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An intersection with a roundabout that you only use if
there are other cars present. If you are the only car at
the
intersection, you drive straight through because the
central island has a cross shaped continuation of the
converging roads in the middle.
I'm putting this up more fully expecting
to take it down
because there's absolutely now way this painfully obvious
idea hasn't been thought of.
I guess the only drawback is that it would require some
judgement. You could put up markers around the
perimeter where any cars therein would need to use the
roundabout portion rather than the straight through. Of
course looking for other cars and judging how you're going
to
go through an intersection is pretty standard
practice when driving.
Anyway, sure it's been done, just haven't seen it. Any
posts
of pics of this will result in this promptly being taken
down
with apologies for wasting your time.
The 3D version
Sky_20Roundabout
[FlyingToaster, Aug 22 2016]
Roundabout with a road through the middle
http://photos.wikim...00/83/04/65_big.jpg
A quick Google found this [neutrinos_shadow, Aug 22 2016]
Flyover instead of straight through
http://www.roadtroo...-Alicante-Spain.jpg
There are some weird roundabouts about... [neutrinos_shadow, Aug 22 2016]
I'm not sure...
http://i.imgur.com/3VuhzAd.png
What the hell is going on here...? [neutrinos_shadow, Aug 22 2016]
halfway there...
http://archive.isgt...ges/2010/gate_L.jpg
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Aug 23 2016]
Swindon's Magical Roundabout
https://en.wikipedi...oundabout_(Swindon)
Almost diametrically opposite to the stated idea. [zen_tom, Aug 24 2016]
seems I got beaten to it,magic roundabout aerial photo
http://cosmouk.cdnd...ndabout-swindon.jpg
[not_morrison_rm, Aug 24 2016]
Worst Junctions
http://news.bbc.co....nd_west/8382506.stm
[bs0u0155, Aug 24 2016]
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Some roundabouts in the UK are like this, to an
extent. I know of some where you can cut straight
through the roundabout in one direction (like Celtic
cross but without the cross-arm). If I remember
correctly, they are usually large roundabouts which
have traffic light control anyway. |
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Do they have any without a traffic light? The idea
would be to keep it simple and cheap. |
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So it's basically a regular crossroads unless another
car is approaching the intersection, in which case it
becomes a roundabout. No lights necessary. |
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Not sure, but I suspect not. The flaw lies in //it
would require some judgement//. And if the
roundabout is small enough that simple and cheap is
an option, perhaps you don't need this. |
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On the other hand, there are lots of roundabouts
where you can "cut the corner". Translating it for
right-hand-driving countries, if you want to take the
right-hand exit, there's often a filter lane that takes
you into it without joining the roundabout. |
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And in Malaysia (where, incidentally, they drive on the left),
when you encounter a roundabout or traffic lights you can do
whatever the fuck you please. |
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Well, roundabouts do have some advantage over
stop signs in that you just keep moving and save a
little gas and time. These require a little bit of
skill and judgement to merge with the traffic
already in the roundabout. |
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We have a street in Palo Alto where somebody
decided it would be quite continental to put
roundabouts on every intersection. It's like a little
trip to Europe every time I tediously drive around 4
of these stupid things in a row with no other cars
anywhere in sight. |
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My first solution was a raised 4 wheel drive vehicle
you could just drove over the stupid island with.
