“I am sure afterwards the drive through drivers are like, “what just happened here?””
Yeah Barky. that was just about me. Heading south on 13 from Prior lake in the dark and all of a sudden a round-about where there never was one before. Blink eyes, hit brakes, sharp right and around we go.
And if you miss your road just make another loop.
“Look kids - Big Ben.”
Well, until you’ve driven through one of these significantly congested, in an unfamiliar area, at night, you can only imagine the sheer terror they can induce. And around here, they don’t have mercy on the obviously un-initiated.
Heck, even during sparsely traveled times, they can be nerve wracking. Because you have to negotiate across 2 or three lanes to get to the exit when everyone is doing 40.
I’ll take a light controlled, perpendicular intersection with it’s 20 second delay anytime…
+1 to TT’s post. These thing can be terrifying.
We’ve done enough driving in England to not be bothered by them, even when they go in the wrong direction. Anything unexpected can be a serious problem, so if they aren’t warning you with signs the highway folks aren’t doing their jobs. The only one I ever found truly overwhelming was the one at ‘L’ Etoile’ in Paris, around the Arc de Triomphe. That is a bit much, with a dozen streets leading into it and about six lanes (hardly a relevant concept, but you could easily fit that many cars abreast. The only good part is that no one can get going very fast, and that there are no pedestrians trying to cross it (they get to the middle by tunnel.) The English version are typically very well designed and properly signed.
@MarkM - I take it you’ve never driven through the Concord MA rotary during rush-hour? When I had a consulting job on Concord…I avoided it like the plague.
Our company has moved 4 times since I started working there over 10 years ago. One time they were considering moving to an area about 1/4 mile from that rotary. When I heard about it…I told the owner of the company that if they did I’d turn in my resignation. No way was I going to make that commute. Several other people voiced the same concern. They found a new place…much easier drive.