1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff you should know from how Stuff Works 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, 3 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: and there's Charles w Chuck Bryant, and there's nobody else. 4 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: Because this is just pitiful man ghost producers left and right. 5 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 1: It doesn't bump you out to be I'm just gonna 6 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 1: come out and admit it, yes, a little bit. It 7 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: just it just makes the whole thing feel so workman 8 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: like and unimportant. You know. Yeah, with just you and 9 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:43,199 Speaker 1: me in here, it's uh, I mean, I'm happy to 10 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: be here with you, but you know, like like, um, yeah, 11 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,239 Speaker 1: you know, it's just just another thing that has to 12 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,599 Speaker 1: be done. Record Josh and Chuck. It's not an event anymore. 13 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: You know. There's no streamers like there used to be. 14 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: Nobody cares well. Luckily the people who are listening care, yes, 15 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: and you really have to care. If you listened to 16 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: an episode about roundabouts, you know, it's funny that you 17 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:14,119 Speaker 1: picked this one because just two days ago, it's driving home, 18 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: I went through a roundabout in uh, the neighborhood of 19 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 1: Lake Claire, Okay, and I was like, I love roundabouts. 20 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: I love roundabouts. I wish Atlanta had more in Atlanta 21 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: has its a decent amount. Now, a lot of them newer. 22 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:36,040 Speaker 1: But I was just thinking about how much I loved roundabouts, 23 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: and the next day you said, let's do one on roundabouts. 24 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: That's really interesting, man, Yeah, that is I like that 25 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: kind of um uh not syncretism. That's where Catholicism and 26 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: indigenous religious beliefs merge. I can't remember what it's called, 27 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: but um synchronicity, that's what it is. I like that 28 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: kind of stuff. So I'm right there with you, man. 29 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: I love round about two. And here's why. To me. 30 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 1: The second worst thing in the world after slow driving 31 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: people in the fast lane, which, by the way, you 32 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: can see my Twitter feed Josh underscore um underscore Clark 33 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 1: for how I feel about um slow drivers in the 34 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: fast lane. I haven't. I have a feeling. I know 35 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: what you're about to say, but go ahead. The second, 36 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: the second worst thing that could possibly happen to a 37 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:29,519 Speaker 1: human being is to sit there at a red light 38 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: when there's no traffic coming. Okay, that's not what I 39 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: thought you were gonna say. What did you think I 40 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: was gonna say? I thought you were gonna say people 41 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: who do not know how to manage a four way 42 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: stop sign. Stop. Uh, that the third, I'll put that third. Yeah, 43 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: you're right, I'll put that third. Man. Yeah. It is 44 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: annoying sitting at a traffic light, and it's even more 45 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: annoying these days when you sit for an extra three 46 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: seconds at every stop light because everyone is just finishing 47 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,959 Speaker 1: up that email. Oh man, Yeah, that drives me crazy. 48 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: I do. I'm so quick on the horn now. I 49 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: used to be very polite and just like a little hey, 50 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: you might not notice tap tap, But now when I 51 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: see that head down, I just lay it on thick. 52 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: I cannot tell you how proud I am of you 53 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: right now. It's really like, I love it, and I 54 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 1: usually screen some expletive attached to you. Get off your phone, Chuck, 55 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:27,080 Speaker 1: you are really coming along, buddy, appreciated. Remember. I remember 56 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: one time when we were driving together years and years ago, 57 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: and I was doing I was like shouting at people 58 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: and stuff, and You're like, really, we're doing this, and 59 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: I was like, yeah, it's in this normal. And then 60 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: now to hear that you're you're doing the same thing, 61 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,119 Speaker 1: I'm I'm glad. I'm actually dialing it back. Apparently, it's 62 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: just kind of transferred over and made its way to you. Yeah, 63 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: I guess it's one of those things. Like um. Anger 64 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: in a car can neither be created nor destroyed. It 65 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: just goes from person to person. I just got no 66 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 1: patience for cell phones and driving none. Agree, I'm over it. Well, 67 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:01,839 Speaker 1: that's another great thing. It's a it's a great thing, 68 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: slash dangerous thing about introducing roundabouts. The idea that people 69 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 1: are on their phones now more than ever while they're driving. Um. 70 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: Which again, if you're doing that, just just just stop, 71 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: just stop. That's so dangerous, it's so reckless and irresponsible. 72 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:22,960 Speaker 1: Stop doing that. Okay. The problem is is if you 73 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: if you have people on phones and you introduce roundabouts, 74 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 1: it's good and it's bad. It's a double edged sword. 75 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:30,960 Speaker 1: It's good because if they have even a shred of 76 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:34,360 Speaker 1: survival instinct, they'll just drop their phone right to the 77 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: floorboard and grab the wheel with both hands and terror 78 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: and panic because suddenly something is different and they have 79 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 1: to really pay attention. That's one of the great things 80 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: about a roundabout. It makes you pay attention. Right. The 81 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 1: problem ideally, if you don't have that survival instinct and 82 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:54,480 Speaker 1: you don't drop your phone, then all of a sudden, 83 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 1: conditions suddenly change and you might find yourself in an 84 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:01,840 Speaker 1: accident with somebody else. Fortune, at least roundabouts their designs 85 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 1: so that the accident will be minimal compared to one 86 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 1: that you may have gotten into at a lighted intersection, 87 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: for sure. However, there is a newer roundabout over an 88 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: Emery Village. I don't know if you've seen that one yet, 89 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,840 Speaker 1: And that Emory Villages is tough because it was a 90 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:24,159 Speaker 1: needed one because it's I don't know how many points. 91 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:26,360 Speaker 1: I feel like it's a like one of those kind 92 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:30,360 Speaker 1: of weird five way intersections. So those kinds of intersections 93 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: are screaming for roundabouts, so they finally built one. It's 94 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: very pretty, very functional. But just yesterday I was driving 95 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: through that one, thinking I love roundabouts, and this dude 96 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: just barreled through and did not yield, almost hit me. Uh, 97 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:48,200 Speaker 1: And I had a few choice words for him. But 98 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 1: I'm like, roundabouts to me are so intuitive. Our article 99 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: says are counterintuitive. I disagree. I did too. I think 100 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 1: there's nothing more intuitive than not to just go barreling 101 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 1: into a worldly go round circle of cars, which this 102 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 1: guy did, right, But what's What's ironic is if if 103 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:09,839 Speaker 1: he had done that, and say like the nineteen fifties 104 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: in the United States, he would have been in the right, 105 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: you would have been in the wrong, which is just 106 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:17,920 Speaker 1: crazy to me when I did that. Do you want 107 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 1: to do you want to start with some history about roundabouts, because, 108 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: believe it or not, everybody they have some history. Yeah, 109 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,360 Speaker 1: I mean, should we quickly say what they are? We're 110 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: doing that thing again? You're right? So a roundabout is 111 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 1: um frequently called a traffic circle over in the UK, 112 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,040 Speaker 1: and I think in other parts of Europe they call 113 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:43,720 Speaker 1: it a gyratory, a one way gyratory um and sometimes 114 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: previously they were called rotaries. But what it is is 115 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: it is a instead of an intersection where say two 116 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 1: or more roads cross, rather than just having it be 117 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 1: all right angles, you take that intersection and kind of 118 00:06:57,920 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 1: break it out and put a circle in the middle. 