On the roundabout

[james weatherford]

quote:

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Originally posted by Bob Orts

quote:

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Originally posted by DTisme

Lesson learned, but the distinctions are really minute.

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There is really only one distinction:
If it's built as a Roundabout and works as a Roundabout it's a Roundabout. If it's built as a Roundabout but fails as a Roundabout it's a Traffic Circle. []

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Bob,
Given that roundabouts save lives and reduce pain and suffering, your comments are irresponsible.
Can you cite one case to back up your statement?

[Greg]

Hot, You seem to be hung up on this "zipper" term. Let's replace it with "alternating". Merge left means just what it says. The most sensible way in this case is to join the two lanes by alternating at the end; left, right, left (as in a zipper, zipping[verb])

You also seem to be confusing the bottleneck with entering a freeway. Not a good analogy. I am a good friend of freeways sir; and believe me, the Kea'au bypass is no freeway. I'm going to go with the majority here and legally, sensibly, and efficiently alternate merge. Would you please relax and let me in?

[JerryCarr]

I have used roundabouts mainly in Europe and on just a few occasions in the USA. I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but my main reason for supporting them in Puna is simply the fact that they are outside the box of the typical Hawaii DOT cookie cutter approach to highway engineering. The fact that they are not part of the "let's multi-lane everything and do it like we did in Honolulu" attitude of the DOT is enough to make me want to give it a try. Perverse reasoning, perhaps, but it works for me.

[punaticbychoice]

I agree, Jerry.

[KeaauRich]

With all due respect to Hot, I'm in agreement with Greg on the "alternating" approach at the Keaau bottleneck. When entering a freeway, one lane is increasing speed to join another lane already traveling at a higher speed. The faster lane clearly has a right of way. At the bottleneck, on the other hand, there are two lanes that have been traveling the same speed all the way from Route 11 that now need to consolidate when the right lane disappears (hence the need to merge to the left...). Under the highway merge philosophy, at the bottleneck the left lane would continue at full speed and the right lane would slow until enough gaps appeared for individual cars to merge wherever they could (thus increasing the right lane congestion further back towards Hilo). Aggressive or timid drivers in either lane would cause disruptions and slowdowns for other drivers behind them. Under the alternating approach, both lanes travel at consistent speeds, and where the right lane disappears, the traffic in that lane merges to the left to join the continuing single lane. Both lanes slow slightly to allow an orderly consolidation of traffic and traffic flows smoothly. In other words, "Merge Left" doesn't mean the left lane has the right of way, it simply means that at the combining point, traffic in the right lane needs to move to the left, lest they run over the guy selling fish (or politicians at election time).

[EightFingers]

Better get different signs then, because "Right Lane Ends, Merge Left" or "Merge Left" means the right lane yields.

[oink]

Yeah, I have to side with Hot and eight on this one.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[Bullwinkle]

The long play would be - to open a body shop right near the roundabout
-grin

[james weatherford]

A couple of interesting discussions about road safety, including references to/explanations of roundabouts...

http://www.npr.org/2010/11/16/131360238/...fety?ps=rs

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story...d=92945220

[Bullwinkle]

Best thing about roundabouts is that they prevent head on encounters ... we may see a few minor fender benders as folks adjust, but overall they save lives in my opinion