This video showed up on my feed and it just baffled me.
https://www.dumpert.nl/?selectedId=8107057_2edacaba
Americans hate roundabouts?
Here in the Netherlands we are almost drowning in them, with tragic lights and crossings being replaced with roundabouts to speed up traffic.
The video even says you don’t have to learn how to navigate one to get your driver’s license.
Is this true? Do you guys dislike them?
Generally speaking; yes. Can confirm that people in America do a lot of complaining about roundabouts. However, I think they are great and save a lot of time. Would rather deal with a roundabout than a 4-way traffic light.
What he said.
In most states you don’t have to to get a license, but in mine ya do.
The likely reason why is because in a lot states they don’t exist, so there’s no need to make it a requirement.
The first local roundabout where I live was only put in about 10 years ago.
If everyone knew how to properly proceed through them the benefits are wonderful.
Unfortunately because we aren’t used to them, it causes a lot of issues, especially when you get a driver who has never encountered one before.
You can blame Clark Griswold’s trip to Big Ben and Parliament for the current American opinion of roundabouts.
What happened?
Edit: Oh! It’s the guy from the movie. The video I linked mentioned this as well. Same with the Simpsons.
Yeah, I’m from Canada and have only been on a couple of roundabouts in my life. I like them to be honest. Just learned what a “Michigan left” is the other day, and don’t think that didn’t blow my wee little mind…
I just googled that. My god. Just. Put. A. Roundabout. There.
As a Michigan resident, it always cracks me up explaining it to people who have never driven in our state before. Turning right to turn left. 
Hey Sav C, try some coney dogs if you haven’t had them yet.
Had to google those and they look tasty! We have…nothing like them here. I will have to make some (or move back east)!
Canadians hate them too. Especially when they are unnecessary, like when they put in this round about too small for larger vehicles when really all they had to do was install a set of lights.
How small are we talking here? Sounds like they either don’t know how to create a good size, or people go to fast on them, because it’s supposed to be faster (and cheaper and safer) when compared to a set of lights.
Ever since Michigan added these ‘headaches’ they’re a
big pain!
We Canadians hate them too. Apparently they cut down on accidents but they feel so much more dangerous and unruly. They’ve also been a more recent thing for us(last 15-20 years). People usually don’t like getting use to new ways of doing things. I don’t know why but whenever I approach a roundabout I get tense. I grip the wheel harder. I’d rather have an intersection any day. 100%. There’s something comforting knowing that we all generally understand the way the lights work. With a roundabout…it feels like the Wild West. Again, even tho stats say they are safer, they don’t have the illusion of safety. If that makes any sense.
[quote=RichardLess post_id=4951374 time=1625510281 user_id=47215]With a roundabout…it feels like the Wild West.
[/quote]
Laughs in British
Seriously though, I blame North American road systems for the hesitation with roundabouts.
Whilst we do have roundabouts that can be supplied by 2-4 lanes of traffic, I think we’re just used to them since the first official UK roundabout was built in 1909 (though we’ve had older circular junctions)… I believe North American drivers wouldn’t have as hard a time if North American road networks weren’t so gargantuan. Things like stroads seem like some sort of ungodly hellspawn compared to roads here in the UK, and that’s accepting some here are nightmares.
The grid system definitely works, and New York and Washington D.C. have good examples of that, though I think there is room to allow for roundabouts so that you don’t have to drive for blocks and blocks to get to a street going the direction you want… I think Americans would benefit from roundabouts… But it’s trickier to implement thanks to a century of road planning without the concept being included in the design process.
From California, when implemented correctly I like them. It’s nice in residentials, forces people to slow down without stop signs. It is nice on some small freeways, prevents one side from stopping and one side from playing frogger. However I also see stop signs at roundabouts , drives me nuts and no matter how idiot proof they make things, " they keep making a better idiot"
I feel it’s just a situation where people just aren’t used to them.
For me as an European not accepting roundabouts looks like people who learned how to crawl but refuse to walk because they can fall over and hurt themselves.
They really should include learning them while obtaining your drivers license so people can get a sense of how easy and safe it is.
It’s like a crossroad where you only have to check left to see if you can go on.
If I was in charge, I’d make license so much harder to get it.. force people to know how to backup trailers and drive on ice. Nothing like watching someone try to unload a boat or the people in San Francisco going to the snow in lake Tahoe
I don’t think I ever even saw one before I got my license. I hate them. It is so hard to know where to take the “exit” to get out of one. I’ve missed it many times.
Northern Michiganer here, can confirm with our latest and first roundabout that everybody hates it and there’s been accidents. I have heard of some people turning left in our roundabout.