119 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 1: And now all of a sudden, everybody going through that 120 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:06,840 Speaker 1: intersection has to go around the circle. Whether you want 121 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 1: to go right, straight, left, or do you turn, you've 122 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:13,600 Speaker 1: got a circle to to circumnavigate. And there's a lot 123 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 1: of reasons to do this. It slows people down, it 124 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: makes them pay attention, ideally, UM, it cuts down on 125 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: congestion and UM, I think it's just much safer than 126 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,000 Speaker 1: a lighted intersection. So that's that's what a roundabout is 127 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 1: a round about specifically. Also, Chuck, it's a UM it's 128 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 1: a specific kind of This traffic implementation has has specific 129 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: traits that we'll talk about that make it unique among 130 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: traffic flow management things involving circles, which I think is 131 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 1: the technical term. Yeah, like if you don't have them 132 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 1: in your town, which is possible. We'll get to some 133 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:58,160 Speaker 1: USA stats at some point, but you can think of 134 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 1: as a tiny little circular expressway with different exits yea, 135 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: all along the way. So as you approach one, if 136 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: you want to go straight, if you want to just 137 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:12,000 Speaker 1: keep going straight, you have to enter the roundabout and 138 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:14,920 Speaker 1: go halfway around and then take your little exit to 139 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: continue straight. If you want to take a left, then 140 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: you have to drive all the way around the circle 141 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 1: and then get off taking a right. If that makes sense. Yeah, 142 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: this article says it's a two hundred and seventy degree turn. 143 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:33,439 Speaker 1: Yeah that that that that tracks. I think I won't 144 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 1: contest that. Uh, all right, so I think we can 145 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: do history now. Man, that was a really great description 146 00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:45,480 Speaker 1: of a roundabout man, which with the tiny uh circular expressway. Yeah, Like, 147 00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 1: we have the perimeter here in Atlanta, like a lot 148 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:51,319 Speaker 1: of city sub perimeters around the city, and this is 149 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: just like a tiny little perimeter. Yeah. Yeah, I guess 150 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 1: that's a really good way to put it. Thanks. So. Um, 151 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: if we're going back to the beginning of roundabouts, most 152 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 1: people would expect to find them in Europe, because everybody's 153 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 1: seen National Lampoon's European Vacation with the very famous roundabout scene. Right. Um. Actually, 154 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:18,800 Speaker 1: the first contours of what would become roundabouts are found 155 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: in Washington, d C. In Europe's defense, they were designed 156 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:27,199 Speaker 1: by a European, Pierre Loenfont, who designed Washington d C. 157 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 1: He actually worked in some traffic circles, which is weird 158 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:34,480 Speaker 1: because there was no such thing as cars at the 159 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:37,800 Speaker 1: end of the eighteenth century, so it's very odd that 160 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: he worked traffic circles in But by god, he worked 161 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: in traffic circles. There were horses and buggies. Imagine there 162 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: was I wonder if there was horse and buggy traffic, surely, right, 163 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,680 Speaker 1: I don't know. I'm not sure why he created these circles. 164 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: If it wasn't for traffic flow, or if it wasn't 165 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:59,360 Speaker 1: just for aesthetics, It's possible it was for aesthetics to 166 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 1: although it was probably some weirdo Mason thing that has 167 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 1: to do with taking over the world in five centuries 168 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 1: from now or something. I just think it's funny. I 169 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:12,680 Speaker 1: never really thought about uh in a big city like Washington, 170 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 1: d C. In the eight hundreds, sitting in a long 171 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:20,680 Speaker 1: line of horse and buggy traffic, like, oh, for God's sakes, 172 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 1: this guy, this guy in front of me, he's sitting 173 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,640 Speaker 1: there writing a writing a letter with a with a 174 00:10:26,679 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 1: fountain band right settle the used to settle the get 175 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 1: off your paper, Get off your paper. They'd have a quill, 176 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:38,679 Speaker 1: is what it is? Yeah, what I say, fountain pin? 177 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:42,800 Speaker 1: Yeah No, you said ballpoint. I think I'm pretty sure 178 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:45,640 Speaker 1: you said baldpoint. We'll rewind and find out one day. 179 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: So du Pont Circle the very famous and beautiful and 180 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 1: I really like that area of d C. DuPont Circle 181 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: is was, I believe, kind of the first big one 182 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:58,880 Speaker 1: in the United States, right, yes, And so people say, okay, 183 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 1: all right, whatever year lam Font designed one in Washington, 184 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 1: d C. And that's that's that's it. That that became 185 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,840 Speaker 1: the first one later on, But that doesn't really count 186 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:13,200 Speaker 1: because he wasn't really anticipating cars. So surely the first 187 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:17,080 Speaker 1: one really is in Europe, right it? Actually, no, that's 188 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:21,000 Speaker 1: not correct either. No, in nineteen o five Brian Eno, 189 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:25,199 Speaker 1: Oh wait, not Brian Eno, his brother Bill, Yeah, Bill 190 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: william Eno. Uh, in nineteen o five constructed He was 191 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:32,760 Speaker 1: a businessman, and I don't think he constructed it, but 192 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: he designed at least and implemented the very famous Columbus 193 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:40,600 Speaker 1: Circle in New York City, which everyone, as far as 194 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:44,959 Speaker 1: automy automobiles go, consider the first traffic circle in the 195 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:49,160 Speaker 1: United States. Yes, so definitively the first traffic circle, the 196 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 1: first circular means of directing traffic around a circle circularly 197 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 1: four cars, right, it finds it's its place in history 198 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:01,720 Speaker 1: in nine you know, five in New York City. And 199 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: then the first one came in in the UK at least, 200 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:09,320 Speaker 1: if not Europe, four years later. Um, the British one 201 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 1: way gyratory uh in Letchworth Garden City. That's adorable, Letchworth 202 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,440 Speaker 1: Garden City. Doesn't it make you feel like everybody dresses 203 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:22,400 Speaker 1: like undertakers there and they have like you know, like 204 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:30,239 Speaker 1: claw fingers or something. Letchworth welcomed with. Yeah. So uh okay, 205 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 1: So finally Europe gets on board with the traffic circle 206 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:36,720 Speaker 1: in the early twentieth century. Yeah. We should point out 207 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: though that with those earlier roundabouts, uh, they were not 208 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 1: like we see today. They didn't have this gradual sort 209 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:49,800 Speaker 1: of flow emotion. It was sort of a circle with 210 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:52,440 Speaker 1: the sharp right angles where you enter an exit, which 211 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: is is not flowy an intuitive, No, it's not. And 212 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:02,839 Speaker 1: there's this other thing too, so um if around about, 213 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 1: so you can kind of interchange roundabout and traffic circle 214 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:10,920 Speaker 1: and then something else called rotary. It's all a circle 215 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: where traffic is meant to go basically one way around it, 216 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 1: and there's exits that are actually streets that form up 217 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: the intersection. Right, All of those things have that element, 218 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 1: those elements in common where what the differences between like 219 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:29,440 Speaker 1: rotaries and traffic circles and roundabouts is the rules. Right, 220 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:33,200 Speaker 1: So when they when traffic really started and people started 221 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:36,960 Speaker 1: building these, especially in America and the in Europe, um, 222 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,200 Speaker 1: like in the twenties, thirties, forties, when they really started 223 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:43,520 Speaker 1: to begin to take off, the rules were different, and 224 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:47,079 Speaker 1: they had it dead wrong. And it was a really simple, 225 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 1: a really simple traffic rule that they had going on 226 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: that was screwing everything up. And what it was was 227 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:59,680 Speaker 1: that if you were in the traffic circle, if somebody 228 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 1: was eating to get in the traffics circle, you yielded 229 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: to the person coming into the circle. It's just so backwards, 230 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:11,360 Speaker 1: literally backwards, totally backwards. They basically had a fifty fifty 231 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 1: chance of coming up with the right rule, and they 232 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 1: chose the wrong way. And for decades people got nightmare 233 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 1: headaches from traffic circles, which back then were called rotaries. Yeah, 234 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 1: they had congestion, they had a lot of accidents. And 235 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:31,520 Speaker 1: this was in the like nineteen thirties through the mid 236 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:35,920 Speaker 1: nineteen fifties. For close to thirty years, they were just like, well, 237 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:38,880 Speaker 1: we just can't figure out what's wrong here. There's just 238 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 1: something wrong and I can't put my finger. It's crazy. Finally, 239 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:46,760 Speaker 1: in England in nineteen sixty six they went, why don't 240 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 1: we just reverse that and reverse the yield. That's literally 241 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,400 Speaker 1: all they had to do was you as you approach 242 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:57,200 Speaker 1: a traffic circle, you are yielding. Once you're in the 243 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: traffic circle. You're fine, and that chain everything changed everything 244 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:04,240 