Barely avoided some Maverick on Maverick violence this morning...

[Traegorn]

I was doing my morning errands before work today, and while navigating a traffic circle a Cactus Grey Maverick cut in front of my Area 51 XLT. I had to slam on by brakes to avoid hitting the guy.

I don't know if he wasn't looking or if he just doesn't know how traffic circles work (though I'm betting on the latter), but I think it was a closer call than that guy realizes.

Please folks, pay attention to where you're going.

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[Fcnrwy]

I was doing my morning errands before work today, and while navigating a traffic circle a Cactus Grey Maverick cut in front of my Area 51 XLT. I had to slam on by brakes to avoid hitting the guy.

I don't know if he wasn't looking or if he just doesn't know how traffic circles work (though I'm betting on the latter), but I think it was a closer call than that guy realizes.

Please folks, pay attention to where you're going.

NOT a Fan of "Traffic (roundabouts) Circles".
I have had to make STOPS, in them to avoid a potential disaster...

Jerry

 

[710-oil-614]

Does anyone really know how traffic circles work? In my area they have installed some that is such a small circle it literally is a flower bed in the middle of the intersection. Multiple fender benders in them weekly. I love the people who get to the circle and stop waiting for no traffic.

Yes, traffic circles are brilliant and easy to navigate but no, the vast majority of people do not know how to do it. They installed a massive one on a state route that was 45 mph and got redeveloped into a new "downtown" area for our little town.

Brought speed limit down to 25 mph and then people approach this massive roundabout and get confused as hell....my buddy owned the pizza shop across the river and was the first place for wrecked cars to turn in and park (if they could move). I would go drink on Friday afternoon/evenings and we stopped counting at 34 accidents after they installed the roundabout and opened it up.

It's gotten much better but still multiple accidents weekly.

 

[Traegorn]

NOT a Fan of "Traffic (roundabouts) Circles".
I have had to make STOPS, in them to avoid a potential disaster...

Jerry

Like when they work, they can be great. The intersection this one is at used to be a four way stop, and I'd always get stuck in a line of cars waiting their turn every morning -- literally five minutes got cut out of my commute when they put the thing in.

But yeah, idiots cutting in, bozos stopping in the middle of the circle (you're not supposed to stop unless its an emergency), and the guy who stops and sits there when the circle is clear all drive me nuts.

 

[SafetyGuy]

Wow, glad to hear you had your head up and dodged having to exchange insurance information!

For myself, I love well designed traffic circles. You slow down and if no other traffic, you get to keep rolling and take your exit so most times no stopping...they work if power is lost, if everyone uses their signals indicating they are staying in the circle (left turn signal) or leaving at the next exit (right signal), things go even smoother.

I actually helped the city of Winnipeg as there was a horrible intersection in the west end where it was a 4 way stop...and semi trucks got stuck as the needed to turn right 90 dwgrees to stay on a truck route...almost impossible with other traffic, to accomplish.

I sent in my thoughts to our councillor with a general plan and reasoning for it and how it would help traffic (always have to provide a possible solution and benefits!).

Long story short, they said thanks and when we moved back to the area in 2022, voila! There it was. So much better for everyone, especially the truckers. They have enough to deal with bad drivers, no need for bad planning.

Have a good one, and let's all keep our heads up out there as it is Friday! People drive even worse on Fridays, I find.

Andy

 

[Waterick]

Does anyone really know how traffic circles work? In my area they have installed some that is such a small circle it literally is a flower bed in the middle of the intersection. Multiple fender benders in them weekly. I love the people who get to the circle and stop waiting for no traffic.

Having grown up in New England, I never thought much about traffic circles until I saw people in other parts of the country having difficulty with them. The larger they are, the better. They do have their place.

 

[710-oil-614]

That's a massive circle. In downtown Richmond there are some residential streets where they put landscape blocks in a circle with 4 signs claiming it is a traffic circle to "save money replacing stop signs." People just blast through the intersections.

