and if something is already on the roundabout wait until they have passed your entrance..on the larger ones you can go if there is the same amount of space between you and the approaching vehicle as you would allow for oncoming traffic on a T junction or cross road..
It's common sense really..you don't pull out if someone is close enough to have to brake to avoid running into you..
John.
Here in the states,..common sense is quickly being replaced with neanderthal like driving. Part of the dumbing down of the American people.
Posted by John Hopkins
- July 01, 2013, 13:21:47 PMYou are supposed to treat them as you would a T junction, give way to oncoming traffic and if something is already on the roundabout wait until they have passed your entrance..on the larger ones you can go if there is the same amount of space between you and the approaching vehicle as you would allow for oncoming traffic on a T junction or cross road..
It's common sense really..you don't pull out if someone is close enough to have to brake to avoid running into you..
John.
Posted by greenbarn
- July 01, 2013, 11:10:35 AMQuote from: DC on July 01, 2013, 07:26:02 AMThat's the main problem I see with them. Most people get the hang of them, but when somebody new comes along, who maybe isn't as familiar with them, then it's a pretty strange concept to "aggressively and purposefully" (well put), enter them, and the end result may not be so great. Trouble is the one guy is aggressively purposefully, and the other guy is "huh??" and then it's down hill from there.Living next door to New Jersey, I've been around them most of my life. They have big ones and small ones. In New Jersey you have aggressively and purposefully enter them, or you'll be mowed down by the cars behind you.
They just installed one around here a year or two ago and, at first, peeps were completely baffled by it. After a while, most peeps got the hang of it. They're fun, as long as everyone follows the yield rules. If not, they can turn into demolition derby . . .which I've also seen happen.
Posted by CDNRatMan
- July 01, 2013, 09:35:08 AMah more rules to follow..........man
Posted by Troll
- July 01, 2013, 07:42:24 AMBut that's the key factor isn't it...everybody following the rules.
Posted by DC
- July 01, 2013, 07:26:02 AMLiving next door to New Jersey, I've been around them most of my life. They have big ones and small ones. In New Jersey you have aggressively and purposefully enter them, or you'll be mowed down by the cars behind you.
They just installed one around here a year or two ago and, at first, peeps were completely baffled by it. After a while, most peeps got the hang of it. They're fun, as long as everyone follows the yield rules. If not, they can turn into demolition derby . . .which I've also seen happen.