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Since traffic is continually flowing in and out of the roundabout and is not controlled by a signal, there is no time when a pedestrian can be reasonably certain that a vehicle will not pass over the crosswalk. Roundabouts can also be difficult for visually impaired pedestrians to determine the moment when it is safe to cross as many utilize traffic sounds to determine when a roadway is clear. Additionally, the route pedestrians must take around a roundabout is longer than the route they would take to walk through many signalized intersections.
Bicyclists Traveling through Roundabouts
Bicyclists can travel through a roundabout either as a vehicle (within the roundabout) or as a pedestrian (walking their bicycle). Some multi-lane roundabouts utilize an adjacent one-way trail where bicyclists approach the roundabout on-street, merge with the side trail via a ramp, travel around the roundabout on the trail, and then re-merge with the street via another ramp. This option presents some challenges with motor vehicles yielding at crossing points (similar to pedestrian issues described above). Notably, the reduced speeds of motor vehicles within the roundabout more closely match a bicyclist’s typical speed range (approximately 10 - 20 mph).
Emergency Vehicles
Emergency vehicles cannot speed through a roundabout like they can a signal light; they need to slow down and pass through the circle like regular traffic. Additionally, traffic signals offer the option for signal preemption to provide the green light to emergency vehicles; roundabouts require travelers to yield to emergency vehicles. Neither would the city fire vehicles negotiate the obstacles without considerable waste of time answering a fire or any emergency.
Lighting
Illumination costs may be greater for a roundabout than a standard intersection as more lighting is typically required. More lighting may also be a concern of adjacent property owners, especially near residential areas
Snow Removal
As with any new roadway configuration, highway maintenance staff will need to learn new snowplowing techniques
Parking
The construction of a roundabout to replace an existing traditional signalized intersection may result in the loss of some on-street parking if allowed near the former intersection.
Right-of-Way Requirements
The construction of a roundabout typically requires more right-of-way than a traditional intersection controlled by traffic signals or stops signs, which may increase the cost of a roundabout installation if right-of-way must be purchased.
Roundabouts may work in Europe where the cars and streets are much smaller, but over here it is not uncommon to see a 45’ motor coach pulling a toad, or a ¾ Ton pickup hauling a 5th wheel, or a tandem axle trailer with boat.
Roundabouts are not recommended, but wider intersections are because they are safer and handle the traffic with more efficiency.
Some law firm, quoting the feds.
Wikipedia
Seen some Tour de France bicycle coverage on tv this year. They cover action with helicopters and camera persons on motorcycles.
There were numerous shots of roundabouts in France. Most of these seemed to be in sleepy, lightly populated semi-rural or small town areas.
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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Biggest issue on getting more of them in the US is the higher cost of the right of way, especially for existing roads.
Smog check places could test the acceleration is not deteriorating with age.
You can tell how short the on/off ramp is by comparing it to the semi trying to merge onto the highway.
MD-295/MD-175 cloverleaf
I would like to be more specific here. If it happens just by someone forcibly moving to the left lane, it is still the obstruction (and I have enough of that on my daily commute). I would say, it is preferable to indicate the intention to change lanes by a blinker, not really initiating the move yet (activating a blinker doesn't confer any right or preference), and wait a bit. Chances are (and I expect pretty good chances), someone of speeders would be considerate enough to slow down and let one in. (Well, at least if he really trusts you to return to the right lane thereafter
On I-79 north-bound, I was driving behind an 18-wheeler for a long while, with both of us going 65. Traffic was moderate, with the faster traffic going a modest 68-70 on average. It was enough of a difference to be passed regularly, but other drivers were casually drifting by - not blasting through. At one point, we caught up to another big rig going about 63. It was a slow catch-up, but the other rig was heavily loaded and would slow a bit on the inclines.
Planning in advance, the driver ahead of me signaled his intent to pass as we started a long, gradual descent (a good time for a big rig to gain a little speed!). Well, this casually passing line of cars in the left, spaced out probably just about the distance of the big rig, felt no inclination to let the guy in. So, that opportunity eventually passed us by, we went over the next rise, and he tried again on the next go. The gaps between cars were a little bigger, but still no cigar. In fact, many of the cars, who had gaps in front of them plenty wide enough to let the driver in without needing to alter speed at all, actually closed the gap.
