Re: CHAT: silly names, prepositions

With the exception of yours truely (I'm conentrating to much on
remembering that the pedles aren't mind readers that I forget to look
right), In Victoria, Oz, everybody seems to obey roundabout rules, so
when there isn't anybody in the roundabout and four people arive at
once, they have to sit there for half an hour waiting for someone else
to move first.

Tristan

Padraic Brown wrote:

> On Thu, 22 Mar 2001, Andrew D Chaney wrote:
>
>> On Thursday, March 22, 2001, at 06:17 AM, Steg Belsky wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, 22 Mar 2001 00:15:54 -0000 Fabian <lajzar@...> writes:
>>>
>>>> A roundabout is a junction between 3 or more roads, where teh cars
>>>> must
>>>> drive around a circle (normally with a grass verge in the centre),
>>>> before
>>>> taking the exit of their choice. All traffic goes clockwise, and
>>>> cars
>>>> entering *seem* to have priority over cars leaving. You can get
>>>> quite dizzy if you miss your exit.
>>>> --
>>>> Fabian
>>>
>>> -
>>>
>>> Us USAians call roundabouts "traffic circles", and here in the USA they
>>> go counter-clockwise.
>>
>> I didn't know they existed in the US.
>
>
> Yes, and they are a pain in the dairy aire. The local government, in a
> not at all unusual fit of Bureucratic Wisdom, decided to install
> roundabouts (I don't call em traffic circles, usually) at several busy
> intersections. We are waiting for someone to be tragically killed, as
> there seem to be two schools of thought with resepct to entering the
> whirling circle of death: 1) the sign says "YIELD", and that's what
> I'm gonna do; and 2) there ain't no traffic light, so those bastards
> can jolly well get out of my way. Technically, you're supposed to cede
> to cars in the circle; but since no one really knows how to behave in
> one, this is often a source of trouble.
>
> They are common in the District, but it was designed by a Foreigner,
> so that probably explains why roundabouts aren't popular in the US.
> I'm not entirely certain who has right of way, but then again, things
> like "right of way" are optional extras to driving in the District.
> As are, for example, red lights, lane markers, stop signs, speed
> limits, sidewalks, etc.
>
> Padraic.
>
>> Andy
>


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