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Traffic Circles



 
 
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  #21  
Old August 21st 03, 09:51 PM
The Real Bev
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klaus wrote:

I actually think it's more dangerous to walk. You tend to look the
wrong way before crossing a street.


I seem to remember helpful signs painted on the street in London saying
something like TRAFFIC COMES FROM RIGHT.

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the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the
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  #22  
Old August 21st 03, 10:18 PM
pigo
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"klaus" wrote in message
...
Walt wrote:
klaus wrote:


Emericuns have trouble with them, but they seem to be getting more
popular in high traffic areas.

But just imagine if the U.S. put in a Magic Roundabout. Carnage.

http://www.swindonweb.com/life/lifemagi0.htm


The idea of driving on the left hand side of the road is bad enough.
Trying to negotiate *that* while driving on the left hand side is

enough
to keep me from driving in the UK at all. Which maybe is the point?


I used to be apprehensive about it, but really, after a day or two,
it's no big deal driving on the other side. You just have to make a
point of concentrating. But get an automatic. Shifting with the other
hand, but same pattern, while the pedals are the same gets a bit too
much for a short trip. And get full insurance coverage. You'll be
hitting a lot of curbs since you aren't used to judging where the
front left of the car is when your sitting in the seat on the
right. Especially on the narrow roads.

I actually think it's more dangerous to walk. You tend to look the
wrong way before crossing a street.

-klaus


I might as well take an oportunity to agree with klaus. They don't come
along that often.

Like anything else, it just takes some getting used to. They've got
their mental midgets just like us that have trouble. You just have to
concentrate more at first and less and less as time and experience go
by. It's good to have a pom in the car to help with the details when you
don't quite have it figured out yet.


  #23  
Old August 21st 03, 11:02 PM
Alex Heney
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On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 11:54:24 -0400, Walt
wrote:

klaus wrote:

Emericuns have trouble with them, but they seem to be getting more
popular in high traffic areas.

But just imagine if the U.S. put in a Magic Roundabout. Carnage.

http://www.swindonweb.com/life/lifemagi0.htm


The idea of driving on the left hand side of the road is bad enough.
Trying to negotiate *that* while driving on the left hand side is enough
to keep me from driving in the UK at all. Which maybe is the point?


It's surprisingly easy when you actually are on the road.

I'll be going through the Swindon one tomorrow morning.

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  #24  
Old August 22nd 03, 01:26 PM
Chester Bullock
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bdubya wrote in
:


This thread has reminded me how much I miss the "Michigan left" Some
things you don't appreciate until you lose them (or move away).
http://www.michiganhighways.org/inde...igan_left.html

bw


I hate those left turns. Southfield is riddled with them. Glad I don't
have to go there anymore...

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  #25  
Old August 22nd 03, 02:29 PM
NE-skier
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On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 08:54:18 -0700, "Richard Henry"
wrote:
The only reason it works for you is because you drive on the wrong side of
the road.


Didn't quite a few English airmen shot down over Germany in WW2 get
caught because they always tended to start around the German traffic
circles the wrong way, and the regular German traffic police were told
to be on the lookout for this as a sign of a possible English driver?

NE-skier
  #26  
Old August 22nd 03, 02:29 PM
NE-skier
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On 21 Aug 2003 12:32:00 -0400, Dragan Cvetkovic
wrote:

As for the driving, the most dangerous for me was if you are turning into
(or from) a small street and suddenly see a car coming towards you: your's
years of experience turned into instinct tell you to go right to avoid the
oncoming car, but in UK you should be turning left to do so.


Yup, one of my friends was killed in a head-on with a lorrie in a
similar situation (crest of a hill, truck a bit over the line, and he
instinctively yanked the wheel the wrong way).

NE-skier

  #27  
Old August 22nd 03, 02:29 PM
NE-skier
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On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 23:07:27 +0000 (UTC), Alex Heney
wrote:

The tricky bit I always find is if you have pulled off on the wrong
side of the road, remembering to move over when you start again.


And when pulling into a gas station. It may or may not be on your
side & the cars may be lined up in the direction of traffic or have
looped around and are pointing against traffic.

NE-skier

  #28  
Old August 22nd 03, 05:27 PM
NP
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Jeremy Mortimer wrote:
"Richard Henry" wrote in
news:kzV0b.5272$QT5.899@fed1read02:

..

They're getting more and more popular in continental Europe, though
their natural habitat has to be the UK, especially dormitory towns
around London. Hemel Hempstead has a big one made out of six little
ones, which defies comprehension - I have seen cars just stop in the
middle in complete bafflement (in fact I think I might have done so
myself). When they introduced them in France they initially tried to
keep "priorité ŕ droite", which meant cars entering had right of way;
a little thought will reveal that you only need one car at each entry
to gridlock the whole thing. They changed that eventually, but the UK
is still the only country I've driven in where people can be relied
on to understand the things (Hemel Hempstead excepted).

....and the roundabout in Hemel is a two way roundabout - it has two lanes,
one in each direction (clockwise and counterclockwise) and the little
roundabouts are likewise full duplex operations. In reality, you don't
really know you're on a big roundabout, just a series of small ones. The
bark is worse than the bite. The first time I came across it I was on a
bicycle.....

But what about Sweden? In the 60's they switched from left hand drive to
right hand drive. Overnight. Get your heads round that one! Clue: think
on/off ramps ....


  #29  
Old August 22nd 03, 06:47 PM
Chuck
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Walt wrote in
:

Chuck wrote:

They're all over the place in New Jersey. They probably account for
10x the number of accidents than any other type of intersection.
Everyone around here hates them.


I haven't had the "pleasure" of driving in Jersey for quite some time.
Do they still prohibit you from pumping your own gas? The last gas
lines I saw (prior to last week's power failure) were on the New
Jersey Turnpike - there wasn't a shortage, it's just that they had
only one attendent trying to deal with sixteen pumps.


Last one I saw was on the NJ Tpk on 12/27/2002 on my way up to Bretton
Woods. It was also the last time I needed to stop for gas there. Same as
you said - 'cept there were two addentants, 16 pumps, and about 100 cars.
  #30  
Old August 22nd 03, 09:13 PM
C. Parker
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"Walt" wrote in message
...

I think it's more of an east coast phenomenon. New Jersey used to be
full of them. They're common around Boston. The only one I've ever
seen in (ob)ski country is the one at Beaver Creek.

They were popular in Texas in the late 40's and early 50's. Still have a few
of them around. One of the still existing ones in Houston you will see if
you ever drive from downtown to Hobby airport. It is built under ,or rather,
I45 was built over it. It has feeding into it the north and south I45 access
roads (2 lanes each), a boulevard (2 lanes each direction) and a major
street, also 2 lanes in each direction. With the average incompetence of the
Houston driver I avoid it if at all possible. Luckily, the circle is small
enough that speed is limited, so mostly what you get are merely fender
benders, and sideswipes.

Personally, I don't like 'em - it seems to be beyond the driving ability
of most people to look before changing lanes while going around a
curve.

--
//-Walt
//
// "Fair and Balanced"



 




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