So, I let the first driver that did that go by, but then I just pulled out in front of the next dude, who had an even bigger gap before he sped up, held pace (~63), and flashed the truck driver over. He came over, made the pass at ~70, and then moved back right. Once he was finished, I sped up a little, also passed the other truck, then pulled back right.
Hahah, that guy in the Cadillac behind me was hoppin' mad. I just laughed at him and waved. I figured inconsiderate behavior deserves a little turnabout now and again. :P
I am absolutely with you on this. I am one of 20-over speeders myself, but it is absolutely mind-boggling to see those behemoths flying at their technical (not legal!) speed limits without any regard for anything or anybody. This type of a vehicle on a public road is, in itself, a weapon, and should be considered as such. This is compounded by even a bigger problem: there is a significantly higher chance that their drivers are ignorant, aggressive, drunk, stoned, brain-dead, no-license or uninsured, or socializing moms feeling safe enough in a big vehicle to phone or text. Some can say, I am "profiling" or "stereotyping"; I am OK with that. Regrettably, the more we have those perceivably "safe" full-size vehicles on the road, the more their drivers will feel urge to switch to an even bigger one, if they feel that they are not as much protected anymore.
Also saw a woman in a Mini petting her dog while driving, even while she rounded a corner. One hand on the wheel, one on the dog. Had Princeton license plate frame and a sticker from another haughty school. Book smarts and street smarts diverge.
Topped it off by seeing an old couple in a Corolla throw a random U-turn on a downtown street, no look given to approaching traffic, who produced a nice long honk.
Ding Ding Ding - we have a winner!
MN DoT recently started a PS campaign re aggressive driving. There's a web site and at least one TV ad, which I think is pretty funny... unfortunately also pretty accurate in transposing common driver behaviors to other situations. I particularly like the one at the end of the video, a guy pounding on a rest room door: "C'mon, can't you go any faster?!"
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/aggressivedriving/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1y4tUIEb10
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Had the old car out on I5 and 405 today. Traffic was moving for the most part, but it was a random mess. Chaos for lane discipline - far right lane would have someone going 80 while several under SL dawdlers were at left. Saw a Rendezvous in the carpool lane that had to have been going 45, and passed a RX going about 48, woman driving had a white knuckled death grip on the wheel. Sorry, if you can't maintain any speed on an interstate, you need to take side roads, as your other skills are likely to be poor as well, and eventually you'll just mess it up for everyone.
Saw another pet peeve in action twice today, smokers. Got behind a battered Civic driven by a young woman who was messing around at an on-ramp - tracking all over the place and losing speed on a turn where I really needed to gain it in that old car. Reason? Lighting her cig. Then on a surface street, got behind a woman in a New Beetle with a dead tail light (as most have) who stopped for a free right turn green arrow. The reason? Fumbling with her cig. Stay classy.
Yeah. I have number of different ramps I use to get on and off. Most times the fools that will be on my bumper at one or one-half car length just before the ramp will be way back at the end of the ramp and merge. They are very brave in a straight line and can easily do a short tail gate in the straight but that is the extent of their so-called driving skills.
My good wife uses some of these same ramps and easily outdrives these fools. She tells me and I have witnessed it as a passenger of hers.
Are they purposefully making it difficult to pass during the temporary passing lane?
Two favorite stories that bear repeating:
1 Fall 1988: A doofus in an early 80's Z28 tries to keep up with my 1973 Bavaria 3.0 on a secluded rural two lane; I easily pull away in the twisties but when the road straightens out he really puts his foot into it to catch me. Problem is, I know the road has two huge frost heaves located 500' from the last corner (that leads on to a long straight).
He doesn't.
My Bavaria glides over the buckled pavement at 80+, but when Bowtie Boy hits them his front end bottoms out and the front crossmember and oil pan dig into the pavement creating a beautiful shower of sparks. Twice. The last time I saw Z man he was s-l-o-w-l-y pulling over to the shoulder.
