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

[dochawk]

This is a intersection with two left turn lanes where they had to put down stripes to keep people in their Lanes.

wait, what?

People on the west obey those lines?

Out on west flamingo, they change lanes mid-turn anyway!

Often enough that I assume it will happen.

A properly used two lane roundabout nobody cuts in front of anybody.

gosh, you're sure underestimating the capacity of bad drivers!

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[1-20-2025]

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.

Traffic circles?
I thought they were called roundabouts

 

[HeyBales]

Seen them called both - and seen traffic circles for years in some areas where the description below is correct. Aesthetics. Major street got so major stop signs put on minor streets.
This one 3 lanes each direction on the major street, minor streets 1.

City nearby had a serious cut-thru street that was abused and causing accidents, and 1 block away from a grade school - for testing they installed all the traffic calming methods that were known 20 years ago.
Speed table, roundabout, lane narrowing opposite and alternating. No speed bump at least.
The did the roundabouts on future street improvements throughout the city.


AI Overview
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Traffic circles and roundabouts are both circular intersections, but they differ in their design and primary function. Roundabouts are designed for safety and efficiency, with a focus on reducing speed and eliminating head-on collisions, while traffic circles are often larger and may have higher speed limits, often used for aesthetic purposes or in urban areas with lower traffic volumes.

 

[Traegorn]

Seen them called both - and seen traffic circles for years in some areas where the description below is correct. Aesthetics. Major street got so major stop signs put on minor streets.
This one 3 lanes each direction on the major street, minor streets 1.

City nearby had a serious cut-thru street that was abused and causing accidents, and 1 block away from a grade school - for testing they installed all the traffic calming methods that were known 20 years ago.
Speed table, roundabout, lane narrowing opposite and alternating. No speed bump at least.
The did the roundabouts on future street improvements throughout the city.


AI Overview
Learn more

View all


Traffic circles and roundabouts are both circular intersections, but they differ in their design and primary function. Roundabouts are designed for safety and efficiency, with a focus on reducing speed and eliminating head-on collisions, while traffic circles are often larger and may have higher speed limits, often used for aesthetic purposes or in urban areas with lower traffic volumes.

Colloquially traffic circle and roundabout are used interchangeably.

If you want to be pedantic, it was a roundabout.

 

[Aherpa]

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.

We have 'roundabouts' in neighboring cities that are two lane . . . I'll let that sink in. Add on top of that, they 'decorate' the donut hole with shrubs and masonry so you can't see oncoming traffic. . . but hey, they are all the rage.

 

[BlueOval1954]

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.

I was introduced to them in the 1980's in MA and they called them a Rotary. Interesting to navigate when you were from the midwest. Rotaries, roundabouts, traffic circles, everyone has a name for them. Now they are spreading out and we are seeing a lot more of them. The ones I see say Yield when going into them but there are always those who just try to jump right in no matter what.

 

[Ron Neal]

I love roundabouts (traffic circles), no stop signs and you just yield if necessary.

 

[Fcnrwy]

i always turn down the radio and play close attention when i get to one of those with some traffic in it - I HATE them - you can just see where some clown is going to see if they can zip right in front of you when you have the right of way

This is exactly what is happening to ME..

Jerry

 

[MakinDoForNow]

I love roundabouts (traffic circles), no stop signs and you just yield if necessary.

YES continual 20-25 mph lane merge loop-de-looper aided by exiting vehicles turn signal indicating his place will be available to be occupied by vehicle entering.

 

[Phimosis]

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.

I love traffic circles. Rules are pretty simple, you have to yield to enter. Once you’re in, you have right of way in your lane.

In Italy, most cities don’t have stop signs. They have traffic circles. Instead of cars moving at 4-5 mph waiting to inch up to the stop sign at a busy intersection, they are doing 20 mph continuously entering and no one ever comes to a complete stop.

Traffic circles also prevent deaths. Instead of an inattentive driver not seeing the stop sign, blowing through the intersection at 45 mph, T-boning someone and killing them, the inattentive driver is forced to slow down to negotiate the traffic circle, or crash into the central island of the traffic circle.

 

[Randorita]

Most of the US got rid of these in the '60s an '70s, now they are back. Unfortunately, a lot of drivers where I live are clueless on how to use them.

They remind me of a story from way back.

A man and his family were on vacation and came to a traffic circle in, let's say Lubbock, Texas. He entered the circle and missed his exit the first time around, so he had to go around again. The second time, his wife distracted him and told him it was the next one, so he missed it again. The 3rd time another car cut him off and he couldn't get over in the lane to get out so around he goes again. There was a gas station, remember those?, so he decide to jump off and get gas in case he didn't get another chance. 5 guys ran out, jacked up his car, changed the tires, wiped off his windshield. The last guy popped the top of the car and said, "Now get back out there, you are in 3rd place!"

 

[Cherokee]

I just don’t get it. Well actually I do. It’s not the traffic circles that’s the problem it’s the awful burden of self importance that as far as I can tell only exists here.

It’s the, ‘Me First’ additude, Me First Because I Am Important.
No you’re not.

I used Many T circles in many countries in Europe, My primary AFC was 60350. I was a driver, USAF Motor pool. I drove everything on base and off.
Never once had a problem in a traffic circle. No one ever did.

That confused moment when a driver got confused or distracted in or at a circle was just a rare brain fart.

All anyone had to know was you do not have right away when you enter a circle.
Once in one all lane changes are just like anywhere else. Use your turn signal and take your slot.

Just to clear up something. WEST Germany before the wall fell was about, no, really close to the size of the state of Georgia, here in the US of A.

West Germany had FIVE times (5) TIMES the traffic density. They all drove much faster. The Autobahn’s, Hitlers Idea to move his tanks fast, had unlimited speed zones. Our Interstate system was built because of Hitlers Autobahn. Bet many didn’t know that.

West Germany with five times the traffic density had 1/5 the traffic accidents.
ONE FIFTH ! Traffic circles were pretty common.

It’s not the traffic circle it’s the Average American driver.

Anyone can choose to be better than average.
Choose wisely, PLEASE !!!

 

[Phimosis]

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.

When did they start calling them traffic circles? 1791 when Washington DC was planned. They’ve been called traffic circles in the US from the beginning.

The term roundabout started being used in the UK in the 1950’s when they started building “modern roundabouts” and the term became widespread in the 1960’s when the public started using them.

 

[Phimosis]

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.

Cooperative mindset vs competitive mindset.

European traffic circles: we’re all trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, so let’s work with the other drivers and negotiate our way through the circle in 20 seconds and get out of here.

American traffic circles: That idiot just cut me off and made me slow down by 5 mph. Doesn’t he realize that I’m the center of the universe and I get to go first regardless of whether he thinks HE has the right of way? I’m gonna a teach that bozo a lesson by speeding up to squeeze around him and then come to a complete stop, forcing all of traffic to stop so that they recognize that I’m the alpha and they are all just betas.

 

[XLTLUXRED]

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.

The way traffic circles work is to have just a little more smarts than courage, though both are needed.

As the saying goes: "The plural of merge is crash."

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