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was asked by my great nephew who and why were traffic cicles brought into being my answer to him was i dont know who thought of this idea but my other answer was to slow the traffic down any one know the answers
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I sometimes think that we need a translation service, from US English into British English, on AB ;-)
In the UK we don't have 'traffic circles'; we have 'roundabouts'. Rather than being there to slow traffic down, their purpose is meant to be to speed it up! Or, more accurately, they exist to improve the flow of traffic without the use of traffic lights. (If there was a simple 'cross roads' junction, a constant flow of vehicles in one direction could prevent other vehicles going across that flow. The use of a roundabout introduces gaps in the traffic flow, to give all motorists the chance of getting across the junction).
The first circular flow of traffic (effectively a 'traffic circle' or 'roundabout') was introduced around the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris, in 1901. (It's still there, and with modern traffic flows, it rates as one of the most terrifying road systems anywhere in the world!). New York followed with the Columbus Circle traffic system in 1904, which is rather more like a modern traffic circle. When England's first 'garden city' (Letchworth) was built to house the 'London overspill', we acquired our first roundabout (in 1909).
More on Wikipedia, here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_circle
and here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundabout
Of course, we Brits can't just be satisfied with simple roundabouts. Many of our towns and cities now have so-called 'magic roundabouts', comprised of a set of roundabouts in a ring. Those who use them every day usually find them fairly easy to navigate, but strangers often have great difficulty in selecting the correct lane for their exit!
23:30 Fri 08th May 2009
In the UK we don't have 'traffic circles'; we have 'roundabouts'. Rather than being there to slow traffic down, their purpose is meant to be to speed it up! Or, more accurately, they exist to improve the flow of traffic without the use of traffic lights. (If there was a simple 'cross roads' junction, a constant flow of vehicles in one direction could prevent other vehicles going across that flow. The use of a roundabout introduces gaps in the traffic flow, to give all motorists the chance of getting across the junction).
The first circular flow of traffic (effectively a 'traffic circle' or 'roundabout') was introduced around the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris, in 1901. (It's still there, and with modern traffic flows, it rates as one of the most terrifying road systems anywhere in the world!). New York followed with the Columbus Circle traffic system in 1904, which is rather more like a modern traffic circle. When England's first 'garden city' (Letchworth) was built to house the 'London overspill', we acquired our first roundabout (in 1909).
More on Wikipedia, here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_circle
and here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundabout
Of course, we Brits can't just be satisfied with simple roundabouts. Many of our towns and cities now have so-called 'magic roundabouts', comprised of a set of roundabouts in a ring. Those who use them every day usually find them fairly easy to navigate, but strangers often have great difficulty in selecting the correct lane for their exit!
23:30 Fri 08th May 2009
Oops! The link to a 'magic roundabout' diagram got cut off:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/ 1/13/Swindon_Magic_Roundabout_eng.png
Chris
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/ 1/13/Swindon_Magic_Roundabout_eng.png
Chris
i know they are called roundabouts but the question he gave me was circles so that was why i asked his other wustion was about beacons and i told him all about the belisha beacons i am happy with your answers he will be here tomorrow as he wants to watch rangers and celtic so i will let him see your answers by the way he as i do support rangers
this is it
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/images/ 2007/10/22/msn_magic_roundabout_470x350.jpg
scary, huh?
Americans don't have a lot of roundabouts, though there are some in Massachusetts. They go for 4-way stop signs instead: you proceed in the order you arrived. (More than four roads is more complicated; if they ran Swindon they'd probably just build flyovers.)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/images/ 2007/10/22/msn_magic_roundabout_470x350.jpg
scary, huh?
Americans don't have a lot of roundabouts, though there are some in Massachusetts. They go for 4-way stop signs instead: you proceed in the order you arrived. (More than four roads is more complicated; if they ran Swindon they'd probably just build flyovers.)
On the subject of roundabouts, I wonder if Chris has an answer to this question that I have posted before, but never received a satisfactory answer.
What is the point of the mini-roundabouts which have red markings in the centre, causing right turning traffic to keep in the left lane, hardly helping the flow of traffic is it? and in my mind dangerous.
What is the point of the mini-roundabouts which have red markings in the centre, causing right turning traffic to keep in the left lane, hardly helping the flow of traffic is it? and in my mind dangerous.
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