>>Oooh, I feel about 3 inches taller for getting that off my >>chest.
Does that make you as tall as me yet then, ND? ;)))
(Don't worry, only temporary internet access again!)
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Thank you HF. Just because I need a booster cushion to see the keyboard....
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"Swindon will forever remain in my memory as the epitome of driving heaven"
I once had a singing taxi driver in Swindon. I noticed he had some sheet music and asked him about it. Turned out he was singing Schubert's Ave Maria at his daughter's wedding - did I want to hear?
Well, his speaking voice had a nice resonance, so I asked him to go ahead. He put on the backing track and serenaded me. He was quite brilliant! I have no doubt that, had he started early, he could have been a pro (I get to hear lots of professional singers as my wife is a professional musician).
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I'd just like to nominate Basingstoke for the scariest roundabouts in the country, both in terms of quantity and lack of lane discipline. Brighton Hill roundabout in first place. Some of them pictured over here :- www.bstoke.com/
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Ah but have any of these other towns ever produced a calender dedicated to their roundabouts? I've only ever seen one for Swindon
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Other candidates for "different roundabouts"
A30 and A308 where the dual A30 goes through the middle of the roundabout.
The M40 Junction 1 - The Denham Roundabout or how ever many there are.
A309 A307 Scilly Isles Roundabout
A offsit roundabout which has a short cut through the middle for north bound only A307 to A309 traffic which is not a problem.
But the A307 to A307 northbound traffic goes straight through while still actually going around the outside. This must be unusual in that taking the second exit from a roundabout is straight on with almost not steering input. It is a situation where to signal your exit would be dangerous.
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The roundabout just outside Stoke, where the A500 meets the A34. Almost everyone who uses it appears to believe that to leave the A500 and turn right onto the A34 towards Congleton, they require the left-hand lane.
They believe this so strongly that when you use the correct lane, you get glared at, and on occasion beeped and sworn at to boot.
I can only assume that in their relief at getting away from Stoke, they lose all driving skills. ;)
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Why has nobody mentioned Redditch? Only last week I hung back for a driver signalling right in the lefthand lane of a roundabout on a dual-carriageway. Should be thankful for the signal, I suppose :-)
A roundabout known loaclly as "Kamikaze Island" is not one for the nervous - quite a small island with five roads converging so any signal is very useful. I managed to get the whole car on the junction still giving way because of the locals' inability to signal. Perhaps that's the answer ...
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Ah but have any of these other towns ever produced a calender dedicated to their roundabouts? I've only ever seen one >> for Swindon
Sad to say but capital of roundabouts, Milton Keynes, also has a calendar - they flog a few others too in the shopping centre, but I'm glad to say I can't remember which towns/cities they covered...
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Henry K mentions the Denham Roundabout (my local)...
Initially quite intimidating but once you get used to it, it's actually quite a clever design - one very big roundabout surrounded by 4 'satellite' roundabouts and 2 sets of traffic lights.
Its best feature though is that you can drive round it either clockwise or anticlockwise depending on your mood or if you fancy balancing the wear on your tyres.
Re: Aylesbury - I collected my new car on Monday from there and the car dealership is right on the junction of this funny double roundabout thing....nearly got it rammed with 20 miles on the clock.
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I nominate ANY roundabout ("Glorieta" yes - really!) in Spain.
Generally the Spanish don't DO roundabouts as evinced by the number of vehicles I see in the middle of roundabouts surrounded by palm trees, oleanders and bits of broken car.
Roger.
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My nomination for worst roundabout is J4 M40/A404 (Handy Cross) roundabout in High Wycombe.
Lanes on the roundabout that go all over the place, traffic lights, traffic jams on the A404 approach for most of the day, PFDs who cut up people who drive in the proper lanes. A right NOIGHTMARE! :-)
mike
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Totally agree on the Handy Cross vote. What really annoys me about it was that it used to work. You could get in the correct lane when you got on to the roundabout and as you went round, if you followed that lane you would be in the right place to exit. Then "they" decided it needed to be changed and repainted it! It's hard enough if you're local and know what it's like I hate to think what it's like for visitors to the area.
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Yes, Handy Cross takes some beating. Don't know why I didn't think of it before, actually..
Speaking as a former visitor and now a local, I can say that for the unfamiliar it becomes an object of terror to be avoided at all costs. When you do know it, it is an irritant made worse by those poor benighted souls for whom it is an object of terror.
The only bright spot is the fun to be had herding the confused visitors from lane to lane by judicious use of the horn. I think there's a Galaxy there today that has been going round since 6:45 this morning.
