Roundabouts

[JettaKnight]

I hate the multi-lane ones. I think my biggest problem is that I don't encounter them often, we have a couple single-lane ones around, but i rarely even have to use them. I drive to Lafayette once in a while, and I hate the roundabouts, especially if we are on motorcycles, there's just too much to watch out for.

Really?

I roundabouts are SOOOOO much safer for us motorcyclist - no threat of running 50 mph and having someone turn left in front of you. Plus, if you do go down, it's a rather gentle low side... experience talking here.

When approaching an unknown roundabout always look for a sign denoting the traffic pattern.


When unsure, default to staying in the marked lane.

When sure, DEFAULT TO STAYING IN THE MARKED LANE!!!

There's a stretch of road by my house (Union Chapel) that widens to two lanes for the roundabout - inside has right-of-way when merging. It's getting less common, but people enter on the outside, cut to the inside, then exit on the outside... heaven help those trying to drive through with them. Many have received the wrath of my horn, yet know not why - because they proceed to flip me off.

 

[dvd1955]

How do you know who goes first at a 4 way stop without a sign?

I love roundabouts. If you're doing it right, you hardly ever have to stop....if you are frequently stopping at a roundabout, you or the others or both are doing it wrong.

There's one near Noblesville, that at rush hour, is almost impossible to enter if you happen to be after the mile long string of cars entering the R-A-B 90 degrees ahead of you. You have to wait for some large truck to come in 90 degrees ahead of them to find a gap large enough to merge into. That's about the only thing that will keep them from being bumper-to-bumper all the way through. And since using a turn signal in a R-A-B seems to be taboo, you can't tell if one of them is going to exit at your road, which might leave a gap for you to get into the fun!

 

[JettaKnight]

There's one near Noblesville, that at rush hour, is almost impossible to enter if you happen to be after the mile long string of cars entering the R-A-B 90 degrees ahead of you. You have to wait for some large truck to come in 90 degrees ahead of them to find a gap large enough to merge into. That's about the only thing that will keep them from being bumper-to-bumper all the way through. And since using a turn signal in a R-A-B seems to be taboo, you can't tell if one of them is going to exit at your road, which might leave a gap for you to get into the fun!

Watch the tires.

Besides, you should never trust someone else to signal correctly.


But, yeah, if traffic is super heavy like that, one traffic flow can dominate.

 

[Bfish]

It is sad that it even has to be explained. I have driving through the new roundabouts in East Terre Haute 4 to 6 times a day since they were put in and it is unbelievable the number of people who cannot use them or are completely baffled by them. I've got a story from one day seeing things on 4 separate occasions (how could I be so lucky?) that would blow your mind! Just yesterday I even saw someone pull up to enter and then turn left into the round about instead of going around the circle to make their turn to the left. It has lowered my opinion of people for sure.

 

[rvb]

There's a stretch of road by my house (Union Chapel) that widens to two lanes for the roundabout - inside has right-of-way when merging. It's getting less common, but people enter on the outside, cut to the inside, then exit on the outside... heaven help those trying to drive through with them. Many have received the wrath of my horn, yet know not why - because they proceed to flip me off.

that's the one I was complaining about above that makes you exit onto I69N from the inside lane... That's caused me a few close calls. With the camper in tow, I won't go that way any more... Coldwater up to Auburn, then over to 69...

-rvb

 

[2A_Tom]

How do you know who goes first at a 4 way stop without a sign?

I love roundabouts. If you're doing it right, you hardly ever have to stop....if you are frequently stopping at a roundabout, you or the others or both are doing it wrong.

I have a letter to mail. The USPO always has the right of way. You can wait.

 

[Bigtanker]

Another bright side. When the stupid happens, I can be fun to watch.

 

[Benp]

One of the possible problems with roundabouts is the fact that they are not all the same. For instance, some have two lanes that go all the way around, while some have two lanes and the far right lane exits only to the right, so if you are in the far right lane and was expecting to pass up one exit to go to the next exit, and then your road runs out and you have to merge to the left quickly. But for the most part roundabouts are simple.

 

[rvb]

There's one near Noblesville, that at rush hour, is almost impossible to enter if you happen

Yea, that's why I said above about them sucking in high traffic. It can work if the circle is 50 yrds or more in diameter where they can do smart lane management, add merge lanes, I've even seen lights to give each direction a turn to enter the circle.... but when the diameter is just 25' or less, it just becomes a choke point, and it's easy for one direction to stack up and then no other direction can enter....

around here they've recently added a couple out in the boonies. I just shake my head, because previously at those intersections I might have had to wait for a car, otherwise rolling stop through the sign anyway. I think someone had some grant $ to **** away...

