jfb@houxt.UUCP (11/07/84)
Who has the right of way on traffic circles?
2141smh@aluxe.UUCP (henning) (11/08/84)
**** ****
From the keys of Steve Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA aluxe!2141smh
> Who has the right of way on traffic circles?
Traffic coming from the right has the right-of-way unless other-
wise posted. Thus usually the people getting on a traffic circle
have the right of way in the US. In GB where traffic goes clock-
wise on a traffic circle, the cars on the circle have the right-of-
way.hrs@houxb.UUCP (H.SILBIGER) (11/08/84)
< Who has the right of way on trafic circles? Answer: Whoever exercises it!
mdg@ariel.UUCP (M.GALE) (11/08/84)
And the winner is: He with the least to lose or has the biggest/fastest tank. In the event of a tie, the sole judge will be the traffic cop. From the Land of U-turns, mdgale
mr@isrnix.UUCP (michael regoli) (11/09/84)
[:]
As the most general rule in driving, the right-of-way belongs
to the first person at the scene. If non applicable, use the
second most general rule: (if the first rule conflicts due to
simultaneous arrival) yield right-of-way to the person/car on
YOUR right.
Next week..."Driving on Modern Superhighways"...
--
.:.
/.\ michael regoli
'|-|` ...ihnp4!inuxc!iuvax!isrnix!mrprins@cornell.UUCP (Jan Prins) (11/09/84)
>> Who has the right of way on traffic circles? >Traffic coming from the right has the right-of-way unless other- >wise posted. Thus usually the people getting on a traffic circle >have the right of way in the US. In GB where traffic goes clock- >wise on a traffic circle, the cars on the circle have the right-of- >way. Traffic on the circle has right of way in all European countries, whether it moves clockwise or not. This rule assures that a traffic deadlock is impossible. Consider an American traffic circle at "full load" with cars exercising their right of way at each entrance! cornell!prins.
kpmartin@watmath.UUCP (Kevin Martin) (11/09/84)
>> Who has the right of way on traffic circles? > >Traffic coming from the right has the right-of-way unless other- >wise posted. Thus usually the people getting on a traffic circle >have the right of way in the US. In GB where traffic goes clock- >wise on a traffic circle, the cars on the circle have the right-of- >way. I suspect that in Great Britain, the 'right-of-way to the right' rule is reflected, just as the rest of the driving rules are. In Ontario, the person to the right has right of way if the two vehicles arrive at the intersection at the same time, provided there are no stop or yield signs. However, another section prohibits turning or changing lanes when other traffic makes it unsafe to do so. This particular section is also the one which requires turn signals for lane changes and turns. This section effectively gives right of way to the vehicles which are going straight through an intersection (or in the case of a traffic circle, to the cars already in the circle). I suspect that most places have a similar rule, otherwise, large thoroughfares would be clogged by cars entring from side streets due to their having right of way. Deciding what constitutes a traffic circle would be tough; I've seen intersections in Boston and Washington which might at one time have been traffic circles, but the streets are now so wide that the circle has been distorted almost beyond recognition...
mac@tesla.UUCP (Michael Mc Namara) (11/09/84)
I HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY.
(said by the driver of an 10 wheel rig pulling two trailers..)ajaym@ihu1h.UUCP (Jay Mitchell) (11/09/84)
The whole traffic circle question seems to me to be state dependent. In Boston, I understand that entering traffic has the right of way. Being from Maryland, I know that in D.C., traffic IN the circle has the right of way. The latter certainly makes more sense to me, but then when I was lost, I would go around a few dozen time thinking about the best way to get out! -- ------------------------- Jay Mitchell ihnp4!ihu1h!ajaym -------------------------
stumpf@homxa.UUCP (P.STUMPF) (11/09/84)
Q. Who has right-of-way? According to the US Uniform Code of Traffic Control Devices, or something like that, the car in the traffic circle has the right of way. In France, the car entering the circle has the right of way, which, as discussed, can lead to jams. The US regulations are as stated, but remember: DRIVE DEFENSIVELY. (You don't want to be dead right.) ..Pete..
wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (11/09/84)
Depends on the State you are in. Re.: Traffic circles that fall on the border between Maryland and the District of Columbia. In DC, the car entering the circle has the right-of-way. In Maryland, the car in the circle has the right of way. (Or maybe it's vica versa) Anyway, it makes for some interesting driving. I used to live a block from the one on Wisconsin Ave. There were some great fender benders with two sets of cops trying to sort out the details. T. C. Wheeler
hrs@houxb.UUCP (H.SILBIGER) (11/09/84)
Accordinf to official NJ rules, traffic on the circle has the right-of-way.
