Roundabouts

This post is not what you think it's going to be. It's actually NOT going to be about how much I hate roundabouts. Instead, it's going to be about how awesome they are.

I had the opportunity to spend a couple months in England, which was a fantastic experience. I look forward to when I get to go back (If I ever get to go). There are two major differences about driving in England. One is obvious. Everyone in America makes fun of Britain driving on the left side of the road. I'll admit, it took some getting used to, but after a day or two, it seemed just as natural to me. Of course, my frequent readers will know I love driving, so switching habits didn't seem like that big a deal to me.

The other big difference between driving in America and driving in England is the roundabouts. Rotary, Traffic Circle, whatever you want to call them (though if you call them anything but a roundabout, you're a fool), they are EVERYWHERE in England. Even some of the smallest intersections have roundabouts. Places that here in the US would be a T intersection have mini roundabouts in England. It's glorious!

In England, they even have double and triple roundabouts. These are quite complex and can be very confusing, especially to an American just learning to drive in the UK. However, I have to admit that there were some very high traffic areas that, had they had lights or stop signs, would have been monstrously bad in terms of traffic. With the intricate double roundabouts, though, traffic flowed smoothly and there were remarkably few accidents.  It's so smooth and easy. You just wait for an open spot, and then GO GO GO!

These roundabouts are the greatest traffic flow tool to ever hit the US. It's really too bad there are not that many here in the US. It's even worse when they are poorly designed. In England, I never saw one that was poorly designed. I saw plenty that were confusing, but there were always signs and roadway markers to signal proper usage. There is a roundabout in a small town in Idaho that is so poorly designed, there are constantly accidents taking place there. In a couple spots, there are 2 lanes for cars to drive in, but in some places it suddenly switches to only a single lane. No warning, no signs, no instructions on how to avoid being blindsided by the guy driving next to you, just "OK, here's a circle, go around it." Yeah, that doesnt work. The problem here is not the theory of the roundabout, however, but rather its poor execution. Oh, and the fact that 90% of the drivers going around it are students that are reckless, or the fact that it's snowing and too many people don't know how to drive in snow. Sorry, I digress

Besides, how much fun is it to just go in circles around the roundabout? My kids love it when I take a couple laps around an empty (emphasis on empty) roundabout.

Here in America, we have these atrocious traffic contraptions known as 4 way stops. These terrible places are where 2 roads cross, generally at 90 degree angles. Each road has a stop sign going in each direction. This leads to mass backups, traffic jams, and major frustration. There is one 4 way stop in Virginia, near where my parents live, that is constantly backed up. During rush hour, it can take up to an hour to get through this one 4 way stop. How is that efficient? I have come to the conclusion that the person who invented the 4 way stop was both an imbecile and an evil dictator, bent on creating misery among the human race.

Can you guess what they are putting in to replace that intersection? That's right. A roundabout.