jerryc41 wrote:
Do a search for "roundabouts," and you'll find articles saying how great they are. Judging by the new ones in Kingston, NY, they aren't great.
We used to have a large traffic circle by the Thruway entrance. Four roads fed into it, and it was large enough that you could enter even if a car had just entered on your left. The new one - a roundabout - is so small that 18-wheelers must use both lanes. If you're waiting to enter, and a car enters on your left, it's too close for you to drive into the circle. The result is a line of cars waiting to enter the roundabout. As if that weren't band enough, cars in the left lane are allowed to make right turns to exit in front of cars in the right lane.
Now we have a brand new roundabout. We used to have traffic lights. Red - stop; green - go. Now we have this confusing roundabout, which people are avoiding by driving out of their way by several miles. I'm glad I found this picture so you can so what it's like. Of course, from the air, it's easier to get a good view and understand it. Down on ground level, with cars entering from every angle, it's very confusing.
Do a search for "roundabouts," and you'l... (
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It seems to require a lot of real estate too.