-rvb

 

[chezuki]

Just let Jesus take the wheel

 

[91FXRS]

 

[femurphy77]

There's one near Noblesville, that at rush hour, is almost impossible to enter if you happen to be after the mile long string of cars entering the R-A-B 90 degrees ahead of you. You have to wait for some large truck to come in 90 degrees ahead of them to find a gap large enough to merge into. That's about the only thing that will keep them from being bumper-to-bumper all the way through. And since using a turn signal in a R-A-B seems to be taboo, you can't tell if one of them is going to exit at your road, which might leave a gap for you to get into the fun!

The problem I see with turn signals in roundabouts is that most of the ones I deal with in any regularity is that they are so small that by the time you hit your signal it's too late to do anybody any good. I've found that signals in the roundabout can be very deceiving and can lead to crunching metal, bones etc. when they require "interpreting". As someone above said, watch the tires, and I'd add body language and eyes of the drivers in the RAB.

 

[IndyDave1776]

They certainly don't know how to drive in them in Jeffersonville. I have seen 2 semi's flipped over heading to the port now and know there have been more than that. Semi's here beleive that the right of way applies to them when entering the round about. However, it is only supposed to apply when they are already in. They will just fly into it off of 265 leading to massive panic stops.

I would point out that the roundabouts in question are among the worst designed in the most boneheaded stupid place I have ever seen. That is a situation where a conventional interchange would have been both better and most likely less expensive to construct, especially taken in the [STRIKE]contest[/STRIKE] context (hitting the wrong key is bad enough, but worse when the misspelling fits and makes sense!) of the amount of truck traffic into and out of the port.

I could also point out that I am not impressed with the one on 42 near Terre Haute. When a roundabout is constructed on a designated truck route and I find myself rubbing the curbs on both sides at the same time, that tells me that an engineer needs fired or at least given a good ass kicking.

 

[rhino]

Now that I have some experience with roundabouts, I conclude that the real rules of operation are not the same as the laws, nor are they the same as the commonly accepted rules.

The only real rule governing roundabouts is, the more aggressive drivers seize the right of way.

 

[Bigtanker]

I would point out that the roundabouts in question are among the worst designed in the most boneheaded stupid place I have ever seen. That is a situation where a conventional interchange would have been both better and most likely less expensive to construct, especially taken in the contest of the amount of truck traffic into and out of the port.

I could also point out that I am not impressed with the one on 42 near Terre Haute. When a roundabout is constructed on a designated truck route and I find myself rubbing the curbs on both sides at the same time, that tells me that an engineer needs fired or at least given a good ass kicking.

I agree. The first time I went through the one on US 421 and SR 32 west of Westville, I scrubbed some tires. Both curbs were solid black from other truckers doing the same thing. Medians in between the lanes? On a major truck route? Really?

 

[SwikLS]

That's interesting. Moslty in your lane, watch out for idiots, be polite, yield when necessary, exit gracefully. That's actually some solid worldy advice.

Lots of life analogies can be learned from roundabouts. Another might be if you keep going in circles, it might be time for a new direction.

or

Coincidentally, here in the US if you keep taking left turns on a roundabout, you keep going in circles. You have to take a right turn to get where you want to go.

 

[IndyDave1776]

I agree. The first time I went through the one on US 421 and SR 32 west of Westville, I scrubbed some tires. Both curbs were solid black from other truckers doing the same thing. Medians in between the lanes? On a major truck route? Really?

It definitely stands in evidence that the state should NOT be an employer of last resort for people who are too stupid to live as it apparently is at the present time. I imagine this nonsense is especially fun with that truckload of axles you pull.

Lots of life analogies can be learned from roundabouts. Another might be if you keep going in circles, it might be time for a new direction.

or

Coincidentally, here in the US if you keep taking left turns on a roundabout, you keep going in circles. You have to take a right turn to get where you want to go.

Much truth spoken here!

 

[rhino]

It definitely stands in evidence that the state should NOT be an employer of last resort for people who are too stupid to live as it apparently is at the present time. I imagine this nonsense is especially fun with that truckload of axles you pull.

Chances are it was a contractor who did the design and contractors who built it, whether they did it to the design specs or not!

 

[Bigtanker]

It definitely stands in evidence that the state should NOT be an employer of last resort for people who are too stupid to live as it apparently is at the present time. I imagine this nonsense is especially fun with that truckload of axles you pull.

I ran that R-A-B in a small, regular 18 wheeler tandem trailer. Those don't maneuver as well as the big tube I pull. Michigan has several R-A-B and I have yet to find one I don't like. I've even go around a few times just for fun and to make the people following me wonder what I'm doing.

 

[bwframe]

[video=youtube;uYVcdFWErQw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYVcdFWErQw[/video]