funny road incidents/ accidents

[devonian]

Just saw this on the tube and had to share it, we have these things called roundabouts where I'm from but it appears not everyone has time for them

 

[Dsth]

thanks for sharing. wonder if that was intentional or someone on the phone.

 

[Ky hills]

There's getting to be some round abouts here too.
Most that I've seen are in cities, or developed areas.
Came abruptly to one out in a rural area of an agricultural county.
I always think that those roundabouts are not too wise of an idea here in KY.
A drunk, high or distracted driver will just go right through the middle of it, and probably most folks within the right frame of mind are bumfuzzled by them that it slows down the whole process.

 

[Ebenezer]

They are the "answer" to 4 way stops and higher accident rates, so they say. The price is about $1M per installation from what I have heard. I wonder about the efforts. Some are so tight that a semi has trouble getting around.

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

We are getting roundabouts here left and right, some are so tight you have to drive on the center when pulling a trailer. The first roundabout I saw was in Paris 6 lanes wide and my girlfriend was driving a motorcycle, freaking scary!!

 

[Silver]

I wonder when they became 'roundabouts'. We used to call them traffic circles, and they were signed as such. But not anymore and I didn't even notice until the last while. I always thought 'roundabout' was a British or Aussie term.

 

[Lucky_P]

Look kids! Big Ben! Parliament!

I've not been there in a while, but understand they've put in several over in Bowling Green KY.

Several little towns in the area, like Elkton, Russellville, have what's essentially a roundabout in the center of town, with the county courthouse located in the center.

 

[greybeard]

Yep, traffic circles have been around forever here in the US too.
In the late 70s, the traffic circle on the each end of the Huey P Long bridge in New Orleans was legendary...for traffic jams and wrecks, as 18 wheelers used the whole middle of the 3 lanes each side of a double RR track that also ran on the bridge. Gettin squeezed out by big trucks was common.



I know of another, coming from the West into Austin Tx on 78. I think it's now gone tho.

 

[Logan52]

Our county seat town had a "circle" in the center of the town square from 1797 to 1965. When I was growing up one of the chief entertainments on Saturday nights was to park on the square and watch traffic going around the circle.
They went out of fashion only to return over the last twenty years. I prefer them to stoplights or 4 way stop signs but they can be confusing.

Lancaster. Kentucky and Lancaster, Texas were originally surveyed by two brothers, Bledsoes, using the same pattern. Each had a town square and two major roads crossing there. I remember seeing the aerial view of tornado damage done to Lancaster, Texas on TV, and thinking I was looking down at my own hometown the appearance was so similar.

 

[CowboyRam]

Colorado has caught the round-about bug as well. When I moved my sister up from Grand Junction I had to navigate several of those our 20' gooseneck trailer; I don't think they had anyone pulling a trailer in mine when the designed them things. I sure would not want to pull my buddies 40' gooseneck trailer through one. I hate them things.

 

[devonian]

There's getting to be some round abouts here too.
Most that I've seen are in cities, or developed areas.
Came abruptly to one out in a rural area of an agricultural county.
I always think that those roundabouts are not too wise of an idea here in KY.
A drunk, high or distracted driver will just go right through the middle of it, and probably most folks within the right frame of mind are bumfuzzled by them that it slows down the whole process.

I've literally never even heard of a drunk driver do that, they're pretty safe generally not sure what happened here but I think it was just a boy who'd recently passed his test and was going so fast that he missed the signs he should ever have overtaken that white van at that speed with those road markinngs which mean 'roundabout coming up!' Roundabout/ road circles are easy anyway you just give way to traffic already in the circle and make sure you observe lane discipline whilst on the circle and make sure you indicate throughout.

 

[Ebenezer]

"Several little towns in the area, like Elkton, Russellville, have what's essentially a roundabout in the center of town, with the county courthouse located in the center."
I guess the town fathers didn't want their town to be termed "square"!

 

[4hfarms]

Most of the local towns here have the courthouse in the middle of a 4 way stop. It still square.

 

[kenny thomas]

There's getting to be some round abouts here too.
Most that I've seen are in cities, or developed areas.
Came abruptly to one out in a rural area of an agricultural county.
I always think that those roundabouts are not too wise of an idea here in KY.
A drunk, high or distracted driver will just go right through the middle of it, and probably most folks within the right frame of mind are bumfuzzled by them that it slows down the whole process.

I think there are 2 of them at the Buc-ee's near you in Richmond. What doesnt make sense to me is its one way in and one way out so why are they there.

 

[Ky hills]

I think there are 2 of them at the Buc-ee's near you in Richmond. What doesnt make sense to me is its one way in and one way out so why are they there.

Yes there are 2 there, only thing I can figure is maybe somebody in KY was actually thinking ahead and figuring on the surrounding area being developed too.
The one that really has me thrown off is why they put one in outside of Mount Sterling out in the county.

 

[CowboyRam]

My ex moved back to Iola Kansas, and according to my son Iola has the biggest town square in the nation. They were expecting it to become bigger than Chicago. They missed that one by a long shot.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

I hate traffic circles or round-a bouts. Absolutely hate them. Becoming overused or a 'magic bullet so to speak. they are not.

 

[devonian]

I hate traffic circles or round-a bouts. Absolutely hate them. Becoming overused or a 'magic bullet so to speak. they are not.

Some can be annoying theres too many small ones in some parts of the uk thats for sure, but theres no denying that they keep traffic flowing though and that they're safer, probably more cost effective and greener as well. The savings made from keeping traffic flowing alone must be worth a lot when scaled up I should have thought!

 

[farmerjan]

I hate the roundabouts too... there are too many that are small and the trucks around here have trouble maneuvering them as they are just not big enough to accommodate these 53' trailers on the trucks... Plus, I have trouble with the people that dive in and off of them and I am trying to be cautious and not cut people off or anything... I find them to be more dangerous that actually stopping and having to follow traffic lights and all that. Maybe I am getting too old....

 

[lavacarancher]

There is a funny story about "roundabouts" here in Texas. Some city slicker got trapped in a roundabout and continued going round for a couple of hours not able to break free. Finally, he needed gas and managed to pull into a station where four guys came running out, jacked up his car, changed all four tires, filled the tank and wiped the windshield. Just as the last guy is leaving the car he slaps the driver on the shoulder and yells "get back in there. You're running third.