The problem is people don't know how the fuck to yield. It frustrates me to no end when people [almost] stop at yield signs when there is NOBODY coming.

6/7/2012 3:01:19 AM

The circle in Pinehurst is one lane.

6/7/2012 8:50:45 AM

i've driven through a large one near pinehurst...i thought it was there or southern pines

^ where is it, then, if not pinehurst?

6/7/2012 9:07:40 AM

People seem to have figured them out pretty well on Hilton Head Island...

6/7/2012 9:15:40 AM

My thought when I got in it the first couple times is what's the correct point to change lanes from inner to outer without coming to a dead stop and causing a jam behind me. And then when you go to outer you have to make sure as you progress that none of the cars coming in will hit you.

6/7/2012 10:33:19 AM

Quote :

"what's the correct point to change lanes from inner to outer without coming to a dead stop"

http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/trans/planning/construction/Brochure%20revised%206-16-10_1.pdf

short answer: there shouldn't be much lane changing.

the only place I "change" lanes is when coming out of the single lane on the east side of the roundabout at which point you can select which lane you want to be in.

6/7/2012 10:36:47 AM

As an engineer, part of me says that if you have to draw out a 2-page pamphlet that less than 1% of the people using said traffic circle will actually read telling people how to use the traffic circle, it's too complex. Yes, in a perfect world everyone learns and becomes more intelligent over time and this knowledge then becomes commonplace. Well sorry we don't live in such a society, you have to idiotproof to cover your ass and not get sued. The 2-page pamphlet just reinforces to me that this violates the KISS rule.

I do agree that if there were a lot more of these around, more people would be knowledgeable and it may not be an issue. I don't go through there often, I just drove up into it one day at 25mph and before I know it I'm halfway around in the inner lane thinking of what to do to get to where I'm doing without causing a wreck.

[Edited on June 7, 2012 at 10:51 AM. Reason : .]

6/7/2012 10:47:25 AM

there's a learning curve and old peoples' curve is huge. I say just leave it and people will eventually figure it out.

6/7/2012 11:17:48 AM

Quote :

"^ where is it, then, if not pinehurst?"

It's in Pinehurst, but the circle is one lane. It handles highways 15, 501, 211, and 2. But it's really set up more like a series of circular on and off-ramps. Each road comes up to the circle and then bends to the next highway to the right. If you want to go around to another road, you merge into the circle from the left lane of whichever highway you're on.

see also:

http://binged.it/LADowY

Quote :

""what's the correct point to change lanes from inner to outer without coming to a dead stop""

It's hard to word it out, but if you're heading west on Hillsborough, if you enter in the left hand lane, and do a 360 before continuing west on Hillsborough, you end up changing automatically to the right lane when you go around and pass the east side of the roundabout (3' 0 clock position).

[Edited on June 7, 2012 at 11:29 AM. Reason : []

6/7/2012 11:24:38 AM

I go through this circle usually at least ten times a day. There are TWO things they could have done to fix this:

1. Put up a DO NOT CHANGE LANES IN CIRCLE sign. This should be obvious since there are solid lines inside of the circle, but most of the problems occur when people switch from the inner to outer lane as they exit onto Hillsborough St. to the west.

2. Fucking YIELD signs. It's not a stop and it's not an open invitation to jump in when there's traffic. There are no yield signs in this thing.

The other problem occurs when people fly across the outer lane from the inner lane when they get off on Pullen and someone who is not experienced with the circle is trying to enter from Hillsborough on the west. They are not expecting the person in the inner lane to jump out like that, which they aren't supposed to do anyway, but it's very easy to make that mistake if you're not used to it.

So the road has an 18,000 car/day load right now and has had ~200 accidents since it opened two years ago. One wreck per 65,700 cars? Is that bad? It's not worth changing, in my opinion. When you consider the time saved by not waiting at lights and the fact that none of the wrecks have been fatal and most are fender benders it must be a net positive. With traffic lights on either side of the hillsborough st sides, it's gonna jam traffic up like crazy during the day. To the point where it's not even worth having a traffic circle.

