Roundabouts Galore

While traffic in the US is (almost) always monitored by green, yellow, and red shiny things, in the UK they are big fans of roundabouts.

Now, in theory, these are a great idea. No need to stop, just slow down, make sure no one is coming, and go. Drive around the circle until you reach your desired turn off. Or, stay on, and make the passengers in the car really dizzy. Ok, you aren't supposed to do that, but I think it would be pretty funny.

Thus far in the UK, I have seen a variety of different roundabouts used, each with a variety of pros and cons.

The Flat Mini 

This roundabout is used most often in the small intersections in village side streets and residential areas. The picture shown is one of the larger of the minis, as they can shrink to the size of only about 2 feet across, and scarcely an inch off the road. In my opinion, these are more for the piece of mind of little old ladies in Mini Coopers, and to remind people to stay on their side of the road. They are usually driven over, not around. C- for the mini.

The Average, or What Every Roundabout Aspires to Be

To me, this is the best roundabout. Simple, clean, organized. Center circle is big enough that people cannot just cut across, but small enough not to make you wish you hadn't had that last chili dog. The landscaping is good, so one can see across the center without the inhibition of a ficus. A+ for the ease.

The Surprise Roundabout

This roundabout (which I unfortunately do no have a picture of) is fun for teens and thrill-seekers, not so much for worry-warts. Picture in your mind- a roundabout with a building, wall, or forest in the middle. Sure, you can look right and left, but you have no idea what is on the other side of the circle. I'm fairly certain these lead to more accidents than any other. These are usually located at the entrance or exit to the motorway. D- for the danger it involves.

The Roundabout With Lights, or the US Roundabout

Wait a second.. a roundabout.. and lights? This could either be the best collaboration since bread and butter,  or a complete mess. Well, I think they work decently well, but look like a mess. 

See, when Brits do traffic lights, they don't just have one set for each direction to follow- they have at least two. For example. you will have one near where you need to stop (so the cars in the back can see), and one on the opposite side of the road (like the US) for the front cars to see. Also sometimes, they have a set on each side, if there is more than one lane. That means 4 sets of light for one set of lanes! Now times that by 4, and arrange them around a circle. Whoa.

If you can figure out which lights belong to you, then the lights with the roundabouts can work well. it is good for high volumes of traffic. But. The ridiculous number of lights combined with a lot of cars creates a good amount of confusion. Apparently, the lights at one of the local US roundabouts went out recently, and traffic went out so much easier that the locals begged them not to turn them back on.  C for planning and D for my confusion.

The Ridiculousness

Now I have not seen this particular roundabout, but can you figure it out by looking at this picture? I can't. Which means looking at it form street level would be near impossible to do. This one beats out the US roundabout for the most confusing, by far. As I sit here, my resident Brits are discussing the worst ones they know. The Crooked Billet. Bulls Bridge. Hanger Lane. Apparently, the whole "less is more" concept has been overlooked quite a few times during roundabout creation. F for ridiculousness. A for resembling go-kart tracks.

Comparing- Lights and Roundabouts

So which is better? Well, there is no simple answer to this question. See, one roundabout is nice, when it is simple and low speed. But, I've seen roads with roundabouts about every mile. That wastes a lot of time. Likewise, a road with tons of traffic lights can save you time if they are all green, but wastes time if they are all red. The British point of view? "We are used to them". Like we are used to an epic amount of lights in the States. So, should we convert every intersection in the US to a roundabout? No, definitely not. Sometimes they are good, sometimes not so much. Simplicity is the key.