I started writing my United Kingdom travelogue because... because... well, truth be told, because I am incredibly verbose and I just can't make do with one word where I could possibly use fifteen.
I had been making some graphic layouts with some of the pictures from that journey, and I kept feeling the need to set the scene, place everything in context, tell the story behind the picture - which would ruin the layout but, without which, the layout is incomplete.
As a compromise I promised myself that I would write the whole story down, as a companion document.
"Uh-oh," you are no doubt thinking. "A brief to tell the whole story? Here comes trouble."
And you are right. As I progressed, I realized that telling every day, day-by-day is not enough. Now I have stories behind those stories to tell. And so the travelogue split into three pieces, distinct but complementary.
Editing and reorganizing the (incomplete) work for blog posts brought a new dimension to the travelogue: I can now use hyperlinks to illustrate and annotate various aspects. And I will launch straight into that with this post.
You have already been exposed to Rules #1 and #2. Here then is Rule #3, because it is relevant, and will help make sense of both what came before and what is to come later.
::
Rule #3: Roundabouts are and are not Traffic Circles.
Roundabouts are unnerving and strange, and totally intimidating. The first three or four times that you use them, that is.
No matter how well you prepare you are likely to mess up a bit, miss your turn, land in the wrong lane, go around three times, and get a couple of horns blaring at you.
So what.
Like most things in life you'll soon get the hang of them and wonder what all the fuss had been about.
They are used all over Britain in place of traffic lights or entries and exits to highways.
::
Wikipedia has a very thorough article on roundabouts, including a marvelous animation of a roundabout in action, right down to the turn indicators on the little cars.
2pass has an interactive applet, with audio, and step-by-step animations.
I had been making some graphic layouts with some of the pictures from that journey, and I kept feeling the need to set the scene, place everything in context, tell the story behind the picture - which would ruin the layout but, without which, the layout is incomplete.
As a compromise I promised myself that I would write the whole story down, as a companion document.
"Uh-oh," you are no doubt thinking. "A brief to tell the whole story? Here comes trouble."
And you are right. As I progressed, I realized that telling every day, day-by-day is not enough. Now I have stories behind those stories to tell. And so the travelogue split into three pieces, distinct but complementary.
- The chronological sequence.
- The Rules. Actually an explanation or "translation" of things that would be unusual to people outside of the United Kingdom, along with some down-home travel tips.
- Some thoughts relating to preparation, including choice of travel guides, atlases, accommodation and the like.
Editing and reorganizing the (incomplete) work for blog posts brought a new dimension to the travelogue: I can now use hyperlinks to illustrate and annotate various aspects. And I will launch straight into that with this post.
You have already been exposed to Rules #1 and #2. Here then is Rule #3, because it is relevant, and will help make sense of both what came before and what is to come later.
::
Rule #3: Roundabouts are and are not Traffic Circles.
Roundabouts are unnerving and strange, and totally intimidating. The first three or four times that you use them, that is.
No matter how well you prepare you are likely to mess up a bit, miss your turn, land in the wrong lane, go around three times, and get a couple of horns blaring at you.
So what.
Like most things in life you'll soon get the hang of them and wonder what all the fuss had been about.
They are used all over Britain in place of traffic lights or entries and exits to highways.
|
SmartDriving has clear and simple advice on using a roundabout: Traffic moves around in a clockwise direction and you give way (yield) to traffic already circulating before you enter. 1. Turning left Approach in the left-hand lane with a left-turn signal. Maintain your signal and position as you drive to your exit. Cancel your signal after you leave the roundabout. 2. Going ahead Approach in the left-hand lane without a signal. Keep left as you drive to your exit. Signal left as you pass the exit before the one that you intend to take. 3. Turning right Signal right, approach in the right-hand lane, maintain your signal and position until you are passing the exit before the one you want, signal left and move to the left-hand lane in order to leave the roundabout. The 12 o’clock rule As a general rule, exits beyond ‘12 o’clock’ can be considered as right turns unless local conditions or markings indicate otherwise (this is a general rule - commonsense will guide you!) |
::
Wikipedia has a very thorough article on roundabouts, including a marvelous animation of a roundabout in action, right down to the turn indicators on the little cars.
2pass has an interactive applet, with audio, and step-by-step animations.
Comments (8)
I'm a fan of roundabouts! If you click the URL I left there, above my head, you can see my entry about a roundabout I use on a regular basis. I do believe the entry comes with a link to a working animation too. Have fun!
Posted by Karan | January 4, 2005 11:32 PM
Posted on January 4, 2005 23:32
And don't forget those strange things they call 'Button' roundabouts usually found in a village. A sort of mini roundabout. Here in New England we have gads of rotaries (roundabouts) so it was not so confusing to me, not to mention husband being the Brit did all of the driving on our trips. It still feels odd to be going left into a roundabout though.
Posted by jo | January 5, 2005 7:25 AM
Posted on January 5, 2005 07:25
Oh, nice one, Karan. You'd have a head start on navigating the complicated ones in the UK :-)
Jo - you're right, I neglected to mention those. I guess this is where my background comes in -I grew up with those, and so assumed that everyone else had too. They are frequently used as "traffic-calming devices" at an otherwise normal intersection.
If you wanted to gape, search for "Magic Roundabout" and for "Hamburger Roundabout"
(I was going to say something more, but I figured I would let those speak for themselves...)
Posted by Sivani | January 5, 2005 8:59 AM
Posted on January 5, 2005 08:59
Verbosity schmerbosity. All three levels of detail will be appreciated. Long live hypertext. Also, 'tis an excellent post on roundabouts. Despite my appreciation of them, I never did become fully proficient; once in the UK (Cambridgeshire, I believe) my colleagues accused me of having developed "braking for no apparent reason" syndrome.
Posted by Chrysalis | January 5, 2005 10:26 AM
Posted on January 5, 2005 10:26
roundabouts?
a tip from a local.
just close your eyes and hope to make it through to the other side.
Posted by briggy | January 6, 2005 2:20 AM
Posted on January 6, 2005 02:20
I'm planning a trip over there and definitely do not look forward to these roundabouts. One was built in nearby Clearwater, Florida causing such a row that they nearly had to remove it - fountain and all. I will go there and practice. Well done.
Posted by Mary | January 6, 2005 5:43 AM
Posted on January 6, 2005 05:43
Mary - I found the "12 o'clock rule" only while searching for images to illustrate this post. It is a very sensible one, and one that serves you well when dealing with roundabouts everywhere when they do not have clear lane markings (i.e. the actual exit names painted on the road on your lane.) Summarizing the rule: if your exit is before 12, stay in the slow (outside) lane, if your exit is after 12, move to the fast (inside) lane - this is true for both the approach and the actual circle.
briggy - aaah, so that must have been YOU that I (almost) ran into at a couple of roundabouts. Where were you in January '03 anyway?
Posted by Sivani | January 6, 2005 7:37 AM
Posted on January 6, 2005 07:37
january 03?
i think i spent that month in a ditch somewhere.
Posted by briggy | January 10, 2005 5:20 AM
Posted on January 10, 2005 05:20