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I agree about the Scilly Isles, it's a scilly design for scilly people. Turning right from the A307 SW-bound to the A309 N-bound, you have to stop twice, accelerate out of the first stop and you'd better hope you've got enough space to stop at the second!
Or to join the A307 towards Esher, two lanes of traffic become one, that's interesting.
The A30 / A308 roundabout you mention is I think called the Crooked Billet. Have you ever looked carefully at the pub? it seems to be custom-built to look like it's falling down.
Generally, I think a lot of progress could be made if there were fewer lanes painted at roundabouts, especially where two lanes turn back into one in a very short space of time. People from all over the UK could deal with that...
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I agree about the Scilly Isles, it's a scilly design for scilly people. Turning right from the A307 SW-bound to the A309 N-bound, you have to stop twice, accelerate out of the first stop and you'd better hope you've got enough space to stop at the second!
It is my local fun spot half a mile away but over many years and a daily commute I have never seen an accident there.The A30 / A308 roundabout you mention is I think called the Crooked Billet. Have you ever looked carefully at the pub? it seems to be custom-built to look like it's falling down.
The Crooked Billet was as you described but has been boarded up for while and part of the roof is burnt out.
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henry k, just seen your post. it's true that I have seen a lot of close shaves at the Scilly Isles but can't recall an actual acccident.
I'm sorry to hear about the Crooked Billet. The strange thing is that a short drive to the Bell in East Molesey reveals an old pub which looks like it might fall down any minute. One night when I was coming out I was looking at it and a passer-by said "don't worry mate, it's stayed up 500 years, it won't fall down tonight"...
Like the Hinchley Wood a bit down the road from the Scilly Isles pubs on these big junctions seem to be in danger. We motorists should make it our mission to visit the pubs (always making sure the driver stays off the booze!).
pat
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Like the Hinchley Wood a bit down the road from the Scilly Isles pubs on these big junctions seem to be in danger. We motorists should make it our mission to visit the pubs (always making sure the driver stays off the booze!).
I was seriously involved in the Hinchley Wood Pub saga.
RAM - Residents against McDonalds still holds the world record at 552 days continuous occupation of the site til they gave up.
Hence the new flats.
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Other interesting roundabouts:
The A24 by Box Hill north of Dorking.
Northbound through the roundabout and the traffic already on the roundabout should give way. Stangers in the nearside lane must be surprised as we locals tend not to ease up at that point.
The roundabout over the M4 at J8/9.
Not too many motorways have traffic lights on them.
From said roundabout the A308(M) must be one of the shortest motorways in the country.
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Who else remembers the old Wetherby roundabout? it was the first northbound after miles of trouble-free motoring on the A1. traffic in the fast lane had some serious stopping to do...
I do due to being in the car with my sis driving and my mum going "brake...brake..BRAKE NOW!!!ohmigawd...."!
HenryK said: "I was seriously involved in the Hinchley Wood Pub saga. RAM - Residents against McDonalds still holds the world record at 552 days continuous occupation of the site til they gave up.
Hence the new flats."
Henry, I can visualise you in that caravan.
So which doorbell to we have to ring to get a drink nowadays?
it's good, and better than McChav paradise, but it's not what the founding fathers of HWood wanted is it?
pat
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If Swindon has a "Magic Roundabout" it must have copied it from the one in Hemel Hempstead i think! Legendarily known for making learner drivers cry!
Basically it's SEVEN (i think) mini-roundabouts based around one large roundabout (which isn't, technically, a roundabout of course). However i must say when there's only locals using it it works like a dream!
And whilst i agree that the A404/M40 roundabout is bad, if you are turning east from the A404, the lanes DO actually work!
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And whilst i agree that the A404/M40 roundabout is bad, if you are turning east from the A404, the lanes DO actually work!
A404 north or south?
Yes, it works for them because cars using the 404 to Marlow are the vast majority. The rest of us are a bit caught in the melee...
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Sorry A404 from Maidenhead turning onto M40 London (ie turning right) works fine.
....After queueing for 20 minutes to reach the roundabout that is!
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Henry - I hope you ease up pretty quickly after the Box Hill Roundabout on the A24 cos those Michelham bends are a regular killer, especially Sunday morning now the Bikers use it as a race track since the spoilsports put speed humps on the Box Hill Zig Zag....
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Henry - I hope you ease up pretty quickly after the Box Hill Roundabout on the A24 cos those Michelham bends are a regular killer, especially Sunday morning now the Bikers >>use it as a race track.
I treat the whole area with a great deal of caution.
How ever hard the BiB try to stop them the bikers still try to kill themselves.
It has been like that for decades. They suddenly appear in your mirror, either mirror, from nowhere, especialy on sunny Sundays.
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