3 ms·

At least that one is small. They'd know for sure from the change in numbers pretty soon if it improved things or not. But for multi-lane ones I absolutely lose

At least that one is small. They'd know for sure from the change in numbers pretty soon if it improved things or not. But for multi-lane ones I absolutely lose my shit and freak out when I get into one. Many decades of driving experience, but when in Europe (France, Italy, Spain) i encounter a multi-lane roundabout, every time it feels extremely confusing and unpredictable. People moving in all directions, cars, scooters, you need to calculate which lane you need to get into, and get out of, and do all that while accommodating crisscrossing neighboring vehicles who are all also trying to maneuver in every direction. Having to turn the entire time makes it feel very fast and dangerous, always paranoid about crushing some scooter that I didn't spot from one of the many angles while turning. Doesn't seem to get easier with time for me either, unlike all other driving. Glad we don't have multi-lane roundabouts in CA.

Legogris 2y ago
IME (also observing other drivers), the usual multi-lane roundabouts are something you get comfortable with after just a little spaced repetition and then it's not all bad. There are major cities in those countries with a few exceptionally gnarly ones, though. I don't blame if you're traumatized if you ever found yourself circling Arc de Triomphe in Paris, for example.
jillesvangurp 2y ago
One of the first things I did after getting my driving license was fly to Lisbon and rent a car there. At the time, you left the airport by merging onto a four lane roundabout with essentially no lane markings with people driving like maniacs and 5 or so exits for different highway directions. At the end of that vacation, I was driving a lot more confidently. But I wouldn't recommend that Darwinist approach to learning how to drive in the real world. When done properly, multi lane roundabouts can be quite efficient. They are common in Europe as an alternative to just having a lot of traffic lights at any junction. Some of the bigger ones can also have traffic lights. A good guideline is that if you need to go 3 quarters around, you probably want to be in the left most lane when you enter and move right as you progress. In case of doubt, just go around a second time. If you are too far right, merging left is something you want to be careful with and not necessarily legal in some places. But it's not that different from sorting into the wrong lane for a crossing. You kind of commit to where you exit before you enter. Usually the signage should help. The most annoying thing about roundabouts is the navigation endlessly going "At the roundabout take the second exit" (i.e. go straight on), which gets really annoying if you are on the ring road of some city that has roundabouts every few hundred meters. Which accurately describes a lot of smaller cities across Europe these days. Safe and efficient. But also tedious. If in the Netherlands, beware of your right hand dead angle and be on the lookout for scooters, e-bikes, etc. when you exit a roundabout. You are supposed to yield to them and they can really come out of nowhere.

Legogris 2y ago

IME (also observing other drivers), the usual multi-lane roundabouts are something you get comfortable with after just a little spaced repetition and then it's not all bad. There are major cities in those countries with a few exceptionally gnarly ones, though. I don't blame if you're traumatized if you ever found yourself circling Arc de Triomphe in Paris, for example.

jillesvangurp 2y ago

One of the first things I did after getting my driving license was fly to Lisbon and rent a car there. At the time, you left the airport by merging onto a four lane roundabout with essentially no lane markings with people driving like maniacs and 5 or so exits for different highway directions. At the end of that vacation, I was driving a lot more confidently. But I wouldn't recommend that Darwinist approach to learning how to drive in the real world. When done properly, multi lane roundabouts can be quite efficient. They are common in Europe as an alternative to just having a lot of traffic lights at any junction. Some of the bigger ones can also have traffic lights. A good guideline is that if you need to go 3 quarters around, you probably want to be in the left most lane when you enter and move right as you progress. In case of doubt, just go around a second time. If you are too far right, merging left is something you want to be careful with and not necessarily legal in some places. But it's not that different from sorting into the wrong lane for a crossing. You kind of commit to where you exit before you enter. Usually the signage should help. The most annoying thing about roundabouts is the navigation endlessly going "At the roundabout take the second exit" (i.e. go straight on), which gets really annoying if you are on the ring road of some city that has roundabouts every few hundred meters. Which accurately describes a lot of smaller cities across Europe these days. Safe and efficient. But also tedious. If in the Netherlands, beware of your right hand dead angle and be on the lookout for scooters, e-bikes, etc. when you exit a roundabout. You are supposed to yield to them and they can really come out of nowhere.