Round-Abouts....Even the Rozzers Get'em Wrong....

Tornado

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So there I was one mid-week afternoon, out on a test ride toodling around my neighbourhood side streets, enter a small round-about intersection intending to make a left turn exit, winker winking. As I begin to curve around the right side, a rozzer in a black SUV comes at me head on, trying to go the wrong direction (clock-wise) around the round-about. I stop dead, as does he. I motion I'm trying to go left and cannot get past in front of him. He waves out the window to go behind him, which would force me to make a u-turn to then get to my intended turn street. I shout I'm trying to got left, he yells back "Don't argue! Get out of my way!". He then turns on his emerg flashers and I must comply.
 
So there I was one mid-week afternoon, out on a test ride toodling around my neighbourhood side streets, enter a small round-about intersection intending to make a left turn exit, winker winking. As I begin to curve around the right side, a rozzer in a black SUV comes at me head on, trying to go the wrong direction (clock-wise) around the round-about. I stop dead, as does he. I motion I'm trying to go left and cannot get past in front of him. He waves out the window to go behind him, which would force me to make a u-turn to then get to my intended turn street. I shout I'm trying to got left, he yells back "Don't argue! Get out of my way!". He then turns on his emerg flashers and I must comply.
How were you making a left turn in a North American anti-clockwise roundabout?
 
How were you making a left turn in a North American anti-clockwise roundabout?
You enter the round-about, curving around the right side (CCW direction), proceed around until you are 90 degrees from your original direction then exit to the right, but that is taking a left turn from your original point of entry to the round-about. If it was just a 4 way intersection, it would be a left turn. Driving schools teach you to signal left as you enter the round-about...but it gets a little ambiguous as you exit from the round-about by turning right.
 
You enter the round-about, curving around the right side (CCW direction), proceed around until you are 90 degrees from your original direction then exit to the right, but that is taking a left turn from your original point of entry to the round-about. If it was just a 4 way intersection, it would be a left turn. Driving schools teach you to signal left as you enter the round-about...but it gets a little ambiguous as you exit from the round-about by turning right.
Ok, you mean 270 degrees of rotation, intending to go West if you began by heading North.

Not one in 100 drivers in NA can skillfully keep the line moving through a roundabout. That stems from their having no effing idea what a yield sign means. That stems from them not giving a fugg. That stems from absolutely no enforcement of ROW laws.

Instead, they stop & request a SOCIAL TRANSACTION.
 
I came through along the white path, trying to go left as the red car is depicted. Cop came from on-coming direction, clockwise, and blocked me from proceeding (red arrow).

Round-Abouts....Even the Rozzers Get'em Wrong....
 
So many drivers get roundabouts so wrong, the rule state all traffic entering a roundabout must give way to traffic on the roundabout and must comply to the direction of said RA, , RAs are good if you know and understand how to use them right, but you still get idiots who just have no idea how a RA works going in the wrong direction, Asian drivers are the worst when it comes to RAs and even worst on double lane RAs.
If every road user knew how or understand how a RA works the traffic will flow very good, but so many just gets confused when they come into a RA and accidents happen.
Myself don't mind RAs but so many have been ripped up and replaced with traffic lights because of accident from people getting it wrong and just slows the flow down and cause more problems with slow moving traffic and longer delays.

Ashley
 
In this case the cop knew he was going the wrong way around, just couldn't give a rats a$$, trying to save himself the few extra seconds to go the correct way. Had I been in a car, there would not have been room for me to do what he was demanded, go around & behind him. If he was in an emerg response, lights/sirens, then it would be another matter.
 
So many drivers get roundabouts so wrong, the rule state all traffic entering a roundabout must give way to traffic on the roundabout and must comply to the direction of said RA, , RAs are good if you know and understand how to use them right, but you still get idiots who just have no idea how a RA works going in the wrong direction, Asian drivers are the worst when it comes to RAs and even worst on double lane RAs.
If every road user knew how or understand how a RA works the traffic will flow very good, but so many just gets confused when they come into a RA and accidents happen.
Myself don't mind RAs but so many have been ripped up and replaced with traffic lights because of accident from people getting it wrong and just slows the flow down and cause more problems with slow moving traffic and longer delays.

Ashley
Just the opposite here Ash, they are ADDING roundabouts, some where the used to be traffic lights, to PURPOSELY slow traffic down.
 
Just the opposite here Ash, they are ADDING roundabouts, some where the used to be traffic lights, to PURPOSELY slow traffic down.
Only slows traffic down because no one knows how to use them right, they work really well in major 4/5 way intersections, lights times take too long and cause more problem for free flowing traffic, but it only takes one or 2 drivers to stuff everything up.
 
Wait until you get roundabouts will not central reservation but just a white painted circle. Then they get even more creative in trying to increase the confusion by linking several together as shown by the Magic Roundabout.


Round-Abouts....Even the Rozzers Get'em Wrong....


They walk among us
Who needs twisty roads when you have multi roundabouts to crank your bike over, great for scrapping the foot pegs when leaned right over while going round and round.
 
In the late nineties, while living in Germany I took a trip to visit my cousin in Perth, Scotland. Flew to Edinburgh and then drove. Stayed at the Grand George Hotel on the Tay River. The next morning, asked for directions to her house - it had no address - it was named. I don't remember exactly but they basically said to follow the road and turn right at the third circle (they knew I was American). I'm driving and driving and finally decided I was way out in the country, so I had definitely gone too far. So, I turned around, went back and told them that there were no circles! Then they explained the little painted circle in the middle of what I thought was a simple cross street!
 
Just the opposite here Ash, they are ADDING roundabouts, some where the used to be traffic lights, to PURPOSELY slow traffic down.
Well that just goes to prove how the British Govt is so much superior to the US or Aus Govts…

In Britain they are now putting traffic lights ON the roundabouts.

Pure genius, as now you have to sit at the red light even though you can clearly see there is nothing coming. PLUS you get all the added confusion and lane discipline issues of a roundabout.

So they have definitely found the best way to annoy, confuse and obstruct traffic.

Genius.
 
Wait until you get roundabouts will not central reservation but just a white painted circle. Then they get even more creative in trying to increase the confusion by linking several together as shown by the Magic Roundabout.


Round-Abouts....Even the Rozzers Get'em Wrong....


They walk among us
The Magic Roundabout feels SO dangerous, I’m amazed there’s not more accidents.

Traffic also flows through the middle, not just in the nice black lines shown on that sign !

People who aren’t very familiar with it (like me) approach and proceed with extreme caution.

Locals blast through it like Rossi !

In rush hour it’s the closest feeling I can imagine to being in a WW2 dogfight with bogies (locals) coming at you from 360 degrees !!
 
Well that just goes to prove how the British Govt is so much superior to the US or Aus Govts…

In Britain they are now putting traffic lights ON the roundabouts.

Pure genius, as now you have to sit at the red light even though you can clearly see there is nothing coming. PLUS you get all the added confusion and lane discipline issues of a roundabout.

So they have definitely found the best way to annoy, confuse and obstruct traffic.

Genius.
Don't take away our level of stupidity! How about a divided 4-lane highway with traffic lights through the middle of the circle and crosswalks everywhere. "Fairfax Circle" is famous in Fairfax County, Virginia and has been for over 50 years that I know of. At one time, it was a plain circle.

 
Well mini roundabouts are routinely ignored by locals so if you try to use it like a roundabout you can get nailed. And I have seen some that
are too small to use like a roundabout anyway.
We need more three lane with lights with two lane exits where the second exit lane is about two cars long. That is a prescription for
horns and louder noises.
 
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