Well it doesn't really help congestion to be honest with you, I actually think it increased it. The magic roundabout near me is an absolute nightmare at 5pm, I've been stuck there for an hour trying to get from one side to the other.
And since when do people give way these days? More and more people are becoming chancers I've noticed, very rarely do people give way to me when im even On the roundabout.
EDIT: Come to think of it, looking at that Swindon roundabout, it looks mighty confusing compared to the Colchester one, Damn
Yea I find it piss easy, instructor thinks im a natural at that roundabout lol, well duh i do live here. I have to say the roundabout I don't like is near Westway going onto Avenue of Remembrance (if you've heard of it), such a quick and open roundabout, and it isn't level either, which makes spotting your junction harder :P
Haven't been to bury st edmunds though, would be cool to see what it's like.
When I went on "Fives" training (only DSGi employees will know what I mean :P) at Colchester my Dad thought it would be a great idea to show me a "shortcut" home, which involved going around what seemed like every bloody roundabout in Colchester
I think there was something like that at Hemel Hempsted too.
Aren't roundabouts supposed to keep traffic flowing? Well in that case they fail miserably, Romford is the king of roundabouts and the traffic is constantly queueing during rush hour.
Haha sounds fun, I must try that sometime :P I think I've done just about every roundabout in Colchester, all are pretty easy to be honest, though they usually shit my mum up when she drives (damn nervous drivers )
If you are in the left hand lane as you pass an exit you should be indicating right, even if you are going for the second (straight on) exit. This is especially true given that the general populace are quite lapse on indication therefore it may be assumed if you are in the left hand lane you are going to exit regardless of your indication.
Consider your indicators more as confirmation of what other drivers are going to do, rather than a statement of intent!
On roundabouts like Swindon's, or The Plough in Hemel Hempstead (referred to by the locals as The Magic Roundabout) or indeed this one in Colchester, the best course of action is to shut your eyes, prey, indicate in all directions, and pray there aren't any tourists.
As a general rule when i've got a truck behind me i'll sit the car across two lanes, screw em... The last thing you want is a lorry trying to pass you on a roundabout. It might seem inconsiderate but it'll save you both hassle.
According to the highway code you only indicate right if your exit is to the right of 12 o'clock from your approach to the roundabout. And if that's your exit you shouldn't be in the left lane. You also may be in the left lane because road markings direct you to be in the left lane, but you're taking the second or third exit. You would indicate right in those circumstances?
What annoys me is trying to get on a bloody roundabout when half the people using it are giving the wrong signals.
Looking at the HC, rule 186, you are right. I think i'll stick to what I do though, indicating i'm not taking a turning is much clearer and safer than letting other drivers assume i'm taking an exit and noth bothering to indicate.
*shrug* If you assume the absolute worst in people at all times then it's pretty easy. It's not a question of "is he turning off or isnt he?" it's a question of "What could he do that would totally ruin my day even more than the last guy did?" and invariably that proves true.
Failing that just get a big enough engine to pull out anyway
No you shouldn't. You should pretend a roundabout is a simple cross road/t-junction/whatever. You should indicate in exactly the same manner on a roundabout as you would in those situations.
So someone on your left as you enter a roundabout is indicating right - you assume they're a moron and actually intend to turn right, or at least cut across you to the inside lane of the roundabout. If they're indicating right then at best they're discourteous, at worst they're idiotic and dangerous.
Some things are bad practises and shouldn't be encouraged on new drivers. I am yet to have anyone pull out on my when I am going straight on. The only thing I'd warn against is school run mums. Avoid schools at all costs during kicking out time.
The long and the short of it is you should ask your local instructor. Only he/she will know what the specific rules are where you are (the UK rules may not apply in the Republic).
If someone on your left is indicating right you maybe wont come by them, although experience says people will do that anyway. Not indicating, as per the book then experience says ocassionally you get the odd idiot thinking you are going to turn off and pull out infront of you - no matter how you angle the car to give it the "bodylanguage" of going straight on, some people want to pull out because it's their God given right to drive a BMW or whatever.
It maybe is a bad habbit, but I dont see it doing any harm - anyway these days I only use arm signals, of which I have three:
Left
Right
£#%! you typical car driver!
EDIT: Oh in point of fact I usually always used the right hand lane anyway.
If someone is not signalling it means they are going to continue to the next exit - they'll only leave the roundabout if they're signalling left. If you pull out infront of someone on a roundabout who isn't signalling then any resulting collision is your fault.
The reason your "I'm going to indicate right regardless of where my exit is, then indicate left when I get there" approach is bad, is because it slows up traffic trying to get on the roundabout. If I arrive at a roundabout to find you on it, and you are indicating right, then I think you're going to pass my exit and start looking for the next available gap. If you then indicate left and leave, I've missed an opportunity to get on. And if you're doing all this in the left-hand lane... I'm going think "What a twat".
I think the main reason roundabouts don't work very well is because a lot of people don't know how to use them properly, or just think "my system is best, I'll use that, even if it means nobody else knows what I'm doing".
You and I both know that is 50 / 50%, and the rest of what you describe is caused by this, not people doing anything else, but because you simply cannot trust a lack of indication as a statement of intent.
Which you and I both know it doesnt matter if the accident if the other guy is at fault, you never get the full replacement value of your car, it's a hassle, and often it hurts.
I AM going to pass your exit, i'm very clearly stating that i'm going to pass your exit and that you should wait. I'm spelling it out that thats exactly what i'm going to do, cancelling my right indication once i'm clear of the turn in point for the road i'm not taking, and indicating left at the normal point to pull off, way before cars at the next junction beyond can even see me.
Well lilke I say I usually get myself in the right hand lane, if I had ever counted the number of times i've been in the left hand lane it's probably 20 medium roundabouts versus 8 billion, consequently.
No the reason roundabouts dont work - although in reality they really do - is because people dont indicate, and other people pull out anyway because they're used to people not indicating.
This is why I tend to approach roundabouts from the point of view of an absolute cynic. I'll make it absolutely totally smegging clear what i'm doing, and expect every other bugger to be acting like they've just fallen off the bottom of the evolutionary ladder. This way I get to keep my place on the evolutionary chain by not dying...
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