tierney@fortune.UUCP (Charles Tierney) (11/09/84)
In article <486@houxt.UUCP> jfb@houxt.UUCP writes: >Who has the right of way on traffic circles? Depends very much where you are. In civilized places, the right of way is granted *to the automobile IN the traffic circle* In the Boston area, the right of way is granted *to the automobile which REFUSES to grant right of way* (snicker) Charlie Tierney
jm@tekig.UUCP (Jeff Mizener) (11/09/84)
-------- [] >> Who has the right of way on traffic circles? >From the keys of Steve Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA aluxe!2141smh > >Traffic coming from the right has the right-of-way unless other- >wise posted. Thus usually the people getting on a traffic circle >have the right of way in the US. In GB where traffic goes clock- >wise on a traffic circle, the cars on the circle have the right-of- >way. The reason that traffic circles don't work very well in the US is that we drive on the right. Were we to drive on the left (GB, AUS, JPN), the default right-of-way (yield to the right) would work, and nobody would get confused. I have been in many a city with traffic circles in the US and NONE OF THEM ALLOW THE CAR ENTERING THE CIRCLE TO HAVE RIGHT-OF-WAY. If they did, no traffic could proceed and we'd have a massive jam. Every traffic circle I've seen in the US has GREAT BIG YIELD SIGNS to tell the (pardon me please) average dim-bulb driver that s/he has to pay attention (for a change), and that the traffic in the circle has right-of-way. I believe in traffic circles. They are a great alternative to traffic lights. The only problem being that they require more intellegence to use than a traffic light. For this reason their applications will be limited. Come to think of it, there are lots of great big traffic circles in non-left-driving europe. They don't have any problem there, but I guess they tell their kids about them in Drivers Ed. And speaking of drivers ed, I think we should go to the British System. They make the learners drive about in cars with great big red "L"s on the back, and they can't drive without someone who's been licensed for 5 or so years and they can only drive between certain hours and the tests are harder and.... Sorry. I haven't editorialized recently. Have a Leaded Premium Day. Jeff Mizener / Tektronix Portables ADG / Beaverton OR {ucbvax,decvax,purdue,uw-beaver,hplabs,allegra,ihnp4,ogcvax}!tektronix!tekadg!jm ARPA: tekadg!jm.tek@udel-relay CSnet: tekadg!jm@tek
gvcormack@watdaisy.UUCP (Gordon V. Cormack) (11/10/84)
The following are the rules for traffic circles in the Alberta, and I suspect they also hold for most of North America. First, the rule about the person on the right having right-of-way is a red herring. Traffic circles are composed of two concentric lanes. The only time you should drive in the outer lane is if you are going to take the next exit. On entering the circle, you must yield to anyone already there. If you are planning to take the first exit (i.e. turn right 90 degrees) you stay in the right lane. Otherwise go directly to the left (innermost) lane. Then when your exit comes up you merely exit from the centre lane. There is no need to shoulder check as you are not allowed to cross an exit in the right lane. These rules are really not as complicated as they seem, and do work well. If you think about it, these rules are one the the very few that do not lead to deadlock in heavy traffic situations. P.S. In France, you do yield to the right, causing unbelievable traffic jams.
mdg@ariel.UUCP (M.GALE) (11/10/84)
Remember- The best defense is a good offense. michael "I have BIG bumpers" gale
ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (11/10/84)
In New Jersey, traffic already in the circle has right of way.
gordon@cae780.UUCP (Brian Gordon) (11/10/84)
[Living sacrifice to assuage the gods of first lines . . .]
