Roundabouts and "stop light" policing

[38P]

The cardinal rule of the modern roundabout is the "Yield-at-Entry Rule: Entering traffic yields to circulating traffic, which always keeps moving."

see e.g. http://www.alaskaroundabouts.com/mythfact1.html

So imagine my shock and surprise when the local "revenue agent" lights me up this morning for "failure to yield" to a car that wasn't in the FREAKIN ROUNDABOUT!

I was driving one of the vehicles "circulating" in the roundabout and thus had the right-of-way to all whips outside of the roundabout.

However, patrolman Roscoe. P. Krispykreme says "you're supposed to take turns" and he tagged me because the chump OUTSIDE OF THE ROUNDABOUT had to wait until I passed through. Of course, THAT'S WHAT THE SIGNAGE AND THE LAW SAID THAT GOOF WAS SUPPOSED TO DO!

What apparently woke up "Enos" from otherwise "fighting crime" was that idiot OUTSIDE OF THE ROUNDABOUT goosed it about a foot, causing everyone in the roundabout to "brake check."

The fact that the ROUNDABOUT is right in front of a doughnut shop is merely a lucky coincidence . . . .

You'd think the "Rozzers" would know the FREAKIN LAW they're supposed to enforce. BUT NOOOO! They're hammerin' away at that "contact" quota.

[squirrel]

I have to drive over to Bisbee if I want to go in a circle like that. And the police station is right up the hill from the circle.

[antmnte]

THose things are dumb ,I dont think we have many here in NY,just one by the bear mountain bridge,which sucks too and I avoid. GO fight it in court which sucks because you have to take time to do it and who the hell wants to go near a courthouse.

[Bamfster]

Fight it ... you're one of them laaawwwyur types!

[38P]

THose things are dumb ,I dont think we have many here in NY,just one by the bear mountain bridge,which sucks too and I avoid.

You'd rather spend your time sitting and wasting gas at a stop light?

Actually roundabouts reduce all crashes by 39% and serious crashes by 76%. Fatalities go down as much as 90%. This is because roundabouts reduce the number of "conflict points" where serious crashes can occur. A typical two-way, cross intersection has 32 potential conflict points. But a roundabout intersection only has eight potential conflict points.

Wrecks in roundabouts tend to be minor "glancing" blows and not full-on, high-speed T-bones or head-on collisions.

And roundabouts dramatically reduce wait times. For example, the average stop-light wait at the five-way interesection that the roundabout I referenced replaced was well over two minutes. It was a huge traffic bottleneck before the roundabout.

And from a Bangshifting perspective, a roundabout is a publicly-funded mini "race track" planted smack dab in the middle of a boring commute. Time it right and you can hammer a heel-and-toe downshift, pull some hard autocross gs, and then rip a hard exit. Big fun (except when "the Man" is feeding or some moron doesn't understand the yield rules)


Why is it that many Americans are so unskilled at driving that they don't understand (or at least fail to apply) elementary concepts of yielding and merging?

[38P]

Fight it ... you're one of them laaawwwyur types!

That's not the point, Bam . . .

The point is that "Five-O" is mis-educating the public about roundabouts.

Just think what could happen when one of "Officer Studanko's" quota-meeting "conquests" has the right-of-way in the roundabout but prophylactically slams on the brakes in mid-turn to "share" with a clueless mope OUTSIDE THE ROUNDABOUT that should be the one yielding (or a knowledgable outsider who doesn't anticipate through traffic to yield-- based on the signage and the law). At best, such a reversal of the yield rule creates an unnecessary delay. At worst, it's a "Crazy Ivan" wild move that could cause an collision.

[studemax]

That's not the point, Bam . . .

Yes, we understand that you think roundabouts are good.
We also understand you have an axe to grind with law enforcement.

I think you're wrong on both counts.

[38P]

Yes, we understand that you think roundabouts are good.
We also understand you have an axe to grind with law enforcement.

I think you're wrong on both counts.

