Roundabouts and "stop light" policing

[Barry Donovan]

I hate round-a-bouts. But that's because I drive a semi. And here in the states, they just don't make them big enough for a semi to fit thru without putting the trailer tires on the curb. That's why I hate them. They are a pain in the ass to navigate with a semi.

the trucks got big in just 20 years. roads did not.

my dad in augusta maine had one come flying into the rotary as he was going around it, the car got stuck under his trailer..could not see it, took it for a little ride.

even the owner of the car was laughing. he was trying to scrape ice off the inside of his window, did not see my dads rig.
I don't mind the rotary. A sign of older think, older than redlights.

[Supersport350]

First off, as a cop here in Detroit, I take offense to the Krispy Kreme comments. I take offense because I know damn well we ALL like Krispy Kreme donuts and anybody who says otherwise, well, you are under suspicion.

Secondly, as for those round-a-bouts, we don't have a whole lot of them here in Michigan that I have come across. Every time I've been through them though I have to say "Look kids, Big Ben...Parliament." The wife, having never seen European Vacation, just kind of looks at me oddly.

[Deaf Bob]

I hate round-a-bouts. But that's because I drive a semi. And here in the states, they just don't make them big enough for a semi to fit thru without putting the trailer tires on the curb. That's why I hate them. They are a pain in the ass to navigate with a semi.

The city put 2 on the way to the folk's house in town... Dad outsmarted them... Just went down one street and backed up then went the way he came... Bet the neighbors wish they STFU when all he did was putter by at 4 am insted of making a T turnaround..lol

[Ron Ward]

Roundabouts are a sore subject with me. In this day and age when I'd like to see our government spend less, roundabouts seem to be a way for them to spend more. A LOT more. Not only does the cost of a roundabout far exceed the cost of four stop signs, it requires constant maintenance (mowing, trimming, pruning, removing trash, etc.) Add into the fray trying to pull a race car or boat trailer behind an extended cab dually pickup, they also become a pain in the keester.

The argument came up in this thread earlier about teaching people to drive. I couldn't agree more. Society has coddled stupidity by attempting to make everything idiot-proof. Why can't we just lower the number of idiots? If that happened, we wouldn't need roundabouts for traffic control.


Ron

[38P]

"Modern Roundabouts are usually less expensive than traffic signals. Roundabouts do not require expensive signal equipment or maintenance of that equipment. In Anchorage [,Alaska], the initial construction cost of a roundabout is approximately equal to the initial construction cost of a signal. However, maintaining signals costs Anchorage taxpayers approximately $15,000 per year for each signal. Over the long run, modern roundabouts are much less expensive than traffic signals."

"Modern roundabouts also move traffic much more efficiently than traffic signals. Because of this benefit, the streets between roundabouts do not have to be constructed with as many lanes as the streets between signals. Because the modern roundabout allows funds to be expended where they are needed most - at the intersections - costs can be reduced on the streets themselves."

http://www.alaskaroundabouts.com/mythfact6.html

Most certainly roundabouts are more expensive than yield signs (I oppose most stop sign placements for the reasons previously stated). But stop signs don't produce the deflection/crash severity reduction benefit of roundabouts. And stop signs are not well-suited for heavier volume intersections. And stop signs always require a stop . . . even when other traffic is not present (the bogus "rolling stop" revenue scam is another rant for another thread).

As for roundabouts and trucks/trailers . . . properly designed roundabouts have gentle inside curbing and paved inside shoulders (called a "truck apron" by some roadway engineers) to allow trucks to safely navigate the intersection at reasonable speeds.


If you really want to "get into the weeds" of roundabout design factors . . . http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersect...s/fhwasa10006/

Obviously, a poorly-designed roundabout could make things harder for large, articulated vehicles. But occassional poor execution is hardly a reason to dismiss the entire concept.

[ksj2]

"Look, kids! Big Ben! Parliament!"

DragWeek 07 somewhere in the middle of Iowa was a roundabout and we were lost.We went in circles until Vicki Crow figured out where we missed a turn.My phone rang and that comment was made. LMAO!

[Scott Liggett]

I hate round-a-bouts. But that's because I drive a semi. And here in the states, they just don't make them big enough for a semi to fit thru without putting the trailer tires on the curb. That's why I hate them. They are a pain in the ass to navigate with a semi.

I remember seeing a semi come to a round a bout in Davis, CA and thinking it will never make it. The driver's solution was just to drive over the center of it and keep going. That's what the city gets for just having grass in the center and no barriers.