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, like they had they used to 245 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,000 Speaker 1: have to call in cops to undo the gridlock that 246 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: would form in these traffic circles because of this um 247 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:13,760 Speaker 1: and they changed this this flow of traffic pattern. The 248 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 1: old one was called we've theory, where the people in 249 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: the circle would stop and the people coming in would 250 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:21,680 Speaker 1: would weave into whatever lane they wanted to. It was 251 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:25,480 Speaker 1: just madness. And then they went to gap theory, which 252 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 1: is you basically get in where you fit in when 253 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:31,200 Speaker 1: you're coming into the circle, and everybody else in the 254 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:33,920 Speaker 1: circles like, just get out of my way. I'm in 255 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 1: the circle. I've got the right of way. And like 256 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: you said, it changed everything, and all of a sudden, 257 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 1: these um like delays and congestion dropped by like half overnight. Yeah, 258 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 1: capacity increased by crashes and delays decreased by and everyone went, wow, 259 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 1: I can't believe it took us thirty years to think 260 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: of this. Yes, and it took off big time in 261 00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 1: Britain after that. But because of the hullabaloo in the 262 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:06,640 Speaker 1: United States previously, there was a long time where the 263 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:10,720 Speaker 1: US was like another you know, twenty plus years where 264 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:13,280 Speaker 1: the US was still like, na, I'm not I'm not 265 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 1: falling for this traffic circle thing again. Yeah, because I 266 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,360 Speaker 1: mean they had built rotaries all over the place in 267 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 1: the United States, but they they worked so poorly because 268 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 1: of that one stupid rule that by the time America 269 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:29,880 Speaker 1: gave up on it and the time Britain picked up 270 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: on that rule change, America had said like we're done 271 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: with these. They they were actually tearing out their old 272 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 1: rotaries and putting in um new for you know, for uh, 273 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: like a traffic lighted intersection. Like we marched down with 274 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 1: their pitchforks and their torches and stop signs, and they 275 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:56,720 Speaker 1: and jackhammers destroyed these traffic circles and smash stop signs 276 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:01,080 Speaker 1: through human bodies into the ground. It took I think 277 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:06,440 Speaker 1: and OHI, California lovely, OHI. Uh, that was a proposal 278 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:10,000 Speaker 1: for just a little three legged roundabout, and everyone in 279 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,920 Speaker 1: OHI is pretty laid back area. They were like no, 280 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 1: and so they didn't do it. And then two years later, 281 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:21,920 Speaker 1: finally in Summerland, Nevada, everybody, I'm sorry Nevada, everybody got 282 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:25,080 Speaker 1: on board. And I think they had a couple of 283 00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:27,720 Speaker 1: them in a planned community there. Well, that's why I 284 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:30,360 Speaker 1: think it went through is because the community was being 285 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 1: built from the ground up, so there was nobody to 286 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:35,040 Speaker 1: say no. So they were just they moved in and 287 00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 1: they were there. So so that was nine when America 288 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:44,639 Speaker 1: got its first actual roundabout. And again it's because of 289 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:48,480 Speaker 1: that one stupid rule that had just plagued everybody and 290 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 1: driven them crazy starting in the thirties up to about 291 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 1: the fifties. And I saw one other reason why America 292 00:17:56,600 --> 00:18:00,000 Speaker 1: didn't have roundabouts tu chuck um after World War Two, 293 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:03,920 Speaker 1: when Eisenhower was over there, Um he saw a lot 294 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 1: of gridlock in Paris, especially around the Plasta Plasta till Gyratory, 295 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:12,600 Speaker 1: the one that's around the Lark de Triomph, you know, 296 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:17,160 Speaker 1: which is huge. It's like a twelve lane traffic circle. 297 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:19,399 Speaker 1: And he saw it was gridlocked all the time. But 298 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:21,880 Speaker 1: then he saw in Germany how fast the Auto bonn 299 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:25,719 Speaker 1: had gotten the Nazis around. So America got interstates instead 300 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:29,199 Speaker 1: of traffic circles. Because Eisenhower was basically the architect of 301 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 1: America's interstate system. Oh wow, that was the other reason. 302 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,359 Speaker 1: I saw another thing. I was reading an article in 303 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:40,639 Speaker 1: UH I think I can't remember where it was, but 304 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: it was basically like why it might have been priceonomics, 305 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:48,520 Speaker 1: why America has been so reticent and there is another theory, 306 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 1: uh that this one and this was a bit I 307 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: don't know. They call it controversial. It's really not that 308 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:54,879 Speaker 1: big of a deal, but they say the roundabout is 309 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 1: said to have flourished in Britain because it requires the 310 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:01,400 Speaker 1: British virtues of compromising cooperation. And they said the US 311 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 1: is more aggressive and confrontational in culture and may explain 312 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,000 Speaker 1: why the roundabout has not been more widely adopted. M yeah, 313 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 1: I mean it is a group cooperation moving through a roundabout, 314 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 1: for sure, Whereas with a traffic light, it's the traffic 315 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:18,960 Speaker 1: light says stop, the traffic light says go, and all 316 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:20,959 Speaker 1: you have to do is know whether you're allowed to, 317 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:24,040 Speaker 1: whether you have the right away or not to punch 318 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:27,040 Speaker 1: it right. And I actually saw there's a there's something 319 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:31,720 Speaker 1: called the UK Roundabout Appreciation Society's the guy who runs 320 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:35,080 Speaker 1: that says that traffic lights are fascist because they tell 321 00:19:35,119 --> 00:19:37,840 Speaker 1: you to stop or go it any given point in time, 322 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:42,280 Speaker 1: whereas a roundabout is much more group cooperative and people 323 00:19:42,359 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 1: make their own decisions together as a collective. Yeah, that's 324 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:49,200 Speaker 1: why it's weird that in o Hi they would there 325 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:50,800 Speaker 1: was an outcry in the eighties. I guess they were 326 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:53,480 Speaker 1: just so new that they didn't get it. I think 327 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:56,439 Speaker 1: that's and I think that's ultimately why people don't like 328 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 1: roundabouts there. It's a new thing, and everybody was raised 329 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:01,600 Speaker 1: with their traffic lights, and they know what they're doing 330 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:03,760 Speaker 1: with traffic lights, and this is a big, new, scary thing, 331 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:06,000 Speaker 1: and we're not in the mood to learn a new thing. 332 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:08,959 Speaker 1: So get that plan out of here and give us 333 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,760 Speaker 1: a stupid, dumb traffic light that we're gonna have to 334 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:14,040 Speaker 1: sit at at one in the morning, even though there's 335 00:20:14,119 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: no one in sight, and lose our minds and then 336 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:19,320 Speaker 1: you finally get sick of it inside to run the 337 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:22,320 Speaker 1: light and out of nowhere there's a cop behind you. Yeah. 338 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:25,840 Speaker 1: All right, let's take a break, okay, and we'll talk 339 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:49,920 Speaker 1: more about roundabouts right after this. Okay, So we should 340 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:52,320 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about how to design a round about. 341 00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:56,440 Speaker 1: If you have a neighborhood that you have under your control, Um, 342 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 1: maybe you're gonna want to put a roundabout in after 343 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:01,200 Speaker 1: you listen to this episod. So so if so, there's 344 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 1: some some things, some design principles that you want to 345 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:07,720 Speaker 1: fall off if you're the king of your neighborhood or 346 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:13,479 Speaker 1: the dictator. Sure, why not? Apparently, according to our article, 347 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:18,320 Speaker 1: there are five characteristics, one of which I wouldn't even 348 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:22,800 Speaker 1: count as something you would need to. Uh, well, I'll 349 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 1: just say that the big dumb, dumb one that should 350 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:27,159 Speaker 1: be assumed. I'm gonna see if I can pick it out. Okay, 351 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:32,119 Speaker 1: all right, I bet you well. First you enter, the 352 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:37,359 Speaker 1: entry is controlled by a yield sign. Okay, that's that's smart. 353 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:40,919 Speaker 1: But there are no signs or anything else you have 354 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,399 Speaker 1: to do while inside the circle. The circle use your 355 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:47,480 Speaker 1: turn signal. Yeah, that's the one thing you're supposed to do. 356 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:50,640 Speaker 1: But everything else is like thunder dome like no rules. 357 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 1: Actually that's not true. There's plenty of rules, plenty of rules. 