Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

How is a roundabout more disruptive than a 4 way junction with stop signs.

In terms of brain processing, you get used to it and it becomes second nature. It is a skill.




Agreed, with the condition that there is only one lane.

Ones with multiple layers stress me out, there are more ways to screw up and more demands on your defensive-driving attention.


I think the problem is not that they're impossible to figure out but you have about 2 seconds from when you see the sign to when you're entering the double roundabout.


That’s a very solvable problem of bad signage.


Yes. If there are 2 it should be a "dog bone" with a long straight bit so you have time to adjust. Like:

     |            |
    =O============O=


We have back-to-back round-a-bouts in Chattanooga (153 / Lake Resort / Access) which have two loops (concentric inner & outer round-a-bouts)... that can be quite confusing for anybody unfamiliar with the local pattern.


Like the Magic Roundabout in the UK? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdx9nlgk97eo


I would do everything possible to avoid this UK Round-a-bout — nothing Magical about it having three concentric lanes just in its inner loop! =P

Ours is much simpler, with a round-a-bout on either side of a regional highway. One of the difficult parts about it is everybody is already jacked the fuck up (on account of 2 of the 5 input/outputs being extremely steep grade to enter/exit a river-crossing, with speeds averaging 65-70mph ["55mph" posted, oklol).


Oh, I've re-read and you just mean there are two fast paced roundabouts that are close by and they both have two lanes around them.

That wouldn't raise an eyebrow here in the UK, it's very normal for highway junctions to have on/off ramps that end in 2-3 lane roundabouts, one each side of the highway.


> In terms of brain processing, you get used to it and it becomes second nature. It is a skill.

Yeah, if my driver’s ed class (both content and classmates) are any indication, a four way stop is anything but intuitive or brainless.

There’s a lot of time spent covering the right of way order, and a lot of people failing their driving test on it.

Roundabouts are only disruptive because of a lack of familiarity… the only way to build that familiarity is with practice. Sucks that you have to learn a new concept after a decade or two or four ~~in the industry~~ on the road, but seems necessary for progress.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: