Terse Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Should everyone feel proud? Link To Story A roundabout revolution is slowly sweeping the US. The land of the car, where the stop sign and traffic light have ruled for decades, has started to embrace the free-flowing British circular. Carmel is at the forefront of a dizzying expansion, across several American states, of the circular traffic intersection redesigned in 1960s Britain and then exported globally. They first arrived in the US in 1990 and about 3,000 have sprung up since. So while the Americans gave the British fast food, rock and roll and baby showers, in return they get free-flowing, circular traffic intersections. A fair cultural exchange? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweek Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Perhaps we can export our prolific retired roundabout designer (is he back as a consultant?) and his motley crew - and get the yanks to pay for his pension and their wages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempus Fugit Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 suprised they don't call them 'traffic circles' ! .... and can we have that Shell sign over here, 338.9$/gallon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Git Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 I though they were called rotaries in the USA. I remember seeing warning signs about a Rotary ahead and was rather relieved to find it was just a plain old roundabout. The thing they need to get rid of is the four way stop. Such a waste of fuel and wear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terse Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 I though they were called rotaries in the USA. I remember seeing warning signs about a Rotary ahead and was rather relieved to find it was just a plain old roundabout. The thing they need to get rid of is the four way stop. Such a waste of fuel and wear. If you'd read the article: "The US still has the older versions, called rotaries or circles, in cities like Washington DC and they remain quite unpopular, a confusing sprawl of signals, stop signs and concentric lanes. The simpler British version first came to the US in 1990 in Nevada and it is these which are now proliferating. California has built nearly 200 in the last two or three years." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.K. Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 I like the US "Right Turn On Red" because it saves wasting time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathen Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Now this looks confusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terse Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 Now this looks confusing. Yay! Finally persuaded the dumb Yanks to drive on the left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric76 Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 This one in Borger, Texas has been around for many years. It is a bit larger than most roundabouts or traffic circles. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=borger,+texas&hl=en&ll=35.687583,-101.394228&spn=0.008339,0.014452&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=65.17542,45.439453&z=17 My younger brother used to occasionally drive through there well after midnight. For fun, he would often make two or three or even more laps at about half of the posted speed and then head off slowly on the road he needed to go down. Just about every time he did that, he would get pulled over by the police for a sobriety test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucker Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 This one in Borger, Texas has been around for many years. It is a bit larger than most roundabouts or traffic circles. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=borger,+texas&hl=en&ll=35.687583,-101.394228&spn=0.008339,0.014452&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=65.17542,45.439453&z=17 My younger brother used to occasionally drive through there well after midnight. For fun, he would often make two or three or even more laps at about half of the posted speed and then head off slowly on the road he needed to go down. Just about every time he did that, he would get pulled over by the police for a sobriety test. Never beat The Magic Roundabout though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric76 Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 This one in Borger, Texas has been around for many years. It is a bit larger than most roundabouts or traffic circles. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=borger,+texas&hl=en&ll=35.687583,-101.394228&spn=0.008339,0.014452&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=65.17542,45.439453&z=17 My younger brother used to occasionally drive through there well after midnight. For fun, he would often make two or three or even more laps at about half of the posted speed and then head off slowly on the road he needed to go down. Just about every time he did that, he would get pulled over by the police for a sobriety test. Never beat The Magic Roundabout though I'd probably have to be drunk to make it through that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonythetash Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Perhaps we can export our prolific retired roundabout designer (is he back as a consultant?) and his motley crew - and get the yanks to pay for his pension and their wages. The state of Ca is already billions if not trillions in debt, the last thing they want is their new roundabouts being dug up every other week cos they got the camber wrong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jampton Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Let's export some of our roundabouts, the QB should fetch as much as London Bridge did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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