358 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:57,919 Speaker 1: The second one is vehicles inside the roadway always have 359 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:00,720 Speaker 1: the right of way. That's a big one. Again, that's 360 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:02,720 Speaker 1: gap theory. You get in where you fit in if 361 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 1: you're coming into the circle, because everybody else in the 362 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: circle already has the right of way. Did you make 363 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:10,760 Speaker 1: up get in where you fit in? I mean, I've 364 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:14,160 Speaker 1: heard it before. But as far as traffic circles go, yes, 365 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:17,919 Speaker 1: because that's a that's a heck of a slogan. I 366 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,560 Speaker 1: think it's I think that is probably what's going to 367 00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:23,960 Speaker 1: lead America to a deep and abiding love of roundabout 368 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:30,679 Speaker 1: think so we love things that rhyme. Yeah, we're dumb culture. Third, 369 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:35,240 Speaker 1: pedestrians can only cross the legs of the intersection. Uh, 370 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:37,520 Speaker 1: and you can only do it behind the yield sign. 371 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:42,720 Speaker 1: So does that make sense to people? Yeah? Like you, 372 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:46,359 Speaker 1: you're not supposed to cross to the center island. I 373 00:22:46,359 --> 00:22:49,040 Speaker 1: have a little story about that. Actually, the very famous 374 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 1: Arc a Triumph in Paris, France, that's the one I 375 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:53,960 Speaker 1: was talking about, the plus ta ta Okay, is that 376 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,440 Speaker 1: what it's called. Yeah, that's the name of the traffic circle. Yeah. 377 00:22:57,480 --> 00:22:59,600 Speaker 1: When I've the very first time I went to a 378 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 1: pair of us when I was, oh, I don't know, 379 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:06,560 Speaker 1: twenty two years old, my friend, uh Brett and I 380 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:09,639 Speaker 1: were standing on the outside looking at the Arc de 381 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:13,160 Speaker 1: Triomph and all of that traffic and how many lanes 382 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:16,679 Speaker 1: is that? Did you say? Twelve? Okay, twelve? But there 383 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:20,639 Speaker 1: are no lines, right, It's just twelve space for twelve cars. 384 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: Think about that, like we don't even have twelve lane 385 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:27,040 Speaker 1: highways in the United States as big as our highways are. Yeah. 386 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:29,680 Speaker 1: So we're standing there and we're looking across and we're 387 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:32,840 Speaker 1: looking at the traffic. We're like, man, I don't know 388 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: about this. Uh. And then we see an elderly woman 389 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:40,160 Speaker 1: standing under the arch and I was like, dude, if 390 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:42,280 Speaker 1: she can get over there, we can get over there. 391 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:47,880 Speaker 1: And we did the frogger dash across the street, made 392 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 1: it in one piece, and then realized that there's an 393 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:56,680 Speaker 1: underground walkway. I have the exact same story. Really, yep, yep. 394 00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:58,840 Speaker 1: When I was there with my family, my sister and 395 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 1: I tried to we we've made it across, but then 396 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:05,639 Speaker 1: we're like, how is this legal? Why, Like, couldn't Paris 397 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:07,919 Speaker 1: have come up with a better way? Yeah, it's the 398 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 1: answer is yes, and they did. That's pretty funny. I 399 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 1: bet we're not alone as Americans. I'm thinking that happens 400 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:20,240 Speaker 1: multiple times a day. All right. So the fourth one 401 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:25,040 Speaker 1: is that parking is not allowed within the circular roadway. 402 00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:27,200 Speaker 1: I think this is I'm gonna go ahead and say 403 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:29,439 Speaker 1: that I think this is the dumb one. Yeah, that 404 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 1: that's the one. Anyone ever just stopped and then like 405 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:38,480 Speaker 1: and like, all right, I'm going to the store. Maybe 406 00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: there's that There's one they put a round about in 407 00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:44,800 Speaker 1: Atlantox mall, you know that. I don't think I've seen 408 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:48,720 Speaker 1: that one. Um it has backed up traffic four miles 409 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 1: like somehow, like the traffic backs up the Tennessee now 410 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:55,080 Speaker 1: because no one knows what to do there. They do 411 00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:57,399 Speaker 1: stop in the middle. I don't think anybody's parked in 412 00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 1: it to go into the mall, but if they had, 413 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:01,320 Speaker 1: I would be all that surprised. Is it in the 414 00:25:01,359 --> 00:25:05,440 Speaker 1: parking lot? It's um, it's part of the road. It's 415 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:07,640 Speaker 1: in the parking lot, but it's part of like the 416 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 1: you know the road. You know what I'm saying. It's 417 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: not like in there's not like a parking space on 418 00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:15,680 Speaker 1: it or any Yeah, to get to and from the mall. 419 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:20,520 Speaker 1: On the mall property, there's a roundabout, natcha gotcha? Uh? 420 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:23,560 Speaker 1: And people do stop though, like just as the guy 421 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:27,280 Speaker 1: barreled in without yielding. I was also in a round 422 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:30,439 Speaker 1: about the other day where a lady like jammed on 423 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,760 Speaker 1: the brakes when she saw a car approaching to get 424 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:36,920 Speaker 1: into the roundabout. And that MUCKs everything up to right, 425 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:40,920 Speaker 1: that's the we've theory that screwed things up with rotaries. 426 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:44,119 Speaker 1: You just you do not stop when you're in the roundabout. 427 00:25:44,119 --> 00:25:46,680 Speaker 1: And I think this is what really freaks people out 428 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:49,840 Speaker 1: as you realize that once you pull into that circle, 429 00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 1: you're expected to keep going like that's just the way 430 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,639 Speaker 1: it is. You're not supposed to stop. Technically, you're not 431 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:59,639 Speaker 1: supposed to change lanes, and you're just you're supposed to go, go, go. 432 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:02,400 Speaker 1: And think that's probably what unsettles a lot of people 433 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:05,199 Speaker 1: about the roundabout. That and the fact that it's unfamiliar 434 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:07,160 Speaker 1: and new and it's not what they learned to drive 435 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:10,200 Speaker 1: on starting at age sixteen, you know. Yeah, and if 436 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: you get freaked out, like if you're I mean, the 437 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:15,479 Speaker 1: ones in Atlanta are all pretty small, neighborhood ones, just 438 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 1: single lanes and you're going super slow. But if you 439 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:20,000 Speaker 1: get in a large one and you get freaked out 440 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: and you don't get how to get over or to 441 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:26,200 Speaker 1: get in the off the exit, just keep circling. Calm down, 442 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:29,120 Speaker 1: because you can keep driving in a circle, just like 443 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:34,240 Speaker 1: European vacation, Big Bend Parliament. Just keep hugging the circle 444 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:37,119 Speaker 1: until everybody leaves and then you can do what you 445 00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:40,159 Speaker 1: want until two in the morning and everyone's gone. And 446 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:43,760 Speaker 1: then finally, the fifth characteristic is all traffic must pass 447 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:48,200 Speaker 1: to the right of the central island in a counterclockwise direction. Yeah, 448 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:50,960 Speaker 1: that's a big one, and and it's it depends on 449 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:53,639 Speaker 1: where you are and what traffic circle it is. But 450 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:57,919 Speaker 1: in the United States, traffic circles and roundabouts typically go 451 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:02,840 Speaker 1: counter clockwise. Like you said, right, there are some out 452 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:06,920 Speaker 1: there that that go clockwise. Depends on again, on where 453 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:10,000 Speaker 1: you are. The point is is all traffic is going 454 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:13,400 Speaker 1: in the same direction around the circle. I think there's 455 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: a couple out there that, of course are going to 456 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:19,800 Speaker 1: um undermine what I said. It's always somebody who's going 457 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:23,800 Speaker 1: to but um, traffic circles typically all flow in the 458 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 1: same direction. Yes, So what we're talking about is sort 459 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:29,200 Speaker 1: of the standard. There are many different kinds will go 460 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:31,520 Speaker 1: over here in a sec but the standard one is 461 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 1: just a circle around the central island. Most of the times, 462 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:38,879 Speaker 1: there's something lovely in that island, right, a planting or 463 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:41,840 Speaker 1: a statue or something, which is another reason why people 464 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:46,639 Speaker 1: like roundabouts more. Yep, stop signs never planted or in 465 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:50,360 Speaker 1: the middle of a fountain. There's just some person wandering 466 00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:52,800 Speaker 1: there in the middle of the intersection, you know. Yeah, 467 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:56,359 Speaker 1: and someone has put a sticker over the stop sign 468 00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:04,040 Speaker 1: that says Trump or law ugging or animal abuse or whatever. Oh, 469 00:28:04,119 --> 00:28:07,399 Speaker 1: I get the I get it now stop whatever I 470 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:11,120 Speaker 1: got you have you never understood that, now, I'm kidding. Okay, 471 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:13,320 Speaker 1: I think I do remember it taking me longer than 472 00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:14,800 Speaker 1: it should have, though, And this is the first time 473 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:18,480 Speaker 1: I've ever really admitted it. Yeah, And yield signs, don't 474 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:26,440 Speaker 1: You wouldn't be prone to yield to logging. Everyone yield 475 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:30,000 Speaker 1: to logging. Um, well, the logging industry, they might put 476 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:32,280 Speaker 1: those up that would never take off though, because it 477 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:37,400 