6/7/2012 11:25:11 AM

Quote :

"There are no yield signs in this thing"

Seriously? I thought there were...

6/7/2012 11:33:41 AM

^^
1. Yes. I figured out on like my second trip that if I'm heading west on Hillsborough ad I'm in the wrong (left) lane, you can just circle around and it puts you in the right (right) lane.

2. Yes.


and

Naw, both lanes go across onto Pullen, so the inside and outside lanes both exit the circle headed towards Western, it's even lined that way. People headed downtown on Hillsborough want to keep driving 30-35 and then the accidents happen. I think it could be remedied with a few speed humps on Hillsborough, to get folks to slow down before getting to the roundabout.

[Edited on June 7, 2012 at 11:37 AM. Reason : ^]

6/7/2012 11:36:52 AM

Whoops. Apparently there are. My bad. I just don't notice them anymore.

^ Yeah, I never said doing that was wrong. But if you don't know to look for it, those cars come very quickly. I really like the speed humps thing though. That would be the best solution. Everything just needs to slow down. If they bring it down to one lane then they're going to bring traffic to a halt all over the area.

[Edited on June 7, 2012 at 11:41 AM. Reason : ]

6/7/2012 11:38:29 AM

I was about to say... Not only are there yield signs but they have orange flags on top of each one.

6/7/2012 12:05:35 PM

I say we just put a guillotine in the center island...if you cause a wreck, a horde appears to immediately carry you to the island and...

6/7/2012 12:52:21 PM

Quote :

"It's in Pinehurst, but the circle is one lane. It handles highways 15, 501, 211, and 2. But it's really set up more like a series of circular on and off-ramps. Each road comes up to the circle and then bends to the next highway to the right. If you want to go around to another road, you merge into the circle from the left lane of whichever highway you're on. see also: http://binged.it/LADowY"

ah, gotcha...having only driven around it...once? twice?...it SEEMED bigger

6/7/2012 12:57:43 PM

^^ lol I like it.

6/7/2012 1:10:55 PM

Quote :

"The right lane should be an "express" lane that takes you over to the next "exit" without needing to stop. The outer lane should take you to anywhere you want to go."

I love how the right lane is different from the outer lane.

6/9/2012 3:41:35 PM

Quote :

"1. Put up a DO NOT CHANGE LANES IN CIRCLE sign."

seriously. this is the cause of 99% of the problems. people can't merge into the circle when cars in it are switching lanes because they're fucking retarded.

6/9/2012 5:48:41 PM

you have got to be kidding me. there is one rule to the traffic circle. YIELD TO THE PERSON IN THE CIRCLE. This pisses me off.

6/9/2012 7:06:28 PM

until hillsborough st, my only experience with multilane roundabouts was in barbados driving on the other side of the road in the other direction. even then, coming to my first multilane (4 lane) circle and driving on the wrong side of the road, it was cake. people are stupid.

I've had people stop to wave me into the circle on hillsborough before

/thread

6/9/2012 7:26:34 PM

Quote :

"I've had people stop to wave me into the circle on hillsborough before"

This. pisses. me. off. so. bad.

6/9/2012 7:39:35 PM

^

6/9/2012 8:31:40 PM

Quote :

"So the road has an 18,000 car/day load right now and has had ~200 accidents since it opened two years ago. One wreck per 65,700 cars? Is that bad? It's not worth changing, in my opinion. When you consider the time saved by not waiting at lights and the fact that none of the wrecks have been fatal and most are fender benders it must be a net positive. With traffic lights on either side of the hillsborough st sides, it's gonna jam traffic up like crazy during the day. To the point where it's not even worth having a traffic circle. "

I'd rather have a 4 way stop intersection. I've seen much, much more stupidity at this traffic circle in the past 2 years than all the 4 way stops over my entire life.

6/9/2012 8:39:58 PM

with all the "it's-so-easy" going on in here, I thought other countries did well with theirs

apparently not
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lElTtHLdmPw

6/10/2012 1:47:06 AM

^^

Uh yeah, but the difference is that the type of accident you see on a circle is a minor fender bender when someone merges in the wrong way, whereas the type of accident at a 4 way stop is a 45mph t-bone with three fatalities when someone runs a red light.