Yeah in some of our neighborhoods they've done that and people going "straight" can simply just do a bit of evasive steering and keep on keepin on. Ridiculous "design" if you ask me. Not a traffic circle, not a stop sign - just ridiculous.

 

[MaverickNoticer]

Glad you are OK!! and the truck too!
People rarely understand how to properly yield.

 

[Gray Goose]

Straight from Google. More accidents, but less serious ones. I guess that's a win?

P.S. I am not the Cactus Grey Maverick you are seeking. I was home having breakfast.

 

[colinl]

As long as they're properly designed, traffic circles are great. People do get confused and most of them quickly learn how to use them properly, but some people never figure it out or just change their route to avoid the intersection.

There was one that confused me, and it was on a one-way road with 2 lanes. You would think that being one way was nothing special, and being a 2 lane roundabout also nothing special.

But, no. Some idiot decided to cut it in half, and the left lane went directly left (9 o'clock) only, and the right lane could exit right (3 o'clock) or straight. No signage before the roundabout - which might have been the key, or possibly only, issue. If it had at least 2 signs before saying LEFT LANE MUST TURN LEFT and similar signage for the right lane does, it could work. I personally still don't see the issue with 2-lanes going counterclockwise like normal.

 

[Milwrdfan]

Single lane roundabouts aren't too bad, but it seems like multi-lane circles are more difficult to navigate to know if both lanes can go straight through, or only the left lane goes straight and the right only diverges. Signs indicating which lane does which are often too close to the roundabout to be able to make a lane change with any sort of traffic around. Not a big deal for those that drive them on a regular basis, but if I come across a roundabout, it takes a lot more effort to figure out very quickly as I'm approaching, which lane I need to be in, depending on where I want to exit it.

They just put in a large multi-lane roundabout near my house, and although it helps with traffic flow at busy times, they put a huge mound of dirt in the middle, blocking my ability to see anything more than what's coming from the entrance just to my left. I would prefer to be able to see the whole roundabout to predict what traffic is coming around, and not just what's immediately entering to my left.

 

[d7602002]

When the f*** did they start calling them traffic circles? I have called them roundabouts for my whole life, even if they were mostly in England or Europe. And then they came to the US I still called them roundabouts. But recently I've read traffic circles and even my GPS said enter the traffic circle and I thought what the f...?

Although, I will say I really like them because we've had a couple places where it was a three-way stop, and people had no clue who's turn it was. Now there are roundabouts and the traffic just keeps flowing. And when I worked in 911 over the first 10 years we had them we rarely got accidents in the roundabouts.

 

[Fletch_KC]

Traffic circle fan, here. I love them. They installed a couple on my commute route 10 or so years ago and it's made the commute faster and safer.

I think one issue (at least in my area) is old people like me didn't experience "training" on roundabouts when we learned to drive. And there are still a lot of us out there with very little experience with these. When teaching the next generation of drivers, if they don't go through formal driver's ed classes (my kids did, btw) they might not get training on traffic circles either.

So, the whole durned human comedy keeps perpetuatin' itself down through the generations. Westward the wagons, across the sands of time until we - ah, look at me. I'm ramblin' again.

 

[colinl]

When the f*** did they start calling them traffic circles? I have called them roundabouts for my whole life, even if they were mostly in England or Europe. And then they came to the US I still called them roundabouts. But recently I've read traffic circles and even my GPS said enter the traffic circle and I thought what the f...?

it's the same thing, sure. many examples of that and yes it can be very regionalized.

a 'stoplight' is really a type of traffic control signal, but almost no one in my locale uses the latter term even if it's just a flashing yellow. they could probably call it a 'flashing yellow' or 'caution light' instead of 'traffic signal'.

 

[James K]

No one knew the rules of a 4 way stop either. My favorite was the driver who stopped 20' before the stop sign so they could assume they had right of way.

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