Speaker 1: doesn't rhyme. Oh, you're right. Um. So they have many 478 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:43,160 Speaker 1: roundabouts that are uh, you know, in diameter, and then 479 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 1: what they call rural roundabouts, uh, which are very large, 480 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:49,960 Speaker 1: and the only the reason they're large is because it's 481 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:53,040 Speaker 1: rural and you can go a little faster. M That's 482 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:55,960 Speaker 1: the thing. Like, the smaller the radius of the round about, 483 00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 1: the slower you have to go around it, which is 484 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,560 Speaker 1: one reason why in Atlanta there's so many of those 485 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:04,920 Speaker 1: ones just in the middle of the neighborhood rather than 486 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:08,440 Speaker 1: a speed bump. There's a nice little lovely fountain just 487 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:10,920 Speaker 1: smack dab in the middle of the road, or maybe 488 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:13,160 Speaker 1: it's a tree or something like that, and it's a 489 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:16,360 Speaker 1: barrier an impediment that you're being forced to go around, 490 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:19,800 Speaker 1: so you can't go very fast right with with a 491 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:24,280 Speaker 1: traffic circle, um, that is one of the main goals 492 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:27,040 Speaker 1: of any traffic circles to slow you down and to 493 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:30,560 Speaker 1: direct you safely to where you're going at a slightly 494 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,560 Speaker 1: slower rate of speed. Um. But depending on the radius 495 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:38,320 Speaker 1: of the circle, you can go a lot faster on 496 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 1: on the bigger ones. And there's some I saw that 497 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:43,280 Speaker 1: are up to like a hundred meters across or three feet, 498 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:46,640 Speaker 1: which is basically like a football field. That's an enormous 499 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:51,320 Speaker 1: traffic circle. On something like that, you can just haul all. 500 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:58,520 Speaker 1: But I guess I live near a Memorial Drive at 501 00:29:58,560 --> 00:30:03,640 Speaker 1: a very dangerous inner section where Memorial Drive kind of 502 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:06,960 Speaker 1: in the neighborhoods where I live is dangerous anyway, because 503 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:12,440 Speaker 1: it is a thirty five street supposedly that's three lanes 504 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,120 Speaker 1: that people go about sixty on. Yeah, and there's a 505 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:19,480 Speaker 1: lot of hills and like blind a lot of blind hills, 506 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:23,880 Speaker 1: blind streets, side streets or whatever. Yeah, and it's one 507 00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:26,640 Speaker 1: of those that has the reversible like it has a 508 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:31,560 Speaker 1: has a sign above that either hasn't a green arrow 509 00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:35,360 Speaker 1: or red X for that center lane. So depending on 510 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:38,480 Speaker 1: the time of day or the lanes mood, yeah, or 511 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:42,760 Speaker 1: the lanes mood, it will switch. And we have we 512 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: probably have eight to ten serious serious accidents at the 513 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:49,160 Speaker 1: intersection near my house a year, really scary ones in 514 00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:52,120 Speaker 1: So they are they're not doing roundabout so wish they would, 515 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:53,840 Speaker 1: but they are doing a what's called a road diet. 516 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:56,600 Speaker 1: Have you ever heard of that. That's when you actually 517 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:02,120 Speaker 1: lessen the uh, you shrink, not in size, but you 518 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 1: what's the word I'm looking for. I don't know that. 519 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:09,120 Speaker 1: They're basically shrinking the travel lanes to make it safer. 520 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:11,200 Speaker 1: So they're that middle lane is going to be a 521 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:14,200 Speaker 1: turn lane now and not a reversible traffic lane, so 522 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:16,800 Speaker 1: there will only be one lane of traffic going each 523 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:19,040 Speaker 1: way with the turn lane, with the idea that that 524 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:23,800 Speaker 1: is less confusing, it slows things down supposedly and gets 525 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:26,160 Speaker 1: people that are turning out of the way. Yeah, a 526 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:31,160 Speaker 1: reversible lane is just a bad idea, especially on Memorial. 527 00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:34,600 Speaker 1: It's not a thirty five mile our road. Now, Atlanta 528 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:37,960 Speaker 1: has two very notable in that area, Memorial Drive in 529 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:41,960 Speaker 1: and de Cab Avenue. That are both people drive way 530 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:44,200 Speaker 1: too fast on these roads, and they're both have these 531 00:31:44,200 --> 00:31:47,960 Speaker 1: reversible lanes. So I wish they would do a big 532 00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:50,479 Speaker 1: roundabout right near my house, but they'll they'd never go 533 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:54,800 Speaker 1: for that. Yeah. I actually um just barely escaped death 534 00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:57,560 Speaker 1: once on De Cab Avenue because I hadn't noticed that 535 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:00,680 Speaker 1: the lane was reversible, and I took a left in 536 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:03,560 Speaker 1: front of a guy in the reversible lane next to me, 537 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:07,200 Speaker 1: and just he just stopped just in time. I had 538 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:09,840 Speaker 1: no idea that he was there because I didn't realize 539 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:13,760 Speaker 1: the lane was reversible. Yeah, it was. Man. Even just 540 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:17,720 Speaker 1: thinking about it now, I get the shivers. You see 541 00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:21,760 Speaker 1: the chicken skin. They're like quills, all right. So there 542 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:25,760 Speaker 1: are more types of than the just the regular roundabout, 543 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:28,680 Speaker 1: and they are as follows. To me, I couldn't tell 544 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:30,920 Speaker 1: the difference in the dog bone and the dumbbell. I 545 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:33,800 Speaker 1: got this really because they looked just the same to me, 546 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:36,760 Speaker 1: did they? You looked him up and they looked the same, Huh, 547 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:39,480 Speaker 1: I thought, so, Okay, but that just maybe the Internet 548 00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:43,000 Speaker 1: messing with me could be. So, like a dog bone 549 00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:49,040 Speaker 1: one is two traffic circles, and but it's one contiguous 550 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:54,160 Speaker 1: road going around both of them and connecting the two. Okay, 551 00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:56,560 Speaker 1: So it's like you go around one circle and then 552 00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:58,160 Speaker 1: you go on a little bit of a straight away, 553 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:00,200 Speaker 1: and then suddenly you're in the next circle, and you 554 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:02,160 Speaker 1: go around that circle and you're back onto the other 555 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:03,880 Speaker 1: side of the straight away, and then you're back onto 556 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:06,560 Speaker 1: the other circle. Right, that's a dog bone one. Just 557 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:09,200 Speaker 1: imagine what a dog bone looks like from the sky. 558 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 1: A dumbbell. Sure, a dumbbell. Uh. Traffic circle is a 559 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:18,680 Speaker 1: traffic circle and another traffic circle, and there are two 560 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:22,160 Speaker 1: distinct ones, and they're connected in the middle by a 561 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:27,280 Speaker 1: roadway like a dumbbell. So it's not one contiguous road, 562 00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:31,000 Speaker 1: even though it kind of is. It's it's much more 563 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:33,400 Speaker 1: of like a right turn when you get into one 564 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:36,080 Speaker 1: circle or out of one circle to get to that 565 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:39,520 Speaker 1: main road. How about this, Everybody go look up a 566 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:43,480 Speaker 1: dog bone traffic circle and a dumbbell traffic circle, and 567 00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:47,040 Speaker 1: you'll say, Okay, the way that this article put it 568 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,880 Speaker 1: is the dog bone traffic circle. It looks like you 569 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:53,040 Speaker 1: took a big traffic circle and pinched it in the middle, 570 00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:56,640 Speaker 1: and then the the like two circles form on the 571 00:33:56,680 --> 00:33:59,280 Speaker 1: outer edge, and it's kind of flattened in the middle 572 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:02,360 Speaker 1: of the two. I think that's a pretty good description. Again, 573 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:04,719 Speaker 1: just go look up pictures of them. Yeah, if you're 574 00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:07,640 Speaker 1: listening to I'll pull your car over though, Oh good point, 575 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:12,719 Speaker 1: put your phone down. Yeah. Uh. The Hamburger roundabout is 576 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:16,000 Speaker 1: just like a regular roundabout, but the main road there 577 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:19,240 Speaker 1: crosses the center island. So if you want to go straight, 578 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:23,439 Speaker 1: you can just go straight. If you accidentally, let's say, 579 00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:26,319 Speaker 1: get in the roundabout, you can still exit in and 580 00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:28,600 Speaker 1: go like you were going straight on that main road. Though, 581 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,600 Speaker 1: you have two options basically, yeah, if you want to 582 00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:34,280 Speaker 1: go straight, and then from what I saw, if you're 583 00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:37,520 Speaker 1: that that road, the Hamburger line road that goes straight 584 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:39,920 Speaker 1: through the circle is the one with the right of 585 00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:43,239 Speaker 1: way and everything. Everybody else getting into the circle and 586 00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:46,480 Speaker 1: um going around the circle has to yield to that 587 00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:49,800 Speaker 1: that road going right through. It seems okay, It seems 588 00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:52,920 Speaker 1: a little much like you've you've taken roundabout design too far. 589 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:58,280 Speaker 1: If you've made a Hamburger this is my opinion. Uh yeah, agreed. 