The addition of heavy bumpers would make short
work of any signage that may be in the way as
well, but the cross through thing is probably more
realistic. |
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When I first moved to where I live, there was an
intersection in the region that, if memory serves, was the
type described in this Idea. However, more than a decade
ago they rebuilt the intersection and removed the circle,
leaving only the cross. I haven't been able to find any
pictures of its "before" status, so cannot confirm my
memory. |
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Because they did rebuild the intersection, I might conclude
that this Idea isn't so great, after all.... |
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The ideal format is the combined overpass/underpass/roundabout. Through traffic goes straight on. Only traffic wishing to change direction goes onto the roundabout portion. |
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// My first solution was a raised 4 wheel drive vehicle you could just drove over the stupid island with. // |
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Series III Land Rovers are ideal for this, easily demolishing shrubs, signage, pedestrians and low walls without ill effects (to the Land Rover). But in these days of ubiquitous CCTV it's harder to get away with. |
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I think the idea adds unnecessary complexity. Even a tiny
addition, for example aircraft ejector seats having two
handles, promotes mistakes. On the other hand,
roundabouts can function perfectly well while only existing
symbolically. A mini roundabout is just a bit of paint, works
nicely. If it isn't busy, drive straight over the little chap, you
can do a token left-right* flick if it makes you feel a bit
better. |
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One finger in the USA, two in the UK .... |
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Looking at the second link the one road through the
roundabout with five converging roads, that
particular configuration looks like an incredibly bad
idea. This idea would only work with two roads.
Might that particular road might be for emergency
vehicles that have sirens blasting only? |
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What you might find more sensible would be to place within the main roundabout a constellation of 5 smaller roundabouts in a radial pattern, each of which can be traversed to get to its neighbours thusly facilitating both clockwise and counterclockwise travel simultaneously - as well as more complex pathways for the indecisive, thrill-seeking, or criminally insane. |
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//within the main roundabout a constellation of 5 smaller roundabouts |
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Swindon's Magic Roundabout comes to mind...5 roundabouts grouped about one roundabout...see photo on link |
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RE //seems I got beaten to it,magic roundabout aerial
photo// link: |
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You've... got... to... be... kidding... |
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^ One imagines a contest of some sort. Also that Swindon is officially a "do not bomb, strafe or even fly over" area on foreign powers' nav charts, with a pencilled-in "Eye of Sauron" label. |
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I once attended an outdoors Grateful Dead concert, at which intermission thousands of space cadets milled madly about a crowd-defined large oval; some hoping to find bathrooms or refreshment, some their seats, but most it seemed were staggering about because they were staggering about. |
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oh good lord, and it was voted _4th_ worst intersection : what do the others involve: minefields, unmarked sinkholes and bungee jumps ? |
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Pure evil, I stand in awe. |
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The worst junctions <link>. It seems people think highway
speeds combined with complexity make it scarier. I drove
through the M8 recently. It's stupid. Whoever decided to
have people joining a motorway on the wrong (fast) side
needs shooting. Although here in Philadelphia, joining in the
fast lane is one of the least crap features of the Schuylkill
expressway. |
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Wilkes-Barre. Haven't made it through at one go yet. People keep messing with the signs (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). |
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// joining in the fast lane // |
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... at a breath-snatching 55 MPH .... yeah, right. |
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Nowhere in North America gets close to "really scary" because it all happens in slo-mo. To qualify, it's got to be "Use the Force, Luke" time. Crowded, confusing, and very, very fast. The North Circular can be like that sometimes, but for consistent sphincter-relaxing terror the Northbound M6 through Birmingham at twilight on a rainy Friday in November is hard to top - fast, packed with big vehicles, lots of blinding spray, but above all No Place To Escape. |
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For the adventurous, the access from the A500 to the M6 Northbound at junction 15 always has a certain frisson, as the slip road closes down from two lanes to one in a diving left-hand spiral that would shake off a determined Bf109, forcing a disconcerting loss of speed just when it's most needed to merge with the phalanx of trucks thundering down the long hill from the South. |
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//You've... got... to... be... kidding... |
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Nahhh...that's just like sudoku for drivers. English driving tends to vary from 85mph - the police can't be arsed to flag you down at that speed on the motorway - to 11mph average speed in London. |
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1. Get an American who's never driven outside the USA before.. |
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2. Put him in a moderately high spec car. |
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3. Send him from Liverpool to Leeds over the M62 on a Monday
morning in winter. |
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4. Take the shredded, gibbering, twitching remains to the pub and
feed him beer until he's coherent. |
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5. Get him to relate his experience. Laugh long and loud*. |
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*It is unnecessary to explain that you're laughing at them, not with them. Observational evidence tends to indicate that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder will cause them to blank all memories related to the incident from their mind. |
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