Report: Roundabouts proliferating in America, drivers confused
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,864
Likes: 0
From: Massachusetts
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 20,244
Likes: 275
roundabouts are great for slow to mid intersections... french love them to the point of going crazy.
in my city, one of the biggest intersections is roundabout, and it is a bit scary even for europe but traffic goes really fast through it.
in my city, one of the biggest intersections is roundabout, and it is a bit scary even for europe but traffic goes really fast through it.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,571
Likes: 265
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
You can't use Dupont Circle (or most of the other circles in D.C.) as a comparison. They simply have too many stop-lights (and city streets) going in and out of them. A true roundabout, as I understand it, has only a couple of roads going in and out of it.....and no stoplights.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,864
Likes: 0
From: Massachusetts
Yeah, the whole point of a rotary is to not have stop lights or stop signs. That's what intersections are for. A rotary is made up of access points with yield signs only and traffic within the circle never stops.
You can't use Dupont Circle (or most of the other circles in D.C.) as a comparison. They simply have too many stop-lights (and city streets) going in and out of them. A true roundabout, as I understand it, has only a couple of roads going in and out of it.....and no stoplights.
I, too, prefer traditional roundabouts, but as the article discusses, and from what I've read on the topic, American drivers typically are against them, until they catch on. We have a few smaller non-controlled roundabouts in various areas in MD (though with less traffic), and they work great. I prefer them to having to come to a full and unnecessary stop.
I think generally people don't like change so it won't be liked origionally but just like everything else once its there long enough you just get use to it. I personally like them. They are fun to drive around if there small enough and if they are huge like the one in the pic then I'm guessing it would jus seem like a regular road. A guy posted a video of him doing some drifting around a small one on a course (I think) and it looked fun. Another thing they are good for 
ClubLexus Stories
Celebrating Lexus & Toyota from Around the Globe
Top 10 Most Confusing Things Lexus Has Ever Done!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Lexus ES Review: Lexus Re-Embraces Founding Principles
Michael S. Palmer
10 Lexus Bargains That are Cheaper Than a New Toyota RAV4
Joe Kucinski
8 Weirdest Things Lexus Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
10 Lexus Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
8 Tips for Improving Your Hybrid or Plug-in Hybrid's Efficiency!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Best Lexus Models No One Remembers
Joe Kucinski
TRD Off-Road Premium: Best 2026 4Runner, Except This One Thing
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Lexus & Toyotas to Drive Before You Die!
Joe Kucinski
Lead Lap
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,810
Likes: 15
From: MI
The freeway exit for a local shopping area has roundabouts up the wazoo:
- Double roundabout on one side of the freeway (they should either make it a figure-8 track and sell tickets or put up law offices in the centers)
- Single roundabout on the other side of the freeway
- Multiple roundabouts on the access roads in the shopping area.
http://www.shopsatgreenoak.com/roundabouts.html
- Double roundabout on one side of the freeway (they should either make it a figure-8 track and sell tickets or put up law offices in the centers)
- Single roundabout on the other side of the freeway
- Multiple roundabouts on the access roads in the shopping area.
http://www.shopsatgreenoak.com/roundabouts.html
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,545
Likes: 0
From: MO
I drove roundabouts on my last trip to Europe and I think they are brilliant but there is a definite protocol for driving them. If you're not careful you can cause all kinds of disaster. Americans will definitely have problems adapting to them but they are astonishingly effective at keeping traffic flowing.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,589
Likes: 285
From: Illinois
There is a huge retirement community in central Florida that has a lot of roundabouts. They do keep the traffic moving, but it can be quite an adventure when the oldsters and all of the visitors try to figure them out.
Lead Lap
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 459
Likes: 0
From: Indiana
There is one that I know of downtown that works quite well; and a few down in Bloomington that all work wonderfully, I'm all for them.
Even though I usually have a low opinion of others, everyone I talk to around this neck of the woods seems to a) hate them, and b) be able to use them with no trouble.
Even though I usually have a low opinion of others, everyone I talk to around this neck of the woods seems to a) hate them, and b) be able to use them with no trouble.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,285
Likes: 43
From: NV
As anyone who has lived where local government geniuses have installed a roundabout knows, they're a terrible idea because people simply can't wrap their heads around them. In one city I lived in, even some 3-5 years after they started changing some intersections to rotaries, I would still see near-accidents or nearly get into accidents myself almost every time I went through them because people just can't figure out how to yield, can't figure out which lane to be in for the exit they need, or just plain can't figure out how to stay in their lanes in the rotary.
In many areas, local governments have gone way overboard in terms of directing drivers and I'm convinced that's why drivers have so much trouble any time they have to actually make decisions for themselves.
That double roundabout makes my head spin just looking at it.
In many areas, local governments have gone way overboard in terms of directing drivers and I'm convinced that's why drivers have so much trouble any time they have to actually make decisions for themselves.
The freeway exit for a local shopping area has roundabouts up the wazoo:
- Double roundabout on one side of the freeway (they should either make it a figure-8 track and sell tickets or put up law offices in the centers)
- Single roundabout on the other side of the freeway
- Multiple roundabouts on the access roads in the shopping area.
http://www.shopsatgreenoak.com/roundabouts.html
- Double roundabout on one side of the freeway (they should either make it a figure-8 track and sell tickets or put up law offices in the centers)
- Single roundabout on the other side of the freeway
- Multiple roundabouts on the access roads in the shopping area.
http://www.shopsatgreenoak.com/roundabouts.html