4 ms·

Or my personal favorite in Sacramento, roundabout with some stop signs sprinkled in. I hear horns and accidents daily... https://www.google.com/maps/@38.580185

by r0m4n0 11y ago

Or my personal favorite in Sacramento, roundabout with some stop signs sprinkled in. I hear horns and accidents daily... https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5801855,-121.4694376,3a,75y,210.19h,69.12t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3yb-E21Li76n8bfNCBpINw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1 https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5801855,-121.4694376,3a,75y,...

fryguy 11y ago
That's not really a roundabout though, it's a traffic circle, which is a replacement for speed bumps. I have one of those near my house in Sacramento as well.
jotux 11y ago
Live in Sacramento, the half-roundabouts drive me crazy. Here's another: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6759386,-121.5367581,3a,90y,249.97h,57.49t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sdd_YkL3XJu7bDNqbRXo4tQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Ddd_YkL3XJu7bDNqbRXo4tQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D98.265709%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6759386,-121.5367581,3a,90y,...
- ScottRAB 11y ago
  Neighborhood traffic circles are not modern roundabouts. Many people confuse other and older styles of circular intersections with modern roundabouts. East coast rotaries, large multi-lane traffic circles (Arc D’Triomphe, Dupont Circle), and small neighborhood traffic circles are not modern roundabouts. If you want to see the difference between a traffic circle, a rotary (UK roundabout) and a modern roundabout (UK continental roundabout), go to http://tinyurl.com/kstate-RAB http://tinyurl.com/kstate-RAB to see pictures. And here’s another site that shows the difference between an older rotary and a modern roundabout: http://tinyurl.com/bzf7qmg http://tinyurl.com/bzf7qmg
function_seven 11y ago
Wait. Is that a 2-way stop? That looks dangerous as hell. If I come upon a stop sign with a island in the middle of the intersection, it is easy to assume that everyone has to stop.
- fryguy 11y ago
  There are a lot of 2-way stops in that area.
  - function_seven 11y ago
    My wording is kinda of muddy. A 2-way stop isn't itself dangerous. I think seeing an island makes the intersection appear more like a roundabout, and makes drivers approaching from the side streets think that all entrances to that roundabout will have a stop sign.
    - ScottRAB 11y ago
      DMV manual fail. All way stops have a small sign below the stop sign that says ALL WAY. Any stop sign without that rider sign is not at an all way stop intersection.
      - function_seven 11y ago
        Yup. I am a fan of this sign (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cross_traffic_does_not_stop_2.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cross_traffic_does_n...) instead of this one (http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/resources/casestudies/fhwasa09010/images/f1.jpg http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/resources/casestudie...)
        fryguy 11y ago
        If you look a few blocks away there's that sign: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5676945,-121.4748759,3a,75y,15.27h,76.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sA21X5jfgdyWSwX6PC4yHtQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5676945,-121.4748759,3a,75y,...
ilyanep 11y ago
There are some of these in Palo Alto, as well. I don't think they tend to result in accidents, but I never really understood the point of putting a stop sign on a roundabout. If I remember correctly, the justification of these here is that they are better for bikes than 4-way stops (which is true, but they're probably not the optimal solution). https://www.google.com/maps/@37.4420644,-122.1552851,3a,75y,219.23h,67.83t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s5BYzQOT9mKCND675RDMr2w!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D5BYzQOT9mKCND675RDMr2w%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D337.47928%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@37.4420644,-122.1552851,3a,75y,...
- ScottRAB 11y ago
  If it has a stop sign, it is a traffic circle with different rules than a modern roundabout.
verelo 11y ago
Roundabouts with stop signs are insane, i see them in Ontario too and cannot figure them out. Coming from Australia (that admittedly at times tends to over uses roundabouts) all i can ever wonder when i see a quiet road with traffic lights, or a seemingly pointless 4 way stop sign is "WHY IS THIS NOT A ROUNDABOUT?" I agree at a certain volume there are better alternatives, but there are massive benefits for a very long time and if you have the room for a large enough roundabout they can handle massive volume. Here is a decent example that is just near Newcastle University in Australia. Traffic lights here would likely be much slower: https://goo.gl/maps/MPhri8vrt5M2 https://goo.gl/maps/MPhri8vrt5M2 Side note: North America, please stop abusing using "stop" signs. No one stops anyway, just make them "Yield" signs unless its a seriously bad intersection.
- duaneb 11y ago
  > North America, please stop abusing using "stop" signs. No one stops anyway, just make them "Yield" signs unless its a seriously bad intersection. Maybe outside of cities. In cities, they are the best thing ever for pedestrians.
  - Tloewald 11y ago
    Agreed. And besides which stop signs may get treated as yield but yield signs are treated even worse. The only thing better than stop signs for pedestrians (and I'd say they're better than traffic lights with dedicated pedestrian signals in most cases) is probably total chaos (as per some cities in switzerland) where there's seven way intersections with trams and no clear boundary between sidewalk and road, and motorists just need to stop and figure it out.
  - ajmurmann 11y ago
    Cars still would still have to stop for pedestrians at the yield sign. Works very well in other countries. If there are too many pedestrians, just put a traffic light up to regulate traffic between pedestrians and cars. Key here though is that the light isn't on a timer but actually adjusts to someone pressing the button or a car rolling over a sensor in the ground.
  - 11y ago
Tloewald 11y ago
For true insanity you need to go to Washington DC which has roundabouts with divided lanes, pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, stop signs, and turning lanes. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Washington,+DC/@38.9092507,-77.0429818,3a,75y,232.54h,89.8t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1srKUH2bp97u4rkVdd67koeQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DrKUH2bp97u4rkVdd67koeQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D304.40421%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b7c6de5af6e45b:0xc2524522d4885d2a!6m1!1e1 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Washington,+DC/@38.9092507... https://www.google.com/maps/place/Washington,+DC/@38.9020455,-77.0497812,3a,75y,34.3h,86.19t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sCC1wkbIi8pfu4KAONWQjlw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DCC1wkbIi8pfu4KAONWQjlw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D315.16916%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b7c6de5af6e45b:0xc2524522d4885d2a!6m1!1e1 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Washington,+DC/@38.9020455...
- r00fus 11y ago
  This is pretty common in France. Every major city has like dozens of these kinds of intersections (e.g. behind the Trocadero, around the Arc de Triomphe, etc)
  - Tloewald 11y ago
    My recollection is that the roundabouts in Paris are free for alls (a whole different kind of crazy, but it seems to work). I checked the satellite images of the circle around the arc de triomphe and it seems to be as I remember. There may be lights regulating entry into the circle, but the lanes aren't divided. And if I recall correctly pedestrians access the middle via underground walkway. I just checked via Google street view and it confirms my memory.
- ScottRAB 11y ago
  Traffic circles and rotaries are not modern roundabouts. If any of the entry lanes has a stop sign, it’s not a modern roundabout. If you could play a game of football in the center landscaped area, it’s not a modern roundabout. If the circular roadway has a stop sign, yield sign or signal, it’s not a modern roundabout. If you don’t have to slow down to enter it, it’s not a modern roundabout. If you have to change lanes in the circular roadway to exit, it’s not a modern roundabout. If you can easily drive faster than 20 mph in the circular roadway, it’s not a modern roundabout. If it has a park for pedestrians, or a building, in the middle, it’s not a modern roundabout.
mmanfrin 11y ago
That's not a roundabout. That is a 2-way stop with a speed-abatement island.