2. Summer 2003: Jag XJS convertible cuts in front of my Club Sport as I'm taking an entrance ramp on to I-64. The driver is a textbook example of Mid-Life Crisis Man: comb-over hair, gold chains, and wrap-around sun glasses. His companion is a flashy blonde trophy wife/girlfriend/bimbo. The guy simply cannot stand for me to pass him, so the faster I go, the faster he goes. I settle in to a cruising speed of 85, trusting in my V1 and the fact that the Jag is serving as a "rabbit" in front of me. After several miles I notice the Jag is starting to smoke a bit. I speed up so-of course-the Jag speeds up. More smoke. I catch a whiff of antifreeze. This is just too good, so I turn up the wick a bit more; I can't believe the idiot hasn't noticed any problem. Oh well, I continue to push him up to about 95. At that point, the old Jag has had enough; clouds of steam suddenly billow out from under and around the hood. The sled finally pulls over to the emergency strip. My Club Sport now has a film of coolant covering the windshield, but it was well worth it...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Also saw endless yappers and texters. The WA state revenue enforcement groups have even stopped their anti-phone activity ads on TV. Another set of toothless laws, while going 70 in a 60 remains on par with shooting a nun.
And then there are the mentally unfit who, after taking on/off ramps at 10-15 mph below the posted advisory speed, slam on their brakes to stop, making it impossible to speed up to highway speeds before merging.
Yes, the imbeciles think that "Yield" means "Stop". Grrrr..........
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Probably a big reason you rarely see any enforcement on them and you can have a blast!
That's rich! Lol!
Well, not inconsiderate, but there was video on our local tv news about a recent race up Pikes Peak. It showed a car, with driver and co-driver going over the side, rolling about 8 times and walking away from it. Of course the road was closed to competitors only.
Drove up Pikes Peak to the top with wife when it was all gravel. Everyone, tourists, that we observed was driving very sanely. Nobody was inconsiderate.
Have to wonder how boy racers in their 3 series and WRXs would stack up against a 20 year-old something driving a Chevy or Ford pickup on a rutted, chuckhole, washboard gravel winding, twisting road in Iowa or here in Illinois. Suppose that BMWers wouldn't even go on a gravel road. They are afraid of scratches and dings.
Got behind something annoying today - woman I won't describe (but I bet hasn't been driving long - hope that doesn't offend detached middle America) in a Lexus LX made a couple of random lane changes. The way she made the changes screamed "clueless new driver with more money than sense, ability, or responsibility" - instead of a smooth glide to the next lane,she'd make an abrupt jerk, almost like going into a turn. Didn't slow down for it either, but she wasn't moving fast to begin with. Also, typical RAV4 driver turning into a parking lot at 3mph with nobody behind her,and her butt blocking the road - I can see her thought process: "uhh...duuhhh...do I need to go here? I dunno..." :sick:
I also wonder if motorcycle tests were easier in the past. Saw a boomer on a big wide heavy hog with luggage, in shorts, short sleeves, and flipflops, kind of wobble around a corner. How did these guys get on the road? Can bike licenses be bought like car licenses?
Videos: Paul Dallenbach, Jeremy Foley Crash at Pikes Peak
In other news, went to a fish camp an hour into the woods tonight. Long drive for good fish, poorly prepared. On the drive home around 9 pm, we counted 28 deer, more than half of whom crossed the road in front of us. Yikes.
Still, oddly appropriate, I guess...
As expected, I was found guilty on August 15th, and they mailed it to me August 17th. I have 20 days to fill out a form requesting a new trial (a real trial with the officer present), which I will do in this matter.
The judge did try to throw me a bone to try and bribe me into accepting his judgement. I believe it has been within 18 months since my last traffic violators school, so I should be ineligible.
Either way, he wrote orders that if I pay the $55 bribe (oh sorry, administrative fee), then I can take advantage of having my conviction designated as confidential pursuant to VC 1808.7. However, it won't be confidential to my insurance company should I not pay the $55 administrative fee. The courts are getting greedy! I remember when this insane fee/bribe/payoff for keeping quiet was $35 not long ago!
I'm not biting! I'm going all the way!
The La Mesa PD officer will be made to show up in the central division Kearny Mesa branch Courthouse and prove my guilt. It is not his "hometown" court, since they normally go to El Cajon and I was granted my request for the County Seat. I anticipate he won't even show and this will all get dismissed.