590 00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:03,319 Speaker 1: So there's a flower one to chuck, which is pretty Yeah, 591 00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:05,640 Speaker 1: it doesn't mean the flowers in the in the center circle, 592 00:35:05,719 --> 00:35:08,560 Speaker 1: although they are often there. But this is where you 593 00:35:08,719 --> 00:35:13,440 Speaker 1: have a regular traditional roundabout, but the right hand turns 594 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 1: are there's another little little slip road outside the roundabout. 595 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:21,040 Speaker 1: It's called a slip lane, and I think that just 596 00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:24,360 Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe that makes a little easier. Yeah. 597 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:27,239 Speaker 1: So if you're actually entering the traffic circle, that means 598 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:30,120 Speaker 1: you're either going straight, turning left, or making a U turn. 599 00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:32,799 Speaker 1: If you're doing right turns, you're just directed right. You 600 00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:35,239 Speaker 1: don't ever make it quite to the traffic circle. It's 601 00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:37,520 Speaker 1: just like your take your right go over there. And 602 00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:39,919 Speaker 1: I mean, at the very least it would cut down 603 00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:44,520 Speaker 1: on congestion um and probably it would because there's fewer 604 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:46,759 Speaker 1: people entering the traffic circle. Would just cut down on 605 00:35:46,840 --> 00:35:52,520 Speaker 1: accidents altogether. Um. And then another one's turbo a turbo roundabout, 606 00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:55,600 Speaker 1: which is basically like a flower roundabout. But the thing 607 00:35:55,680 --> 00:35:58,880 Speaker 1: is it's um it's multiple lanes, but you have to 608 00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:01,440 Speaker 1: choose what lane you want to be in depending on 609 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:03,399 Speaker 1: what you want to do. If you want to take 610 00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:05,919 Speaker 1: a right turn, you get in the far right lane. 611 00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:08,719 Speaker 1: If you want to go straight, you have to get 612 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:11,120 Speaker 1: in the um the middle lane. If you want to 613 00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:14,160 Speaker 1: turn left, you get in the left lane, and depending 614 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:16,640 Speaker 1: on what you're doing, it will direct you around the 615 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:18,960 Speaker 1: traffic circle to where you want to go. But the 616 00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:21,200 Speaker 1: reason you have to choose a lane is because once 617 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:23,160 Speaker 1: you're in it, you can't move like there may be 618 00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:25,839 Speaker 1: a curb or there's some flowers or something like that. 619 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:29,839 Speaker 1: And these are supposedly way safer. I saw something like 620 00:36:30,040 --> 00:36:36,280 Speaker 1: fewer accidents. Yeah, they allow for more UM cars. They 621 00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:38,879 Speaker 1: make you um think about what you're doing a lot more, 622 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:40,880 Speaker 1: so you tend to go into them a little slower, 623 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:43,799 Speaker 1: even though it's called the turbo roundabout UM. And the 624 00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:47,640 Speaker 1: reason why there's fewer accidents is there are fewer conflict points, 625 00:36:47,719 --> 00:36:52,359 Speaker 1: right DoD we talk about conflict points yet, so if 626 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:56,080 Speaker 1: you enter an intersection, a four or four way intersection 627 00:36:56,320 --> 00:37:00,120 Speaker 1: with a traffic light, there's actually thirty two of what 628 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:03,040 Speaker 1: are called conflict points, and they're basically thirty two places 629 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:06,200 Speaker 1: that you could possibly get into an accident, and some 630 00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:09,800 Speaker 1: of them can be really bad, like a t bone 631 00:37:09,920 --> 00:37:12,040 Speaker 1: right where you turn left in front of an oncoming 632 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:14,879 Speaker 1: car and it hits you right in the middle. They 633 00:37:14,920 --> 00:37:17,719 Speaker 1: are bad. I got turned over once, hanging upside down 634 00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:21,040 Speaker 1: in my car for getting t bone. Yeah, seat belts 635 00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:25,360 Speaker 1: man um. And then there you could also get a 636 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:29,239 Speaker 1: head on collision. Those are particularly bad too. Those don't 637 00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:32,239 Speaker 1: exist in traffic circles. It's not possible for you to 638 00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:34,840 Speaker 1: get t boned or to get into a head on 639 00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:39,000 Speaker 1: collision in a traffic circle. Right. There's actually only eight 640 00:37:39,719 --> 00:37:43,120 Speaker 1: conflict points in a traffic circle rather than thirty two, 641 00:37:43,360 --> 00:37:46,360 Speaker 1: so that automatically means there's gonna be fewer accidents. And 642 00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:50,440 Speaker 1: then with a turbo um traffic circle, they have fewer 643 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:53,080 Speaker 1: conflict points. I didn't see where, um, but I think 644 00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:55,400 Speaker 1: because of them in the flower ones that they direct 645 00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:59,000 Speaker 1: right hand turns outside of the circle. Um, it probably 646 00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:02,879 Speaker 1: cuts it by half, maybe even the number of conflict points. Right. 647 00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:07,040 Speaker 1: And we're talking about cars here. Pedestrians and cyclists also 648 00:38:07,160 --> 00:38:10,719 Speaker 1: figure in UH. And like we said before, pedestrians they 649 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:14,319 Speaker 1: usually have a crosswalk on the legs behind those yield 650 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:19,360 Speaker 1: signs and some kind of UH they call it landscaping 651 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:23,160 Speaker 1: buff or something sort of there to intuitively keep you 652 00:38:23,239 --> 00:38:26,920 Speaker 1: out of that intersection and directed toward where you should cross. 653 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:30,279 Speaker 1: If you're a cyclist, Uh, you have a choice. You 654 00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:32,440 Speaker 1: can either get off your bike and then act like 655 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:35,879 Speaker 1: you're just a walking pedestrian and go that way, or 656 00:38:36,239 --> 00:38:39,400 Speaker 1: you can get in that traffic circle and they should 657 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:42,200 Speaker 1: treat you like a car and they suggest that you 658 00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:44,520 Speaker 1: ride kind of in the middle of it, so cars 659 00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:48,680 Speaker 1: aren't um incentivized to try and go around you right 660 00:38:48,719 --> 00:38:51,440 Speaker 1: in the middle of the lane. Yeah. Yeah, because a 661 00:38:51,440 --> 00:38:54,319 Speaker 1: car going around a cyclist in a traffic circle, that's 662 00:38:54,360 --> 00:39:00,440 Speaker 1: that's probably your recipe for accident for sure, dude. And then, um, 663 00:39:00,480 --> 00:39:03,000 Speaker 1: did you say that pedestrians are the actually the ones 664 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:05,000 Speaker 1: in a traffic circle who have the right of way 665 00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:08,600 Speaker 1: above everybody else. No, I didn't. I didn't say the 666 00:39:08,719 --> 00:39:11,160 Speaker 1: right of way. But pedestrians always have the right of 667 00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:14,920 Speaker 1: way on or should have the right of way on 668 00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:18,680 Speaker 1: roads in America. But I mean not like expressways obviously. 669 00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:23,160 Speaker 1: But you you know, be smart. You still just don't 670 00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:25,000 Speaker 1: go like a running through there saying I've got the 671 00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:27,960 Speaker 1: right of way right. If you hit me, you're in trouble, 672 00:39:28,680 --> 00:39:31,640 Speaker 1: it's your fault. You want to take another break, Let's 673 00:39:31,680 --> 00:39:58,080 Speaker 1: do alright, dude, So there are some real benefits to roundabout. 674 00:39:58,320 --> 00:39:59,880 Speaker 1: One of the things we already talked about is that 675 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:05,680 Speaker 1: safer just by by definition, they have fewer content conflict points. 676 00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:10,120 Speaker 1: So with fewer places that you possibly can get into 677 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:13,560 Speaker 1: an accident, there's going to be fewer accidents, um. And 678 00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:18,200 Speaker 1: I've seen a lot of different statistics. There's some old statistics. 679 00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:21,279 Speaker 1: There's one there was a study from two thousand that 680 00:40:21,360 --> 00:40:25,160 Speaker 1: looked at twenty four new roundabouts in the US and 681 00:40:25,160 --> 00:40:28,000 Speaker 1: found that there was a seventy six percent decrease in 682 00:40:28,239 --> 00:40:33,759 Speaker 1: crashes that resulted in injuries, and decrease in crashes that 683 00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:38,920 Speaker 1: were fatal or incapacitating, And then there was about at 684 00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:44,719 Speaker 1: reduction and crashes overall. Those are numbers that's enormous, um 685 00:40:45,080 --> 00:40:46,839 Speaker 1: and they they seem to be held up like I've 686 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:49,600 Speaker 1: seen different studies that have slightly different numbers, but they're 687 00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:52,200 Speaker 1: all definitely in that same ballpark, and they all amount 688 00:40:52,239 --> 00:40:56,840 Speaker 1: to the fact that traffic circles are just way way 689 00:40:56,880 --> 00:41:03,279 Speaker 1: safer than intersections with lights, just ridiculously safer. Again, it's 690 00:41:03,320 --> 00:41:05,759 Speaker 1: impossible to get into a head on collision, and it's 691 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:08,279 Speaker 1: impossible to get t bone and those are the two 692 00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:11,680 Speaker 1: most dangerous kind of accidents you can get into. Yeah, 693 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:15,719 Speaker 1: they're also cheaper um over time. It's to build a 694 00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:19,120 Speaker 1: round about, it cost about the same roughly depending on 695 00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:22,960 Speaker 1: you know, the size obviously as a regular like traffic 696 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:27,120 Speaker 1: lighted intersection or traffic light. But these traffic lights over 697 00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:30,719 Speaker 1: time cost a lot more to maintain um about five 698 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:35,120 Speaker 1: to ten tho dollars a year and maintenance over their 699 00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:37,640 Speaker 1: life of fifteen to twenty years. I would think that's 700 00:41:37,640 --> 00:41:40,440 Speaker 1: how much like a traffic light cost and then that 701 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:44,600 Speaker 1: was it. That's an enormous amount of money. Yeah, well 702 00:41:44,640 --> 00:41:47,440 Speaker 1: these are this government money, though, I guess that's I 703 00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:50,759 Speaker 1: wonder if that's for all all the lights in an intersection. 