by r0m4n0 11y ago

fryguy 11y ago

That's not really a roundabout though, it's a traffic circle, which is a replacement for speed bumps. I have one of those near my house in Sacramento as well.

jotux 11y ago

Live in Sacramento, the half-roundabouts drive me crazy. Here's another: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6759386,-121.5367581,3a,90y,249.97h,57.49t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sdd_YkL3XJu7bDNqbRXo4tQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Ddd_YkL3XJu7bDNqbRXo4tQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D98.265709%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6759386,-121.5367581,3a,90y,...

ScottRAB 11y ago
Neighborhood traffic circles are not modern roundabouts. Many people confuse other and older styles of circular intersections with modern roundabouts. East coast rotaries, large multi-lane traffic circles (Arc D’Triomphe, Dupont Circle), and small neighborhood traffic circles are not modern roundabouts. If you want to see the difference between a traffic circle, a rotary (UK roundabout) and a modern roundabout (UK continental roundabout), go to http://tinyurl.com/kstate-RAB http://tinyurl.com/kstate-RAB to see pictures. And here’s another site that shows the difference between an older rotary and a modern roundabout: http://tinyurl.com/bzf7qmg http://tinyurl.com/bzf7qmg

function_seven 11y ago

Wait. Is that a 2-way stop? That looks dangerous as hell. If I come upon a stop sign with a island in the middle of the intersection, it is easy to assume that everyone has to stop.

fryguy 11y ago
There are a lot of 2-way stops in that area.
- function_seven 11y ago
  My wording is kinda of muddy. A 2-way stop isn't itself dangerous. I think seeing an island makes the intersection appear more like a roundabout, and makes drivers approaching from the side streets think that all entrances to that roundabout will have a stop sign.
  - ScottRAB 11y ago
    DMV manual fail. All way stops have a small sign below the stop sign that says ALL WAY. Any stop sign without that rider sign is not at an all way stop intersection.
    - function_seven 11y ago
      Yup. I am a fan of this sign (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cross_traffic_does_not_stop_2.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cross_traffic_does_n...) instead of this one (http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/resources/casestudies/fhwasa09010/images/f1.jpg http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/resources/casestudie...)
      - fryguy 11y ago
        If you look a few blocks away there's that sign: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5676945,-121.4748759,3a,75y,15.27h,76.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sA21X5jfgdyWSwX6PC4yHtQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5676945,-121.4748759,3a,75y,...

