I thought that second one looked familiar, so I zoomed out. we went through that last weekend, heading out of Swindon. It's surprisingly easy and well-signposted.
Of course, my most uncomfortable experience in a traffic circle was not due to confusion. policsidiva and I were driving back to Glasgow from Argyll and went south through a roundabout instead of northeast. So we had to turn around and go back through it again.
Which wouldn't be a concern except that it was this one. Smack in front of teh main gate to HMNB Clyde at Faslane. You can't *quite* see them int heat image, but there are 3-4 fellows in flak vests with MP5s standing right near that big blue gatehouse, and they look very intently at a rental car being repeatedly driven slowly past their post at a very early hour on a Sunday morning.
(For those not familiar with Faslane, zoom out a bit in the GoogleMaps image. The bits that are all blurry? That's never going to be replaced with better imagery: those are the sheds where the UK's nuclear deterrnent lives when it's not at sea...)
It is, when you encounter it on pretty much the first solo drive you've done since taking your test, and your non-driving mother is sitting in the passenger seat, saying 'Oh look, someone's doodled all over the road sign'. To which the only response is 'shut up, mother, while I try and get us round this without killing anyone.'
Once my brother passed his driving test, my father refused point blank to drive through Swindon and let my brother deal with the Magic Roundabout instead.
Multiple roundabouts, there pretty easy to negotiate when laid out a short distance from each other like in your example.
Try this one for size The Magic Roundabout (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=The+Magic+Roundabout,+Swindon,+Swindon&sll=53.098145,-2.443696&sspn=11.520459,29.882813&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=18&ll=51.562825,-1.770918&spn=0.001454,0.005407&t=k&iwloc=addr)
And another link here Magic Roundabout diagram (http://www.swindonweb.com/life/lifemagi0.htm)
I'd agree. The multiples are straightforward, because you can take them one bit at a time. But double minis? Horror!
I wonder, Google map sre a bit of date, maybe it's still there... http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=dunstable&ie=UTF8&z=18&ll=51.885909,-0.520434&spn=0.001255,0.005375&t=k&om=1
Yes! The Dunstable double mini. I used to drive five miles out of my way to make sure that, while I still had to go through it, I was turning left, not going straight on.
It has now been replaced by a single junction, with traffic lights.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 03:53 pm (UTC)Seen the Hemel Hempstead one?
http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=public&X=505500&Y=206500&scale=5000&width=700&height=400&gride=507184.04330654&gridn=207205.1982241&lang=&db=freegaz&coordsys=gb
Sadly Google maps don't do a close-up, but Multimap do.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 04:09 pm (UTC)Of course, my most uncomfortable experience in a traffic circle was not due to confusion.
Which wouldn't be a concern except that it was this one. Smack in front of teh main gate to HMNB Clyde at Faslane. You can't *quite* see them int heat image, but there are 3-4 fellows in flak vests with MP5s standing right near that big blue gatehouse, and they look very intently at a rental car being repeatedly driven slowly past their post at a very early hour on a Sunday morning.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 04:28 pm (UTC)It is, when you encounter it on pretty much the first solo drive you've done since taking your test, and your non-driving mother is sitting in the passenger seat, saying 'Oh look, someone's doodled all over the road sign'. To which the only response is 'shut up, mother, while I try and get us round this without killing anyone.'
Once my brother passed his driving test, my father refused point blank to drive through Swindon and let my brother deal with the Magic Roundabout instead.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 04:14 pm (UTC)Try this one for size The Magic Roundabout (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=The+Magic+Roundabout,+Swindon,+Swindon&sll=53.098145,-2.443696&sspn=11.520459,29.882813&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=18&ll=51.562825,-1.770918&spn=0.001454,0.005407&t=k&iwloc=addr)
And another link here Magic Roundabout diagram (http://www.swindonweb.com/life/lifemagi0.htm)
no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 04:36 pm (UTC)Double roundabouts (shape of a figure eight or similar)? Evil, pure unadulterated evil.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 05:25 pm (UTC)I wonder, Google map sre a bit of date, maybe it's still there...
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=dunstable&ie=UTF8&z=18&ll=51.885909,-0.520434&spn=0.001255,0.005375&t=k&om=1
Yes! The Dunstable double mini. I used to drive five miles out of my way to make sure that, while I still had to go through it, I was turning left, not going straight on.
It has now been replaced by a single junction, with traffic lights.