704 00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:53,600 Speaker 1: They can't be per light, right, I don't know, man, 705 00:41:53,800 --> 00:41:56,239 Speaker 1: Yeah probably, I don't know who knows, but yeah, that's 706 00:41:56,239 --> 00:41:58,840 Speaker 1: a lot. And that's the thing with traffic circles. You 707 00:41:58,840 --> 00:42:02,000 Speaker 1: don't have lights. You got four yield signs on the 708 00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:06,040 Speaker 1: outside legs, and everything else is basically just paying somebody 709 00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:09,080 Speaker 1: to keep the grass cut and the flowers watered in 710 00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:13,719 Speaker 1: the center island, maybe some paint on the road yea, 711 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:16,760 Speaker 1: And eventually, you know, they said about twenty five years, 712 00:42:17,239 --> 00:42:19,719 Speaker 1: you might need to do some reconstruction on the roundabout 713 00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:23,799 Speaker 1: from uh, from dummies hopping the curb and stuff like that. 714 00:42:24,040 --> 00:42:26,600 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's the time. I couldn't think of why. 715 00:42:26,680 --> 00:42:30,520 Speaker 1: I'm like, you're really wearing your your roundabout out if 716 00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:32,879 Speaker 1: only last twenty five years. But yes, of course people 717 00:42:32,960 --> 00:42:37,640 Speaker 1: do hit the curb, especially apparently. Um, eighteen wheeler drivers 718 00:42:37,640 --> 00:42:40,840 Speaker 1: are not particularly big fans of roundabouts because if the 719 00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:44,640 Speaker 1: radius is really tight there, they just can't navigate it. 720 00:42:44,760 --> 00:42:48,759 Speaker 1: So some roundabout designs have included an apron, which is 721 00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:52,080 Speaker 1: basically like a curved curb that you're not supposed to 722 00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:54,360 Speaker 1: drive on. But if you're an eighteen wheeler, it's just 723 00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:57,000 Speaker 1: a little extra bit of room that you can get 724 00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:01,560 Speaker 1: through the traffic circle with. Yeah, um, what else is there? Oh? 725 00:43:01,560 --> 00:43:04,200 Speaker 1: I know, I know their benefit this one. They are 726 00:43:04,280 --> 00:43:07,000 Speaker 1: green man, and I hadn't thought about it. But when 727 00:43:07,040 --> 00:43:10,160 Speaker 1: you stop at an intersection, come to a complete stop, 728 00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:13,279 Speaker 1: especially if you're sitting there idling at a stupid red light, 729 00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:16,839 Speaker 1: you're just sitting there burning gas, and then you burn 730 00:43:16,880 --> 00:43:19,080 Speaker 1: a lot of gas to go from a complete stand 731 00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:22,640 Speaker 1: still up to accelerate to the normal speed again too, 732 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:25,279 Speaker 1: you don't have that in a traffic circle, or you 733 00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:28,520 Speaker 1: have a lot less of it because people can just 734 00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:31,919 Speaker 1: go right into the circle if they're getting in where 735 00:43:31,920 --> 00:43:37,720 Speaker 1: they're fitting in America, Yeah, yeah, there are some numbers 736 00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:42,200 Speaker 1: around that. It uh, it reduces delays depending on the 737 00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:49,160 Speaker 1: roundabout anywhere from and this improved flow reduces fuel consumption 738 00:43:49,280 --> 00:43:53,520 Speaker 1: and emissions by about or more. Yeah. I saw less 739 00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:56,560 Speaker 1: gas used from a study back in two dozen two, 740 00:43:56,600 --> 00:43:58,960 Speaker 1: again an old study, but I didn't see anything newer 741 00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:02,439 Speaker 1: than that. Should we talk about some tips? Yes, this 742 00:44:02,520 --> 00:44:07,719 Speaker 1: is this is the public service segment of this this episode, Chuck, 743 00:44:07,760 --> 00:44:09,520 Speaker 1: and I really feel like we can do some real 744 00:44:09,600 --> 00:44:11,719 Speaker 1: good here. Yeah. I mean we've kind of covered some 745 00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:14,439 Speaker 1: of these. But if you don't know about how to 746 00:44:14,560 --> 00:44:18,239 Speaker 1: navigate a round about, you approach it. As you approach it, 747 00:44:18,960 --> 00:44:22,440 Speaker 1: take a deep breath, relax. You can do this, no 748 00:44:22,480 --> 00:44:28,000 Speaker 1: big deal. And you're gonna see that diamond shaped or 749 00:44:28,120 --> 00:44:31,759 Speaker 1: it's actually not diamond shaped. It's it's upside down triangle. Right, 750 00:44:31,960 --> 00:44:35,719 Speaker 1: it's two triangles put bottom to bottom, but to butt 751 00:44:36,760 --> 00:44:41,879 Speaker 1: backside to backside. Are they they're not diamond shaped, are they? Yeah? Yeah, 752 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:45,560 Speaker 1: it's like a triangle triangles No, these aren't yield signs. 753 00:44:46,120 --> 00:44:50,000 Speaker 1: This is a this is a roundabout sign. Beware of 754 00:44:50,120 --> 00:44:53,600 Speaker 1: approaching a round about. Yeah, it's it's basically like a 755 00:44:53,719 --> 00:44:57,800 Speaker 1: quick graphic that's like basically a rough map of the 756 00:44:57,920 --> 00:44:59,840 Speaker 1: round about your dealing with it. Show the number of 757 00:45:00,520 --> 00:45:03,600 Speaker 1: suggested speed. All that gotcha? Gotcha? So take a look 758 00:45:03,600 --> 00:45:05,320 Speaker 1: at that. So you know what you're about to go into. 759 00:45:06,360 --> 00:45:09,680 Speaker 1: Our article is so dumb. It says it has a 760 00:45:09,719 --> 00:45:12,360 Speaker 1: suggested speed, usually around twenty or thirty miles per hour. 761 00:45:13,520 --> 00:45:16,440 Speaker 1: Don't just default to that, you know, look at the 762 00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:19,480 Speaker 1: suggested speed if there is one, or just slow down. 763 00:45:19,480 --> 00:45:22,799 Speaker 1: It's pretty intuitive of how fast people are going. I 764 00:45:22,800 --> 00:45:26,440 Speaker 1: feel so bad for pumps right now. For what pumps 765 00:45:26,520 --> 00:45:29,400 Speaker 1: climp pump free. Oh yeah he wrote this one. I 766 00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:31,799 Speaker 1: thought it was pretty good. No, it is good, but 767 00:45:31,880 --> 00:45:34,359 Speaker 1: there's a couple of things you should clean up. Yeah, 768 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:37,759 Speaker 1: the counterintuitive thing. We definitely disagreed with that. All right, 769 00:45:37,800 --> 00:45:40,160 Speaker 1: so slow down to that speed, look for people, look 770 00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:42,920 Speaker 1: for bikes in the crosswalks. And again, if there's somebody 771 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:45,640 Speaker 1: in that crosswalk, you stopped because they got the right away. Yeah, 772 00:45:45,719 --> 00:45:47,520 Speaker 1: but so you yield to them. But if it's clear, 773 00:45:48,200 --> 00:45:50,920 Speaker 1: you go to that yield sign. You look left to 774 00:45:50,920 --> 00:45:53,920 Speaker 1: see if anyone's coming, and if no one's coming, you 775 00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:57,480 Speaker 1: ease into that traffic circle. Ideally you don't have to 776 00:45:57,480 --> 00:45:59,200 Speaker 1: stop at all, but if there's cars there, of course 777 00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:01,680 Speaker 1: you do. But if not, you just keep that flow 778 00:46:01,719 --> 00:46:05,719 Speaker 1: going and go around that circle as many times as 779 00:46:05,719 --> 00:46:08,840 Speaker 1: you need to feel comfortable exiting the circle right, and 780 00:46:08,960 --> 00:46:13,600 Speaker 1: when you're in there, don't stop. No, not stop while 781 00:46:13,640 --> 00:46:15,759 Speaker 1: you're in the traffic circle. Again, if you're freaked out, 782 00:46:16,160 --> 00:46:18,400 Speaker 1: just drive around in the circle and hum to yourself, 783 00:46:18,480 --> 00:46:21,560 Speaker 1: give yourself a little like many lobotomy right, and then 784 00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:25,120 Speaker 1: when you're comfortable, do your thing. But remember you still 785 00:46:25,160 --> 00:46:28,160 Speaker 1: need to use your your signals right, So if you're 786 00:46:28,160 --> 00:46:30,680 Speaker 1: taking a right at that first leg, it's gonna be 787 00:46:30,719 --> 00:46:32,719 Speaker 1: pretty quick and painless. You just stay in the right 788 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:36,000 Speaker 1: lane and you go around, and you turn right. You 789 00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:39,000 Speaker 1: turn your right right signal on and make a right 790 00:46:39,040 --> 00:46:43,040 Speaker 1: hand turn. Yes, it gets a little more complicated if 791 00:46:43,080 --> 00:46:46,279 Speaker 1: you're going straight, but really it's not, because if you 792 00:46:46,320 --> 00:46:49,840 Speaker 1: stop and think about it, all you're doing is swerving 793 00:46:49,880 --> 00:46:52,920 Speaker 1: around an island and going back into the path that 794 00:46:52,960 --> 00:46:56,560 Speaker 1: you were on before. Yeah, then there are multiple lane 795 00:46:56,600 --> 00:46:59,080 Speaker 1: roundabouts I have. I don't think I've ever been in 796 00:46:59,120 --> 00:47:03,600 Speaker 1: one of those. Oh yeah, I do. There's I mean, 797 00:47:03,640 --> 00:47:06,799 Speaker 1: it's it's it's a little more complex, but it's it's 798 00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:08,520 Speaker 1: really not in the key to those or you just 799 00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:10,640 Speaker 1: don't change lanes. You pick the lane you need to 800 00:47:10,680 --> 00:47:13,480 Speaker 1: be in, and once you're in it, you don't change lanes, 801 00:47:14,440 --> 00:47:18,520 Speaker 1: right and and it's just it's just two lanes going 802 00:47:18,560 --> 00:47:21,560 Speaker 1: in the same direction together. So if you're gonna go, 803 00:47:21,680 --> 00:47:24,560 Speaker 1: if you're gonna turn left, you already want to be 804 00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:27,160 Speaker 1: in the left lane of the two lanes, and you're 805 00:47:27,160 --> 00:47:29,880 Speaker 1: going to go into the inner lane of the traffic 806 00:47:29,880 --> 00:47:33,719 Speaker 1: circle right. And then when you take that left turn, 807 00:47:33,880 --> 00:47:35,920 Speaker 1: what you're really doing for as far as the circle 808 00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:38,240 Speaker 1: is concerned, just taking a right. But let's not confuse 809 00:47:38,320 --> 00:47:41,399 Speaker 1: things further. When you take that left turn or make 810 00:47:41,440 --> 00:47:44,400 Speaker 1: that left under that left leg, you're staying in that 811 00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:46,160 Speaker 1: that lane. There's gonna be a lane for you to 812 00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:48,719 Speaker 1: go into that whole time. So you just stay in 813 00:47:48,760 --> 00:47:51,080 Speaker 1: your lane and go to where you want to go, 814 00:47:51,400 --> 00:47:54,879 Speaker 1: and everything is totally fine. It's not that much more 815 00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:59,120 Speaker 1: complicated for a two lane one. Yeah, not really, just uh, 816 00:47:59,239 --> 00:48:01,080 Speaker 1: you know, be careful with all this stuff. Don't get 817 00:48:01,080 --> 00:48:04,640 Speaker 1: barreling in there if you're not. You know, even if 818 00:48:04,640 --> 00:48:06,840 Speaker 1: you do feel comfortable with your own self, not everyone 819 00:48:06,880 --> 00:48:09,120 Speaker 1: else is. Yeah, that's a big one to remember. So 820 00:48:09,239 --> 00:48:12,080 Speaker 1: just remember even though you've slowing down, maybe more than 821 00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:15,120 Speaker 1: you want to, it's still better than stopping in a stoplight. Yeah. 822 00:48:15,120 --> 00:48:18,080 Speaker 1: And I have to say also, like it would not 823 00:48:18,160 --> 00:48:21,200 Speaker 1: hurt to go watch like a two minute video on 824 00:48:21,239 --> 00:48:25,160 Speaker 1: how to navigate around about Like there's it's not hard, 825 00:48:25,239 --> 00:48:28,080 Speaker 1: but it's a lot easier to see it with like 826 00:48:28,160 --> 00:48:31,640 Speaker 1: some video than it is to hear somebody describing it, 827 00:48:31,719 --> 00:48:34,920 Speaker 1: you know, Yeah, for sure. So I we got to 828 00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:39,960 Speaker 1: talk about a couple of like roundabout things in pop culture. Okay, 829 00:48:40,040 --> 00:48:42,000 Speaker 1: it was actually let's do it. We already talked about 830 00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:45,000 Speaker 1: European vacation, right, but there's actually a dude who holds 831 00:48:45,120 --> 00:48:49,000 Speaker 1: a record for the UM I guess, the longest time 832 00:48:49,120 --> 00:48:53,120 Speaker 1: driven on a single roundabout? Oh really? Yeah, a guy 833 00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:57,759 Speaker 1: named or In Sands from Carmel, Indiana, which, as far 834 00:48:57,800 --> 00:49:02,000 Speaker 1: as I can tell, Carmel, Indiana, uh has sixty roundabouts, 835 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:05,960 Speaker 1: which is more than any other city in the United States. Yeah, 836 00:49:06,320 --> 00:49:09,880 Speaker 1: how many did you say? Sixty Carmel. Dude now has 837 00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:13,799 Speaker 1: a hundred and five. Wow. Man, they've gone bonkers with 838 00:49:13,840 --> 00:49:16,480 Speaker 1: a hundred. That was July of last year, and they 839 00:49:16,520 --> 00:49:20,880 Speaker 1: have a hundred and forty proposed. Wow. It's the roundabout 840 00:49:20,920 --> 00:49:24,440 Speaker 1: capital of the United States. Well, they also have and 841 00:49:24,640 --> 00:49:27,800 Speaker 1: that's appropriate because they have the roundabout king Or in 842 00:49:27,960 --> 00:49:35,360 Speaker 1: Saints who on October drove his Volkswagen Cabriole around a 843 00:49:35,520 --> 00:49:39,520 Speaker 1: dog Bone roundabout in Carmel for three hours, thirty four 844 00:49:39,560 --> 00:49:43,239 Speaker 1: minutes and thirty three point to four seconds, which set 845 00:49:43,239 --> 00:49:46,960 Speaker 1: a record only because it must have been the first 846 00:49:46,960 --> 00:49:50,880 Speaker 1: time anybody's ever done that. Was He just one of 847 00:49:50,880 --> 00:49:53,719 Speaker 1: those guys. It's not comfortable, so he just kept going 848 00:49:56,400 --> 00:49:58,880 Speaker 1: out to set a record. He he was out to 849 00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:01,320 Speaker 1: set a record, but it all start because he was um. 850 00:50:01,400 --> 00:50:04,440 Speaker 1: He got distracted once and ended up having to go 851 00:50:04,480 --> 00:50:09,160 Speaker 1: around the dog Bone Um roundabout and decided, you know what, 852 00:50:09,280 --> 00:50:11,759 Speaker 1: I'm gonna just set a record here, so we did. 853 00:50:12,480 --> 00:50:14,600 Speaker 1: He's that kind of guy in that kind of town. 854 00:50:16,000 --> 00:50:18,279 Speaker 1: I got some stats for you as far as the 855 00:50:18,320 --> 00:50:22,720 Speaker 1: United States go, American drivers, on average passed through one thousand, 856 00:50:22,760 --> 00:50:27,360 Speaker 1: one eighteen intersections before you encounter a roundabout uh. And 857 00:50:27,440 --> 00:50:29,719 Speaker 1: in France, you were more than twenty five times more 858 00:50:29,760 --> 00:50:33,640 Speaker 1: likely to go through a roundabout than the States. Also 859 00:50:33,800 --> 00:50:39,399 Speaker 1: very big in Germany obviously, Great Britain, Spain, Australia. Uh 860 00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:42,840 Speaker 1: And in fact, Australia, I think his second to France. 