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Q: Would traffic improve if China used more roundabouts?
I know that proponents claim they're much safer and time-saving, but I cannot picture Chinese drivers not gunning in to traffic trying to cut each other off. Would a greater emphasis on roundabouts work here or would they be a traffic nightmare?
11 years 20 weeks ago in Transport & Travel - China
My city had a roundabout near my house. It was used for the intersection of 2 four lane roads. I saw at least one accident every day. Needless to say they changed the roundabout to a normal intersection with stoplights.
No,it would just confuse the sh1t out of Chinese drivers all the more!
There are a few in my city. Some of them work better than others.
we got quite a few here and they work fine.small city compared to many.... we are using a lot more in Canada too..... long run good ideas I do believe.
Thay have a few roundabouts in Nanning, when we rented a flat we lived right above one, absolute bloody carnage, as you could imagine, no-one, absolutely no-one gives way, so everyone just pushes in, you then end up with cars that want to turn off the roundabout cutting right across the traffic to get off and then this gives buses lorries etal the chance to cut in, add to that bikes and pedestrians casually going where ever they wish and it's a bloody disaster.
Oh an then on occasion the fruit stall sellers will set up camp on the periphery of the roundabout, just to add to the chaos.
We have them all over town, they work great. cars going both ways around, plenty of space for old ladies to walk in any direction they feel like, makes up for pick up spots for "private taxis". The rule appears to be that those vehicles already in the roundabout must give way to those entering, so it becomes impossible to get a good flow of traffic.
At some point there was traffic cones put up at one of the local roundabouts to force cars to go the right way around. I have seen a driver get out, move cones to drive the wrong way (effectively making a left turn) even though this surely takes a lot more time than just driving around. There was not other traffic at the time.
They would be a nightmare. How many 'stop' or 'yield' signs have you seen here?
Besides, roundabouts take real estate. Where would they put them?
Roundabouts is a British term, I think, I wonder if someone could translate it into American. 
In any case, IMHO it would be just another excuse to drive the wrong way around or cause all of the major chaos that can be created by local drivers. Hugh's comments above about an increase in carnage strike me as rather accurate.
BHGAL:
dang Brits and their English....... what the hell is a carriageway in 2012 language?
981977405:
and that driving that they do over there on the wrong side of the street.