I'll mail out my "trial de Novo" request this week (not taking any chances with the 20 days rule), making note I DO NOT waive time, and therefore, this should be a speedy trial set within 45 days at the latest.
Let's get this over with.
Going to do that certified or registered so it doesn't somehow wound up in the "round file"?
Of course, I will follow up with phone calls and/or a visit to talk to someone that can confirm receipt after a few days. If somehow it ended up in the round file, I'll hand deliver the form and get a copy stamped as received by the court clerk :P
Then saw a Mazda 6 on a 4 lane arterial approaching a major intersection, posted at 30 and everyone goes 35-40. The Mazda was going about 12, and the driver was reading some kind of newspaper or long list of directions as they ambled along. I snuck up alongside and laid on the horn before I got past. Just made the light.
And over the past couple weeks I have been getting out on a borrowed motorcycle now and then to brush up on my skills and decide if I want to take up the hobby. I am having serious second thoughts, due both to being kind of ham-fisted at slow speeds (I wasn't like this when I was 15, what happened? I'm getting old! No way I could get the insanely enforced endorsement with my current low speed ability) and because of other drivers. If I do it, I want a loud horn and a machine gun hidden in the fairings.
It doens't matter what YOU think the law should be or what the speed limits are.
I get the feeling that day will be a LONG time from now....
No kidding.
As should the City of La Mesa be held responsible for breaking the speed trap laws and using radar where the speed limit is not justified by the 85th percentile in a recent traffic engineering road survey!
They should be held responsible not only to me by having their testimony struck for my court case, but also they should pay me "sanctions" in the amount of $250 for deliberately breaking the law in an effort to extract revenues from a citizen.
What say you?
Was out this evening. 4 lane road, no turn lane, I was in the left lane, Bentley Continental in the opposing left lane, we both have red. I am waiting to turn, I have my signal on, opposing car does not. Light changes, I creep forward a little, Bentley just sits there, I make several hand motions to get the older female driver moving, then she wakes up and hits her signal as she gets in motion to turn left. Ah the competent and skilled 1%...
"I drive a Bentley, dah-ling... why in the world should I need to use a turn signal? The world is my oyster."
Maybe what they say about those Bentleys is true--ride is so isolated, it's easy to fall asleep.
Or maybe everyone who owns a Bentley should be required to have a chauffeur... then no harm, no foul falling asleep while driving.
I see a lot of clueless stuff from late model highline vehicles (especially Range Rovers, X5-6, GLs, etc) - kind of works against the idea that money comes from competence and ability. But I guess when the money wasn't usually gained from effort or work...
Cases in point: two within one block this morning. I was driving on a major street, approaching a red light. A panel van (from some company, couldn't make out the name on the side) was ahead and to the right of me. Now this red light had been red for some time. The van didn't even try to slow down--just maintained speed and blasted right through the light. This is a major street, busy intersection, at rush hour. They were very lucky no other vehicles were in the way. (BTW, I saw them up ahead later, stopped two lights up as the lights are thick in that area. So their stupid act saved them all of a few seconds.) I gave them a long honk to wake them up.
Then a block up, I saw two drivers who don't understand that they aren't supposed to move into a traffic lane until they're sure they won't block the intersection. The two cars did just that--turned off a freeway exit ramp onto the road I was on, then tried to squeeze into a full left turn lane. The two cars together blocked the entire 3 lanes. Fortunately, the left arrow came on without too much delay and avoided a traffic jam. These were no Bentleys or Audis or other high-end cars--one was an Accord, another a Malibu. Just a couple of people in too much of a hurry to get to work, I bet.
I also love seeing a new highline car that I know comes standard with bluetooth, but the "driver" (term used loosely) is still holding a phone to their ear. Laziness, technical illiteracy, irresponsibility, or a promotion-earning combination of all three?
I wonder if van driver was texting or yapping or eating or smoking. The lane blockers just don't understand road rules.
I think that you feel that you are a victim and if you do get pulled over and ticketed that it somehow, someway just HAS to be someone else's fault!
I doubt if you know anyone who ever recieved as many tickets as I did before I finally wised up and grew up. It took awhile.
You know what? I deserved every single one of them and many more!
Speed traps are only a problem to speeders.
I do hope you someday learn to accept personal responsibility.