861 00:50:42,960 --> 00:50:47,080 Speaker 1: You got through one round about every sixty five intersections. Yeah, 862 00:50:47,200 --> 00:50:50,759 Speaker 1: I saw that. Australia's roundabout crazy too. Uh. And as 863 00:50:50,800 --> 00:50:53,160 Speaker 1: far as the US goes, the state of Florida has 864 00:50:53,200 --> 00:50:56,440 Speaker 1: the most, although the state of Maryland has the highest 865 00:50:56,480 --> 00:51:02,600 Speaker 1: concentration of roundabout. So and Maryland, I believe it's uh, 866 00:51:02,680 --> 00:51:05,120 Speaker 1: you're likely to pass through one once every three hundred 867 00:51:05,120 --> 00:51:10,680 Speaker 1: and sixty three and South Dakota is the least likely 868 00:51:10,920 --> 00:51:16,080 Speaker 1: state number fifty um. And I guess I mean there's 869 00:51:16,080 --> 00:51:18,600 Speaker 1: no one in South Dakota. You don't need roundabouts, It 870 00:51:18,640 --> 00:51:24,520 Speaker 1: makes sense. But it's uh, on average once every hundred 871 00:51:24,560 --> 00:51:29,160 Speaker 1: and six intersections, which I think means there's only one roundabout. 872 00:51:29,440 --> 00:51:31,480 Speaker 1: I think. So it's right in the middle of a 873 00:51:31,520 --> 00:51:34,239 Speaker 1: wagon trail. Yeah. And we you know, we got to 874 00:51:34,320 --> 00:51:40,080 Speaker 1: talk about Swindon, Yes, we do. So. Swindon has something 875 00:51:40,160 --> 00:51:44,120 Speaker 1: that's actually the actual name of it is the Magic roundabout. 876 00:51:44,840 --> 00:51:48,640 Speaker 1: It was originally called County Islands Ring Junction, but it's 877 00:51:48,680 --> 00:51:52,440 Speaker 1: so nuts that they renamed it Magic Roundabout and that 878 00:51:52,560 --> 00:51:54,719 Speaker 1: was a nod to a kids show and that was 879 00:51:54,840 --> 00:51:57,560 Speaker 1: very popular in Europe in the sixties and seventies. Yes, 880 00:51:57,600 --> 00:51:59,759 Speaker 1: Swindon obviously in England. If you're a fan of the 881 00:52:00,000 --> 00:52:03,919 Speaker 1: Ginnel BBC Office then you know about Swindon. It takes 882 00:52:03,920 --> 00:52:05,560 Speaker 1: a lot of guff on that show. It's sort of 883 00:52:05,560 --> 00:52:10,399 Speaker 1: a running joke. Okay, so just setting the stage, is that? 884 00:52:10,400 --> 00:52:13,759 Speaker 1: Where is that where the the British office was set? No, 885 00:52:14,040 --> 00:52:17,040 Speaker 1: but they take on very early in the in the 886 00:52:17,120 --> 00:52:21,080 Speaker 1: in the show, they take on workers from the Swindon 887 00:52:21,160 --> 00:52:23,840 Speaker 1: branch that had closed and there I don't know what 888 00:52:23,960 --> 00:52:25,880 Speaker 1: the inside joke is, but they're just a lot of 889 00:52:25,920 --> 00:52:30,759 Speaker 1: little barbs kind of thrown at Swindon throughout the show. Yeah, 890 00:52:30,880 --> 00:52:33,560 Speaker 1: I could see that, who knows. I've never really watched 891 00:52:33,560 --> 00:52:37,479 Speaker 1: the British version, man, it's so good. The American version 892 00:52:37,520 --> 00:52:39,480 Speaker 1: is pretty great too, is there both great? It's one 893 00:52:39,520 --> 00:52:41,560 Speaker 1: of those rare cases where they just nailed it in 894 00:52:41,640 --> 00:52:45,800 Speaker 1: both both countries. Nice. So in Swindon. Swindon's big claim 895 00:52:45,840 --> 00:52:48,840 Speaker 1: to fame is that they have that that magic roundabout. 896 00:52:49,239 --> 00:52:54,719 Speaker 1: So get this. The magic roundabout is five clockwise roundabouts, 897 00:52:55,120 --> 00:53:02,040 Speaker 1: many roundabouts that form a circle outside a an internal 898 00:53:02,600 --> 00:53:07,680 Speaker 1: big roundabout that goes counterclockwise. Well know, inside an external 899 00:53:07,760 --> 00:53:12,280 Speaker 1: wouldn't it be they're contained within the outer one? Oh okay, 900 00:53:12,360 --> 00:53:15,840 Speaker 1: I thought it was that they were. They were around 901 00:53:15,880 --> 00:53:18,759 Speaker 1: the outside of an inner one. So there's an outer 902 00:53:18,960 --> 00:53:22,840 Speaker 1: one that goes that that the the five are inside. 903 00:53:22,880 --> 00:53:25,880 Speaker 1: That makes way more sense. Yeah, Like, just go to 904 00:53:25,960 --> 00:53:29,240 Speaker 1: wired dot com and there's an article called the Brilliant 905 00:53:29,280 --> 00:53:34,600 Speaker 1: Sorcery of England's seven Circle Magic and they have a 906 00:53:34,600 --> 00:53:39,279 Speaker 1: a little moving graphic of how this thing works. And 907 00:53:39,480 --> 00:53:42,640 Speaker 1: it will as an American and maybe even as a European, 908 00:53:42,760 --> 00:53:46,080 Speaker 1: it will break your brain as a human being. Yeah, 909 00:53:46,239 --> 00:53:48,040 Speaker 1: when you look at this thing, when it shows how 910 00:53:48,080 --> 00:53:51,840 Speaker 1: everything works in motion with different color arrows going around 911 00:53:52,960 --> 00:53:56,960 Speaker 1: like it looks like chaos, but apparently it works. I 912 00:53:56,960 --> 00:53:59,399 Speaker 1: wouldn't want to make you gotta really know what you're doing. 913 00:53:59,480 --> 00:54:01,040 Speaker 1: But if you do know what you're doing, it works. 914 00:54:01,520 --> 00:54:04,640 Speaker 1: I saw over twenty five year period again, and so 915 00:54:04,640 --> 00:54:06,760 Speaker 1: so what I'm seeing here is that there are five 916 00:54:07,239 --> 00:54:10,800 Speaker 1: five of these roundabouts all connected. There's an inner closs 917 00:54:10,840 --> 00:54:14,960 Speaker 1: anti clockwise roundabout, and an outer clockwise roundabout, so it's 918 00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:19,920 Speaker 1: technically seven roundabouts all forming one giant circle. Yeah, that's 919 00:54:19,920 --> 00:54:23,320 Speaker 1: what I'm seeing. Um But despite all this, in twenty 920 00:54:23,320 --> 00:54:26,839 Speaker 1: five years, they've only had fourteen serious accidents and about 921 00:54:26,880 --> 00:54:30,400 Speaker 1: a hundred lesser accidents in twenty five years. Yeah, and 922 00:54:30,400 --> 00:54:34,600 Speaker 1: I think a lot of those involved, uh bicyclists, And 923 00:54:34,640 --> 00:54:36,920 Speaker 1: now they have solved that, they think because there is 924 00:54:37,000 --> 00:54:40,399 Speaker 1: now a cycle lane on the outside of the whole 925 00:54:40,440 --> 00:54:42,920 Speaker 1: thing with something called the pelican crossing. I don't know 926 00:54:42,960 --> 00:54:44,920 Speaker 1: what it is to you, Yes, I looked it up. 927 00:54:45,000 --> 00:54:47,080 Speaker 1: I'm like, that doesn't make any sense. It's called a 928 00:54:47,400 --> 00:54:51,640 Speaker 1: UM pedestrian light controlled crossing. It's kind of like a 929 00:54:51,760 --> 00:54:54,680 Speaker 1: terrible acronym. But if you know, when like you're you 930 00:54:54,680 --> 00:54:57,719 Speaker 1: want to cross, rather than wait for like the light 931 00:54:57,760 --> 00:54:59,480 Speaker 1: to change, you can press the button and the light 932 00:54:59,520 --> 00:55:03,880 Speaker 1: comes on. Everybody has to stop. That's a pelican crossing. Okay, 933 00:55:03,920 --> 00:55:07,160 Speaker 1: So they think that's solved what little, you know problem 934 00:55:07,160 --> 00:55:10,120 Speaker 1: they had with accidents. Yeah, it's pretty impressive, man. I 935 00:55:10,160 --> 00:55:13,200 Speaker 1: think one of the other reasons is there's not more accidents. 936 00:55:13,200 --> 00:55:16,720 Speaker 1: People who don't know what they're doing. Just stay out. Yeah, 937 00:55:17,080 --> 00:55:22,759 Speaker 1: you know, rent a helicopter? Why not you got anything else? 938 00:55:23,200 --> 00:55:25,279 Speaker 1: I got nothing else? I like this one. This is 939 00:55:25,360 --> 00:55:27,160 Speaker 1: to me is one of my favorite kind of stuff 940 00:55:27,160 --> 00:55:30,360 Speaker 1: you should know episodes, civil engineering ones, traffic ones. What 941 00:55:31,040 --> 00:55:33,520 Speaker 1: just sort of like ballpoint pins, like a very rudimentary 942 00:55:33,560 --> 00:55:37,320 Speaker 1: thing that's actually brilliant in its simplicity and has in 943 00:55:37,480 --> 00:55:40,759 Speaker 1: unique history. I love this stuff. Yep. Well, if you 944 00:55:40,760 --> 00:55:44,200 Speaker 1: want to know more about traffic, circles and roundabouts, go watch. 945 00:55:44,239 --> 00:55:47,200 Speaker 1: Some videos are actually kind of mesmerizing. Uh. And you 946 00:55:47,239 --> 00:55:49,240 Speaker 1: will learn to be a better driver as a result, 947 00:55:49,280 --> 00:55:51,080 Speaker 1: and maybe none of us will ever have to wait 948 00:55:51,120 --> 00:55:54,000 Speaker 1: at a red light again. Ever. Uh. And since I 949 00:55:54,000 --> 00:55:58,719 Speaker 1: said that it's time for listener mail, oh no it's not. 950 00:55:59,200 --> 00:56:01,120 Speaker 1: Oh what is the time before? And then well I 951 00:56:01,160 --> 00:56:05,000 Speaker 1: didn't get one. So when occasionally that happens, okay, not 952 00:56:05,080 --> 00:56:06,440 Speaker 1: to say it in get an email. I just did 953 00:56:06,520 --> 00:56:09,640 Speaker 1: not prepare one. I see, I see. But sometimes when 954 00:56:09,680 --> 00:56:13,400 Speaker 1: that happens, we will do this. We will encourage the 955 00:56:13,520 --> 00:56:17,480 Speaker 1: sharing of stuff you should know. Oh yeah, tell some friends, 956 00:56:17,760 --> 00:56:20,960 Speaker 1: tell one person you know, tell tell to tell two 957 00:56:20,960 --> 00:56:23,360 Speaker 1: people that you know how much you love the show. 958 00:56:24,239 --> 00:56:26,560 Speaker 1: If you have not left a rating or a review 959 00:56:26,600 --> 00:56:29,640 Speaker 1: on iTunes that helps us out. We encourage you to 960 00:56:29,680 --> 00:56:32,400 Speaker 1: do that. Yeah, in anyway you can leave a rating 961 00:56:32,480 --> 00:56:35,520 Speaker 1: or review for us, would be great. Absolutely. So we 962 00:56:35,560 --> 00:56:38,400 Speaker 1: don't do this much, but we appreciate the support and 963 00:56:38,440 --> 00:56:41,680 Speaker 1: we encourage you to help spread the good word of 964 00:56:41,760 --> 00:56:45,759 Speaker 1: this little show that's been around forever. Oh yeah, and 965 00:56:45,760 --> 00:56:48,120 Speaker 1: and we should say also to Chuck. Another way to 966 00:56:48,160 --> 00:56:51,040 Speaker 1: spread the word is to go to our merch store 967 00:56:51,320 --> 00:56:53,719 Speaker 1: at t public dot com slash stuff you Should Know, 968 00:56:54,160 --> 00:56:58,160 Speaker 1: and you could buy shirts that are pretty straightforward stuff 969 00:56:58,200 --> 00:57:00,640 Speaker 1: you should know stuff, and then some really our cane 970 00:57:00,719 --> 00:57:04,400 Speaker 1: ones that are basically like one off joke references that 971 00:57:04,480 --> 00:57:06,520 Speaker 1: sometimes even me and Chuck are like, wait, what does 972 00:57:06,600 --> 00:57:10,200 Speaker 1: this mean? But but they're good, like the Lewis the 973 00:57:10,280 --> 00:57:13,719 Speaker 1: Child Skeptic shirt, which I love. Sure, we got a 974 00:57:13,800 --> 00:57:17,000 Speaker 1: great band name shirts, we got way back Machine shirts. Yeah, 975 00:57:17,040 --> 00:57:20,400 Speaker 1: don't yuck someone's yum. Yeah. We have the standard stuff 976 00:57:20,400 --> 00:57:23,880 Speaker 1: you should Know logo and all kinds of shirts and 977 00:57:24,000 --> 00:57:27,479 Speaker 1: coffee mugs and that we're finally doing merch right and 978 00:57:27,840 --> 00:57:30,160 Speaker 1: have a good little story going. Yeah. So there's a 979 00:57:30,200 --> 00:57:32,000 Speaker 1: lot of ways to show your love for us, but 980 00:57:32,080 --> 00:57:34,840 Speaker 1: The biggest way of all is to just say hi 981 00:57:35,040 --> 00:57:37,760 Speaker 1: once in a while and say, hey, dudes, I like 982 00:57:37,880 --> 00:57:40,640 Speaker 1: to hear what you guys have to do if that 983 00:57:40,720 --> 00:57:42,840 Speaker 1: makes us feel like a million bucks. And you can 984 00:57:42,880 --> 00:57:45,240 Speaker 1: do that by going to our website, stuff you Should 985 00:57:45,280 --> 00:57:48,240 Speaker 1: Know dot com and finding all of our social links there. 986 00:57:48,720 --> 00:57:51,080 Speaker 1: And you can also drop us a line by email 987 00:57:51,560 --> 00:58:00,440 Speaker 1: at stuff podcast at how stuff works dot com. For 988 00:58:00,520 --> 00:58:03,080 Speaker 1: more on this and thousands of other topics, visit how 989 00:58:03,120 --> 00:58:10,440 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. H