"What the hell did you think you were doing?"

[DT MI]

The rules for roundabouts are very simple, but people always find ways to complicate them, for example the Germans have created instructions for using the Magic Roundabout in Swindon UK:

Why make it so complicated when it is simply explained by the roadsign?:

And driving around it is even simpler - you can even choose to go clockwise or anti-clockwise so whatever exit you want, you never need to go more than half way around it

That has to be the most confusing bit of roadway design I've ever seen (and I've driven in Italy...). (And the government provided road sign does nothing to help...)

 

[DT MI]

Yeah, they do white zigzags either side of a pedestrian crossing - ...

I always wondered what they were for. Thought maybe it was to make slalom skiers feel at home...

 

[sludgeguts]

That has to be the most confusing bit of roadway design I've ever seen (and I've driven in Italy...). (And the government provided road sign does nothing to help...)

As per the highway code - don't look at this as a mess of roundabouts, look at this as 1 roundabout at a time.
The correct lane through a leads to b, the correct lane through b leads to c etc etc
The problems only arise when some looney wants to go from a to d straight over the top of b and c! (and I've driven the magic roundabout at Hemel Hempstead many times & seen many hair-raising attempts).

 

[DT MI]

As per the highway code - don't look at this as a mess of roundabouts, look at this as 1 roundabout at a time.
The correct lane through a leads to b, the correct lane through b leads to c etc etc
The problems only arise when some looney wants to go from a to d straight over the top of b and c! (and I've driven the magic roundabout at Hemel Hempstead many times & seen many hair-raising attempts).

I'm going to have to study this for a bit and see if I can make sense of it.

What are the 'rules of the road' in the roundabout?... Who has the right of way?... who has to yield?... etc.

I think part of my 'confusion' lies in the fact that the only roundabouts I've experienced are one way traffic - counter(anti)-clockwise for us here who drive on the right (correct?) side of the road.

 

[Nigel]

I'm going to have to study this for a bit and see if I can make sense of it.

What are the 'rules of the road' in the roundabout?... Who has the right of way?... who has to yield?... etc.

I think part of my 'confusion' lies in the fact that the only roundabouts I've experienced are one way traffic - counter(anti)-clockwise for us here who drive on the right (correct?) side of the road.

There are only two really important rules for roundabouts in the UK:
1. Left hand turns only,
2. Give way to people coming from your right.

The rest of the rules are the general rules of the road.

 

[DT MI]

There are only two really important rules for roundabouts in the UK:
1. Left hand turns only,
2. Give way to people coming from your right.

The rest of the rules are the general rules of the road.

That is essentially the same as our rules, but just the opposite since we drive on the opposite side of the road:

1. Right turns only
2. Give way to traffic on your left
3. Traffic entering the roundabout defers to traffic already in the roundabout.

However, the left turn only rule seems as it would have to be not applicable in the case of the Swindon 'Magic Roundabout' due to the inner and outer circles. Because of the inner circle going counter(anti)-clockwise one would have to make a right turn to both enter and exit the inner circle - correct?

My understanding of how it works can be seen in the diagram I've attached (thanks to the nice German folks for providing the basic art work).

If I were going to be traveling through on A4259 I could accomplish this in 2 ways as depicted by the brown and purple arrows, using either the outer circle (brown) or inner circle (purple) - correct?

Likewise one could go from A4259 to Shrivenham Rd. by way of the inner circle as shown by the black arrow - also correct?

 

[melensdad]

I hate driving in England. When I come back home to the US after an extended trip to the UK I tend to drive out my driveway and drive down the road on the wrong side!!! Fortunately I live on a remote rural lane with very little traffic. Oh, and the roundabouts are horrid. We only have 1 of those awful things in our entire county, they are just not common enough here in the US for us to be used to them.

DT MI, it is very possible (probable) that I am wrong, but in your diagram above I believe your path from A4259 to Shrivenham Rd is illegal. Further, I believe your 'inner circle' path to continue through A4259 is illegal. I believe your long path around the roundabout to follow the A4259 is the only legal path you illustrate.

 

[Nigel]

However, the left turn only rule seems as it would have to be not applicable in the case of the Swindon 'Magic Roundabout' due to the inner and outer circles. Because of the inner circle going counter(anti)-clockwise one would have to make a right turn to both enter and exit the inner circle - correct?

There is no inner and outer circles, just a circle of normal roundabouts, you treat each roundabout using the normal rules. By choosing which exit you make from each roundabout you can choose which direction to go around the circle of roundabouts.

At one time I drove across the magic roundabout every day, which direction I went around it depended on traffic conditions or if there was no obvious best choice then I used to go the opposite to the previous occasion! I never saw anyone get it wrong or have any difficulty and heavy traffic used to flow very freely across it

 

[Nigel]

I hate driving in England. When I come back home to the US after an extended trip to the UK I tend to drive out my driveway and drive down the road on the wrong side!!! Fortunately I live on a remote rural lane with very little traffic. Oh, and the roundabouts are horrid. We only have 1 of those awful things in our entire county, they are just not common enough here in the US for us to be used to them.

DT MI, it is very possible (probable) that I am wrong, but in your diagram above I believe your path from A4259 to Shrivenham Rd is illegal. Further, I believe your 'inner circle' path to continue through A4259 is illegal. I believe your long path around the roundabout to follow the A4259 is the only legal path you illustrate.

All his arrows are legal, the purple arrow has one less roundabout in it than the brown route so if traffic conditions are equal it will be the shortest and fastest route, however at some times of the day it was actually the slower.

 

[melensdad]

All his arrows are legal...

And this is exactly why US citizens should not drive in the UK. I speak from experience!

 

[Nigel]

Well your choice would have been legal too so you would have nothing to worry about!

The road sign explains it very well = it is a circle of normal roundabouts with short interconnecting roads.

 

[DT MI]

There is no inner and outer circles, just a circle of normal roundabouts, you treat each roundabout using the normal rules. By choosing which exit you make from each roundabout you can choose which direction to go around the circle of roundabouts....

OK, I see that now. (The German diagram kind of depicted an inner circle. Looking at an aerial photo view helps visualize it better.)

... which direction I went around it depended on traffic conditions or if there was no obvious best choice then I used to go the opposite to the previous occasion!...

So, does that mean the routing options I showed in my diagram are correct?

Edit: Oops, you answered this as I was asking...