ilyanep 11y ago

There are some of these in Palo Alto, as well. I don't think they tend to result in accidents, but I never really understood the point of putting a stop sign on a roundabout. If I remember correctly, the justification of these here is that they are better for bikes than 4-way stops (which is true, but they're probably not the optimal solution). https://www.google.com/maps/@37.4420644,-122.1552851,3a,75y,219.23h,67.83t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s5BYzQOT9mKCND675RDMr2w!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D5BYzQOT9mKCND675RDMr2w%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D337.47928%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@37.4420644,-122.1552851,3a,75y,...

ScottRAB 11y ago
If it has a stop sign, it is a traffic circle with different rules than a modern roundabout.

verelo 11y ago

Roundabouts with stop signs are insane, i see them in Ontario too and cannot figure them out. Coming from Australia (that admittedly at times tends to over uses roundabouts) all i can ever wonder when i see a quiet road with traffic lights, or a seemingly pointless 4 way stop sign is "WHY IS THIS NOT A ROUNDABOUT?" I agree at a certain volume there are better alternatives, but there are massive benefits for a very long time and if you have the room for a large enough roundabout they can handle massive volume. Here is a decent example that is just near Newcastle University in Australia. Traffic lights here would likely be much slower: https://goo.gl/maps/MPhri8vrt5M2 https://goo.gl/maps/MPhri8vrt5M2 Side note: North America, please stop abusing using "stop" signs. No one stops anyway, just make them "Yield" signs unless its a seriously bad intersection.

duaneb 11y ago
> North America, please stop abusing using "stop" signs. No one stops anyway, just make them "Yield" signs unless its a seriously bad intersection. Maybe outside of cities. In cities, they are the best thing ever for pedestrians.
- Tloewald 11y ago
  Agreed. And besides which stop signs may get treated as yield but yield signs are treated even worse. The only thing better than stop signs for pedestrians (and I'd say they're better than traffic lights with dedicated pedestrian signals in most cases) is probably total chaos (as per some cities in switzerland) where there's seven way intersections with trams and no clear boundary between sidewalk and road, and motorists just need to stop and figure it out.
- ajmurmann 11y ago
  Cars still would still have to stop for pedestrians at the yield sign. Works very well in other countries. If there are too many pedestrians, just put a traffic light up to regulate traffic between pedestrians and cars. Key here though is that the light isn't on a timer but actually adjusts to someone pressing the button or a car rolling over a sensor in the ground.
- 11y ago

Tloewald 11y ago

For true insanity you need to go to Washington DC which has roundabouts with divided lanes, pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, stop signs, and turning lanes. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Washington,+DC/@38.9092507,-77.0429818,3a,75y,232.54h,89.8t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1srKUH2bp97u4rkVdd67koeQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DrKUH2bp97u4rkVdd67koeQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D304.40421%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b7c6de5af6e45b:0xc2524522d4885d2a!6m1!1e1 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Washington,+DC/@38.9092507... https://www.google.com/maps/place/Washington,+DC/@38.9020455,-77.0497812,3a,75y,34.3h,86.19t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sCC1wkbIi8pfu4KAONWQjlw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DCC1wkbIi8pfu4KAONWQjlw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D315.16916%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b7c6de5af6e45b:0xc2524522d4885d2a!6m1!1e1 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Washington,+DC/@38.9020455...

r00fus 11y ago
This is pretty common in France. Every major city has like dozens of these kinds of intersections (e.g. behind the Trocadero, around the Arc de Triomphe, etc)
- Tloewald 11y ago
  My recollection is that the roundabouts in Paris are free for alls (a whole different kind of crazy, but it seems to work). I checked the satellite images of the circle around the arc de triomphe and it seems to be as I remember. There may be lights regulating entry into the circle, but the lanes aren't divided. And if I recall correctly pedestrians access the middle via underground walkway. I just checked via Google street view and it confirms my memory.
ScottRAB 11y ago
Traffic circles and rotaries are not modern roundabouts. If any of the entry lanes has a stop sign, it’s not a modern roundabout. If you could play a game of football in the center landscaped area, it’s not a modern roundabout. If the circular roadway has a stop sign, yield sign or signal, it’s not a modern roundabout. If you don’t have to slow down to enter it, it’s not a modern roundabout. If you have to change lanes in the circular roadway to exit, it’s not a modern roundabout. If you can easily drive faster than 20 mph in the circular roadway, it’s not a modern roundabout. If it has a park for pedestrians, or a building, in the middle, it’s not a modern roundabout.

mmanfrin 11y ago

That's not a roundabout. That is a 2-way stop with a speed-abatement island.