You don't have roundabouts statesside? 8O
We do have roundabouts in Greece, but not to the extend UK does. I don't think they help too much in heavy traffic. Only in light traffic environments they prove useful.

On another note, strantor, does that look familiar?

 

We have plenty of 4 way stops, and they flow well until some idiot waves others through when they should be going. My instruction to the kids when teaching them to drive, when it's your turn, go.

Our provincial capital had a number of major intersections laid out as multilane traffic circles, and I was impressed. They flowed well and were self regulating. But at some point some bonehead planner decided lights should be installed. Now they are a pain, and several have been removed. They've added a couple in the city I live in now, but drivers these days don't get it.

My approach is that vehicles with a higher velocity have the right of way. Some would argue that exceeding the legal limit surrenders that right of way, but defensive driving says otherwise.

 

You don't have roundabouts statesside? 8O
We do have roundabouts in Greece, but not to the extend UK does. I don't think they help too much in heavy traffic. Only in light traffic environments they prove useful.

On another note, strantor, does that look familiar?

OMG! That bus must have hit 6 cars and just kept on going.

 

OMG! That bus must have hit 6 cars and just kept on going.

Yes, it's only part of the video, he kept going.

 

We are progressing toward Europe though. We have not one, but TWO roundabouts in town now! Fortunately, they have a pull off area about half a block before each one with instructions on how to drive around one.

Two roundabouts in the town, that's nothing. Here in the UK, we can gret two in a dozen yards: we like roundabouts so much that we sometimes run them in tandem! This little horror lives in Brockley, South-east London. The photo is old, but the junction is still there.

 

Two roundabouts in the town, that's nothing. Here in the UK, we can gret two in a dozen yards: we like roundabouts so much that we sometimes run them in tandem! This little horror lives in Brockley, South-east London. The photo is old, but the junction is still there.

I remember seeing a YouTube video of that, and a larger 5 in one that had one main roundabout and 4 feeder roundabouts.

The ones here are in low traffic areas, more to give a European taste than for traffic control, there's rarely more than one car on it at a time. I would take them over 4 way stops anyday, however. People always forget the "yield to the right if not turning right" if two cars arrived at the same time.

 

Obviously if your coming up on a car thats backing up and you can't see the driver you stop knowing they can't see you. But unless you haven't driven in a parking lot lately, they'll try to whip their car out and beat you like its a race. Then I've seen older people not even look backing up. They just look at their mirrors and hit the gas.

 

Then I've seen older people not even look backing up. They just look at their mirrors and hit the gas.

There's a different way to do it?

 

Yeah, that's what I'm wondering... sonny.

 

Have to agree w/ others here, drive slow and give way to those backing up .

If everyone did that, would make for safer parking lots..

Years ago i worked w/ a bridge crew retrofitting bridges w/ fiber carriers.

My travel partner devised a rather devious way to deal w/ right of way as it

pertains to entering traffic.

We "borrowed" a flagger's outfit ie hand help stop sign,net vest ,hard hat.

When we got stuck waiting for a break in gridlock traffic ,my buddy just

don the outfit ,jump out and stop traffic i go, he jumps in and away we go .
The wife may think the outfit is a odd gift..but you will never have parking

issues again

 

Two roundabouts in the town, that's nothing. Here in the UK, we can gret two in a dozen yards: we like roundabouts so much that we sometimes run them in tandem! This little horror lives in Brockley, South-east London. The photo is old, but the junction is still there.

WTF is that?! If I ever get caught in one of those, I'd just stop in the middle and start crying...

 

Search Google maps for "The Magic Roundabout, Swindon" and choose satellite view.

5 roundabouts forming part of a larger roundabout with multiple lanes.

I have only tried it a few times, but it works surprisingly well.

 

This one near me is a bit of an accident blackspot. It's a pretty busy road in rush hour.
http://g.co/maps/89kgb

 

On the other hand, we can build multi-level intersections. But does it really help?
http://maps.google.com/?ll=37.938334,23.694345&spn=0.006828,0.013937&hnear=Athens,+Greece&t=h&z=17

 

They are pretty good unless you get in the wrong lane and end up in Coventry.
We call this one spaghetti junction:
http://g.co/maps/2mm2a

 

This one near me is a bit of an accident blackspot. It's a pretty busy road in rush hour.
http://g.co/maps/89kgb

That is more of a "half-moon-about" than a roundabout, should have stop signs, or a light.

 

Funnily enough I just got hit by a car while cycling back from town. The guy came onto the roundabout at about 40mph without looking and I managed to brake enough so that I went into his side at a fairly low speed. If my reactions hadn't been as sharp he would have hit me head on and I wouldn't be here any more. I didn't manage to read his plate and neither did the driver of the car that saw it and stopped to see if I was OK. I'm uninjured and the bike is fine.

 

In Greece, the cars that enter the roundabout have priority, unless explicitly signed with a STOP sign.

Is it the opposite in UK?

 

Yes, if you're on it you have right of way.

 

That's a weird difference. Could it be explained by the opposite driving lanes? Or is it another translation messup?

I recently found out that in Greek casinos, due to translation errors, the law obligates the one who called last to show his cards first in poker.