10 ms·

There is no contest. Roundabouts are better than silly multi-way stops any day of the week. There are hundreds of reasons why. But I'll just name the most obvi

There is no contest. Roundabouts are better than silly multi-way stops any day of the week. There are hundreds of reasons why. But I'll just name the most obvious one that you've missed. Traffic volume. Multi-way stops just kill traffic throughput. Its a hard fact. You make each vehicle stop. Meanwhile roundabouts can safely and efficiently move staggering amounts of traffic. Want to move more traffic ? Add an extra lane or two. P.S. As for the bicycle saftey... Historically yes, but only to a degree, because I'd argue that if you can't manage to avoid hitting a bicycle on a roundabout then you probably should not be driving because you are most likely also committing lots of other dangerous driving offences elsewhere. Going forward however, it should be stressed that a lot more attention is being paid to cyclist safety, both in terms of further re-enforcing driver awareness (i.e. more prominent in driver training and examination) but also in terms of vehicle design (especially HGVs) and roundabout design. I could also argue that with a multi-way stop, perhaps especially at night or in inclement weather or where HGVs are at play, that your cyclist might not be immune to death or injury.

bsder 5y ago
> Meanwhile roundabouts can safely and efficiently move staggering amounts of traffic. I don't find this to be accurate--at least in the US and in my limited experience in the UK. In computer terms, roundabouts don't guarantee progress under contention. Roundabouts seem to work when there is semi-continuous, medium-level amounts of traffic. They are better than stop signs, better than unsensored signals, and probably comparable to sensored traffic signals (which are more expensive). However, once the traffic becomes high, roundabouts are TERRIBLE. Stop signs and controlled intersections at least guarantee some progress while someone may sit at a roundabout entrance almost indefinitely since "give way to traffic on the roundabout" is the normal rule. This is particularly bad when you are entering a roundabout between the most popular inlet and the most popular outlet.
- timthorn 5y ago
  At very busy roundabouts in the UK, drivers usually yield in turn to traffic joining that in theory they have priority over.
  - traceroute66 5y ago
    Also at busy roundabouts in the UK it is expected that you will arrive to join the roundabout via the correct lane for the exit you desire. If you try to join via the wrong lane then you're in for a world of hell. ;-)
- traceroute66 5y ago
  > in my limited experience in the UK I think you need to spend a bit more time in the UK ! Take Hyde Park Corner for example. A bit of an extreme example as it is a super-busy roundabout. I will grant you that its not one where you will make smooth progress during peak rush-hour (outside of peak it works perfectly though). There are also other good (and less extreme) examples along the secondary routes out of Heathrow (i.e. along Bath Road and Great West Road). There's no way in hell you could replace any of the above with a US-style multi-way stop and achieve the same throughput of traffic. Roundabouts work so well because you can have that magical combination of vehicles already established on the roundabout and also adding new vehicles all the time.
throwawayboise 5y ago
Multi-lane roundabouts are problematic. If you have to change lanes in a busy roundabout it can be difficult to find a gap or have someone let you over. And if you're on an "inner" lane you will clearly have to cross the outer lane at some point to get off of the roundabout. I'm not talking about roundabouts that have a special lane for people turning right, which is helpful, but roundabouts that have two or more lanes in the main circle.
jimmaswell 5y ago
Roundabouts fall apart when one road is much busier and dominates it, and nobody else can get in. Happened to me once and I was there waiting to get in for at least 5 minutes until I just forced my way in.

bsder 5y ago

> Meanwhile roundabouts can safely and efficiently move staggering amounts of traffic. I don't find this to be accurate--at least in the US and in my limited experience in the UK. In computer terms, roundabouts don't guarantee progress under contention. Roundabouts seem to work when there is semi-continuous, medium-level amounts of traffic. They are better than stop signs, better than unsensored signals, and probably comparable to sensored traffic signals (which are more expensive). However, once the traffic becomes high, roundabouts are TERRIBLE. Stop signs and controlled intersections at least guarantee some progress while someone may sit at a roundabout entrance almost indefinitely since "give way to traffic on the roundabout" is the normal rule. This is particularly bad when you are entering a roundabout between the most popular inlet and the most popular outlet.

timthorn 5y ago
At very busy roundabouts in the UK, drivers usually yield in turn to traffic joining that in theory they have priority over.
- traceroute66 5y ago
  Also at busy roundabouts in the UK it is expected that you will arrive to join the roundabout via the correct lane for the exit you desire. If you try to join via the wrong lane then you're in for a world of hell. ;-)
traceroute66 5y ago
> in my limited experience in the UK I think you need to spend a bit more time in the UK ! Take Hyde Park Corner for example. A bit of an extreme example as it is a super-busy roundabout. I will grant you that its not one where you will make smooth progress during peak rush-hour (outside of peak it works perfectly though). There are also other good (and less extreme) examples along the secondary routes out of Heathrow (i.e. along Bath Road and Great West Road). There's no way in hell you could replace any of the above with a US-style multi-way stop and achieve the same throughput of traffic. Roundabouts work so well because you can have that magical combination of vehicles already established on the roundabout and also adding new vehicles all the time.

throwawayboise 5y ago

Multi-lane roundabouts are problematic. If you have to change lanes in a busy roundabout it can be difficult to find a gap or have someone let you over. And if you're on an "inner" lane you will clearly have to cross the outer lane at some point to get off of the roundabout. I'm not talking about roundabouts that have a special lane for people turning right, which is helpful, but roundabouts that have two or more lanes in the main circle.

jimmaswell 5y ago

Roundabouts fall apart when one road is much busier and dominates it, and nobody else can get in. Happened to me once and I was there waiting to get in for at least 5 minutes until I just forced my way in.