[knersis]

Hi people of the page!

I was wondering how you guys handle roundabouts?

For the people who live in countries that doesn't have roundabouts, in our country, they're best described as a free for all/deathmatch/ a game of chicken for cagers. Most people have no idea how they work & this makes them kind of dangerous to anybody in a vehicle.

Now, I have been avoiding them like the plague, but sooner or later I am going to take a wrong turn and like the people in the movies, I am not going to like it one bit!!!. SO... For the people who do ride them, what do you do?

 

[Lomcevak]

Close my eyes in sheer terror and hope for the best.

 

[allen]

I handle them like any other merge.. wait for a space, then punch it. Once you're merged you can worry about merging again to exit. If it's too hectic and you get stressed out, just go around the whole thing and try again until you get the hang of it.

 

[somebody5788]

Just don't stop, hope your aim is good.

 

[TheMente]

In Italy you have to give way to vehicle already in the roundabout.
Probably it's a simple idea, in theory.
Practically speaking, it's a mess, especially for bikes/scooters, especially in the bigger ones.

If there's just one lane, the roundabout is occupied and you have to stop and give way.
If there are more lanes, it becomes tetris.

I usually brake while I approach, seek for a line with enough room, and escape as soon as I can.

 

[TerranX]

I ride thru one to and from work everyday. The key is to sit up tall, be aware of everything around you(Headchecks), and commit. Once in the fray, stay calm and confident. Upon exit be bold and quick. Remember they can smell fear. If you hesitate, they will eat you alive. TX.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

1. Yield to traffic already in the circle.
2. When clear, get to the inside lane. (The outside lane is not for half-a** non-commitment to scoot around the outside of the round-about; it's for exiting only.)
3. Switch to the outside lane when your "exit" is coming up next.

 

[Jme250RA]

Roundabouts work like this.
1 if you are going around 180 degrees or more use the inside lane
2 if you are going less than 180 degrees use the outside lane
3 the vehicles on the inside lane have the right of way
4 vehicles entering the roundabout have to give way to those in the roundabout

With those rules everyone should be able to merge without stopping. In the real world that never happens. In my truck I follow those rules because I can get the right of way regardless. Merging is easy with it! Let me merge or I'll drive over you!!! Not so on the bike. I usuall end up riding around the outside of the circle to my turn off because can keep an eye on the inside lane for right of way but don't have to worry about the extra merge, in and out, for the inside lane. The other reason I do this is because the merge lane for the inner lane is always twice as long because people can't understand the process of merging! The word merge does not have stop in it!

 

[Iamahood]

They are proven to reduce the number of fatalities while keeping traffic flowing. It is also fact that they increase the number of total "incidents" as the lawyers have us firemen saying. There good to save lives if you have fenders to bend. There are only a couple here and I avoid them at peek times. I hunt them down at other times, fun


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[feliz]

Roundabouts/Traffic circles are an efficient way to move traffic......in theory. Where I live drivers don't understand the concept of a four way stop never mind a roundabout. There are a few basic rules as previous posters have pointed out and if adhered to roundabouts can move trafic in a safe and efficient manner. We have a few in low population/traffic areas, in one short length of country road we have four in close proximity, I routinely seek them out and spend 30 minutes or so scraping pegs or losing my chicken strips. Not canyon carving but.........

 

[Michael]

Hi people of the page!

I was wondering how you guys handle roundabouts?

For the people who live in countries that doesn't have roundabouts, in our country, they're best described as a free for all/deathmatch/ a game of chicken for cagers. Most people have no idea how they work & this makes them kind of dangerous to anybody in a vehicle.

Now, I have been avoiding them like the plague, but sooner or later I am going to take a wrong turn and like the people in the movies, I am not going to like it one bit!!!. SO... For the people who do ride them, what do you do?

Interesting comment; roundabouts are common in some countries, not so in others. Some countries that have roundabouts do them well, in others they are a shambles.

It comes down to engineering and education. They work well in the UK and NZ because they are well designed and road users have learned how to use them. Here in Phuket there are a few and they don't work well because drivers are very pushy and have not been taught how to use roundabouts.

It gets worse when five police officers start directing, each with their own idea of how traffic should flow...... and sometimes a few more stopping vehicles to issue tickets for not wearing a seat belt or a helmet, or some such.

I find roundabouts easier to handle on a motorcycle than in a car. Sure all those big vehicles look scary, but your two wheeler is more responsive and manouevrable.

There is the theory on how roundabouts are supposed to work, and then there is how they work in practice, which can be different in different places, so it is difficult to give specific advice. One thing though, you do have to be very aware of what is going on around you. Use those mirrors and glance to your sides plenty. Plan ahead, and be prepared to revise your plan.

Once your riding skills and confidence are up to it, check out what the road code has to say and observe how traffic behaves where you are. You might like to get an experienced rider or an instructor to talk you through things, but in the end it is experience that you just have to acquire. When you feel ready, just do it.

 

[spdklls]

reminds me of "National Lampoons-European vacation" Chevy Chases character got in a roundabout during the afternoon and couldnt figure out how to get out...kept going in circles.....

movies fades out and comes back at night time...hes still there going round and round :0

 

[highflyer]

Many here in New England. Controlled chaos.

 

[Iamahood]

I saw them every where in England including on the high speed roads nothing funnier than a smart car taking a high speed turn. It defies belief. We enjoyed them in the car. Saw lots of accidents on our way to the lakes district from London. Didn't notice them as much in Italy Germany switzerland. There is a higher level of awareness and slightly different way that they are engineered.


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[knersis]

They are quite common over here too (with us being a former English colony, we even drive on the left side of the road, which by the way is the right side to drive on!), but that doesn't mean people know how to use them. What you find is that the older generations use them like they are supposed to be used and the younger people just don't give a f.... They're all over the show.

I think I should go and do some practice runs one evening. Maybe I should get one of my friends to drive around it with a cage, just to simulate a real world situation.

 

[RandoRufu]

In my town there are only a few roundabouts. Unfortunately they are stacked up with plants/shrubs & a fountain - so you cannot see the 6m school buses charging towards you :/

 

[wjhall]

Here in the UK they are pretty common. There are well established rules for navigating them as described above (i.e who had ROW and how to position) which people tend to follow. The only grievance i have is people failing to indicate which means you have to take care and assume they're going wherever would inconvenience you most rather than where they are indicating. On a bike we can fortunately fit into smaller gaps with our size and acceleration.

In even moderate traffic good timing means you can slot into a gap without needing to stop. Worst case scenario for roundabouts is it's busy and you're waiting a while for a gap, best case is the road is clear and you get a chicane to play on

 

[djsb]

This describes how we handle them in the UK.

How to deal with Roundabouts in the UK

David.

 

[Asako]

The only ones around here are pretty low traffic so I just zip right through them.

 

[jsonder]

Knersis: You may drive on the proper side of the road, but you surely do not drive on the right side of the road.