Translation:

Studemax supports wasting time at stoplights.
Studemax supports increased intersection crash numbers and severity.
Studemax supports "po-po" who enforce the opposite of what the law really is.
Studemax is against progress.

Of course, if I drove cars that handled as poorly as Studebakers . . . .

[R442]

I like roundabouts, I hate the people who yield inside the roundabouts. It's clearly marked going into the roundabout who is to yield.

[Bamfster]

That's not the point, Bam . . .

The point is that "Five-O" is mis-educating the public about roundabouts.

Just think what could happen when one of "Officer Studanko's" quota-meeting "conquests" has the right-of-way in the roundabout but prophylactically slams on the brakes in mid-turn to "share" with a clueless mope OUTSIDE THE ROUNDABOUT that should be the one yielding (or a knowledgable outsider who doesn't anticipate through traffic to yield-- based on the signage and the law). At best, such a reversal of the yield rule creates an unnecessary delay. At worst, it's a "Crazy Ivan" wild move that could cause an collision.

Me thinks there is more to the story than this one sided version is telling ...

And yes it is the point .... we all agree that the person entering must yield ROW.

I see the value in round-a-bouts, but I don't like them since anyone born after approximately 1972 either doesn't know how to drive thru them or just doesn't give a dam about any other driver and feels entitled to drive as "they" see fit .... but I digress.

You received a ticket that according to you was not a violation. Now exercise your right as an American, and fight it. Petition the court to censor the officer, and demand re-training.

[Brian Lohnes]

Massachusetts has a ton of these things and there is always good entertainment in watching the fur fly as people try to figure out how to negotiate them. Hell, there is one on the way to Jon's shop that I'm always heading to and I've thrown Buford through it several times (ask Nutting!).

I am going to disagree on the "major time saving" properties these babies possess. Two of the most infamous rotaries (as we call them here) were at the bases of the bridges people use to get over to Cape Cod. It was fairly common for backups to range from 5-10 miles in the summer time. Since being replaced with "fly overs" you can now flat foot across the bridge.

[dieselgeek]

I agree the situation sucks. I know from experience that arguing with Roscoe won't get you anywhere. I also know from experience that with questionable citations it's surprisingly easy to show up in court, present your side carefully and with seeming respect, and have said citation deleted at no cost to you other than your time spent dealing with the hassle.

[Brian Lohnes]

Was the exhaust back on the Mustang?

[38P]

I am going to disagree on the "major time saving" properties these babies possess. Two of the most infamous rotaries (as we call them here) were at the bases of the bridges people use to get over to Cape Cod. It was fairly common for backups to range from 5-10 miles in the summer time. Since being replaced with "fly overs" you can now flat foot across the bridge.

No one is suggesting that a roundabout is going to flow more traffic and save more time than an expressway fly over. But imagine how much fun it would have been to have a gang of stop lights at the end of a major tourist access bridge. (Actually, you don't have to imagine it . . . nearly every major city has some "diamond" freeway off-ramps that produce scores of crashes and back up every rush hour).

BANGSHIFTERS' TRAFFIC FLOW PRINCIPLE: An interchange that can safely manage traffic flow without stopping or otherwise impeding traffic is ALWAYS better (except for cost) and more time-efficient than one that is based on stopping traffic. ALWAYS. NO EXCEPTIONS. EVER.

Under that principle, roundabouts aren't perfect because they require yielding. However, compared to stacked flyovers, cloverleafs and other non-signalized intersections, roundabouts are cheaper and take up less land to build.

Traffic signal = time waster.

[38P]

Was the exhaust back on the Mustang?

Driving PSD** because of hail in the forecast. I can only imagine how much fun the stop would have been in an bright, "go faster striped," unmuffled car with huge DW competition numbers on the front and back glass . . . .

**Muffled only by the turbo . . . but Wojciehowicz missed it. (Key to avoiding "fix-it" tickets is to always shut off the mill before the pouncing "Panda" leaves his rolling "den.")