I don't know about you, but I prefer the former, even if there's more of those types of accidents.

6/10/2012 2:03:24 AM

^ That is one of the more rediculous statements you've ever made.

6/10/2012 2:36:37 AM

NC drivers are awful in general, but that circle multiplies it tenfold. Worst drivers are the ones that are trying to go down hillsborough towards Dan Allen from Pullen and take the left most lane that goes around the circle again rather than the right that goes onto hillsborough. People need to realize that it isn't a circle, its a damn spiral. You miss your exit you go around again, not sideswipe three cars trying to overtake a lane to go on hillsborough.

6/10/2012 2:57:09 AM

^^ Please explain to me how traffic circles are more dangerous than 4 way traffic stops.

6/10/2012 3:16:56 AM

the Southern Pines roundabout is the easiest roundabout in the world to navigate due to the radius, yet it's full of dipshits that just pull into it and force you to slam on your brakes while in the circle to avoid them.

Up here in Maryland they have a lot of double lane figure 8 roundabouts at highway intersections. They work really well, even when pulling a trailer through them. The difference between MD and NC is that confused drivers in MD figure things out with the gas pedal instead of the brake.

6/10/2012 10:36:20 AM

^^^^That's perhaps the biggest "selling feature" of roundabout style intersections over traditional intersections. The crash data over the years back this up.

6/10/2012 11:21:38 AM

tchenku, that is an unmarked traffic circle, not a roundabout.

6/10/2012 5:54:55 PM

That traffic circle has a yield to the right rule, so entering traffic has the right of way. weird

6/10/2012 7:03:16 PM

Quote :

"The other problem occurs when people fly across the outer lane from the inner lane when they get off on Pullen and someone who is not experienced with the circle is trying to enter from Hillsborough on the west. They are not expecting the person in the inner lane to jump out like that, which they aren't supposed to do anyway, but it's very easy to make that mistake if you're not used to it."

Both the inner and outer are allowed to exit onto Pullen. The outer is forced to exit and the inner has the option of exiting. How do you go through the circle "at least ten times a day" and not know this?



[Edited on June 11, 2012 at 10:31 AM. Reason : s]

6/11/2012 10:31:28 AM

I said its a problem for people navigating the circle. If there is any fault with the design, this is it.

[Edited on June 11, 2012 at 10:45 AM. Reason : ]

6/11/2012 10:43:21 AM

Quote :

"They are not expecting the person in the inner lane to jump out like that, which they aren't supposed to do anyway, but it's very easy to make that mistake if you're not used to it."

Makes it sound like you thought they were doing something wrong.

[Edited on June 11, 2012 at 10:46 AM. Reason : l]

6/11/2012 10:46:23 AM

It functions like a normal 4 way stop, without the stopping. Left lane can go straight or turn left. Right lane can go straight or turn right. That's all there is to it.

Rarely do you see folks trying to turn left from the right lane or right from the left lane at any other intersection, so why people think they can do it at a round about is odd.

6/11/2012 10:56:43 AM

Quote :

"^^^^That's perhaps the biggest "selling feature" of roundabout style intersections over traditional intersections. The crash data over the years back this up."

Absolutely. This is one of those rare times when I agree with God

6/11/2012 1:02:40 PM

definitely had someone in the right lane try to continue on in the circle when I was going straight onto pullen in the left lane... thank god they stopped before running right into me. I guess arrows on the road and signs leading into the circle are not good enough.

6/11/2012 1:16:01 PM

Quote :

"there's a learning curve and old peoples' curve is huge. I say just leave it and people will eventually figure it out."

eeeehhh- then there is the argument that every year you have a whole new crop of dingbats that have no idea how to even drive that will be some of the main offenders in the circle. I have nothing against them, but then again, I am perfectly comfortable in one (up to 3 lanes - more than that and I get a bit thrown off), but the people using them other than myself scare me

6/11/2012 1:18:33 PM