Gee, and I thought everyone used the "Boston traffic rules" at traffic
circles - the car in greatest need of body work has the right of way ;-)
FROM: Brian G. Gordon, CAE Systems
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The license plate reads "BARI".mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate) (11/11/84)
In article <2381@tekig.UUCP> jm@tekig.UUCP (Jeff Mizener) writes: >I believe in traffic circles. They are a great alternative to traffic >lights. The only problem being that they require more intellegence to >use than a traffic light. For this reason their applications will be >limited. Being a lifetime D.C. area resident, I have to disagree. The only thing around here that causes more traffic accidents then traffic circles are people who fail to signal when changing lanes on the Beltway (New Yorkers, are you listening?). The problem is that when you have as much traffic as we do, you have to have traffic lights to regulate the flow of traffic into the circle. It only takes one goon taking the right-of-way illegally to bottle the whole thing up. Traffic lights and circles do not work well together, especially with regard to synchronization. We also have a lot of circles around here with MANY roads meeting at once (Dupont Circle has 14 different approaches and is universally recognized as the most dangerous place in D.C. to drive a car). I personally would rather see a well-synchronized system of traffic lights. D.C. for years had a number of corridors which allowed rapid travel through the city unimpeded by red lights; Virginia and Maryland are both grossly difficient in this regard. Route 7 in Virginia is awful to have to drive on, because you are almost guaranteed to stop at every light-- and there are many. Charley Wingate umcp-cs!mangoe
stern@inmet.UUCP (11/11/84)
In order:
(1) 18-wheel trucks
(2) Buses
(3) Station wagons with many dents
(4) Large cars with fewer dents
(5) People driving and reading the newspaper at the same time
(6) small cars held together by body filler
(7) pedestrians
(8) new cars with timid drivers
(9) out of staters
That's the way it is in Boston, at least.
In all seriousness, people already on the circle have the right of way,
but they are supposed to be in the inner lane of the circle. People
getting on the circle are supposed to start in the outside lane and
get left if they go far enough around to pass another major road
dumping into the circle. I would guess that almost nobody knows the
real rules (including me!) so just look very carefully before doing
anything.
Hal Stern
{ihnp4, harpo, esquire, ima}!inmet!sternmickey@cca.UUCP (Mickey Levine) (11/12/84)
If I remember right, Boston finally changed with the rest of the world and decided that those in the circle have the right of way (I think they changed the law about 2 years ago. But knowing the local traffic, it's every man for himself. Mickey Levine decvax!cca!mickey Brought to you by the people that invented the "three through a stop sign" law. It was taken off the books 7 years ago, but be careful the next time your at a Mass. stop sign.....
dmm@browngr.UUCP (David Margolis) (11/12/84)
Traffic on the traffic circle has the right of way. Saying that traffic coming from the right and thus entering the circle has the right of way is like saying entrance ramps merging on to interstates have the right of way also.
alien@gcc-opus.ARPA (Alien Wells) (11/12/84)
In article <493@aluxe.UUCP> 2141smh@aluxe.UUCP (henning) writes: >**** **** >> Who has the right of way on traffic circles? > >Traffic coming from the right has the right-of-way unless other- >wise posted. Thus usually the people getting on a traffic circle >have the right of way in the US. In GB where traffic goes clock- >wise on a traffic circle, the cars on the circle have the right-of- >way. WRONG!!!!! You, and many other people here in Massachusetts I might add, are totally wrong. There is an explicit law in states with rotaries (traffic circles) which says that people in a rotary have right of way over people coming into them, unless specifically marked otherwise (with yields, stop lights, etc.). Also note that in GB, people drive on the other side of the road. People to the LEFT have default right of way there, yet they also give right of way to people already in a rotary. Experience shows that rotaries have over twice the bandwidth when people drive correctly in them. Unfortunately, people coming into rotaries generally have greater speed, and thus more of an 'intimidation factor'. Actually, there was a bill here in Mass to change the law to what you suggest. Fortunately, it was defeated. There is nothing more frustrating than a rotary suffering from total grid-lock because every entrance is jammed with people who think they have the right of way. Alien
ems@amdahl.UUCP (Edward Michael Smith) (11/12/84)
> > In article <2381@tekig.UUCP> jm@tekig.UUCP (Jeff Mizener) writes: > > >I believe in traffic circles. They are a great alternative to traffic > >lights. The only problem being that they require more intellegence to > >use than a traffic light. For this reason their applications will be > >limited. > > > I personally would rather see a well-synchronized system of traffic lights. > > Charley Wingate umcp-cs!mangoe Then, of course, there is the California solution. Put everthing on a Freeway... (You mean there are still barbaric lands where people have to come to a halt and pay to use the road???) Trafic circles are fun. Not very safe and a real thrill to share with a semi (18 wheeler truck), but loads of fun. At least when an accident clogs up a freeway onramp it doesn't stop the whole show... (Then again, seems like our freeways often don't move at all...) -- E. Michael Smith ...!{hplabs,ihnp4,amd,nsc}!amdahl!ems The opinions expressed by me are not necessarily those of anyone. (How can a company have an opinion, anyway...)
wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (11/13/84)
References: <2381@tekig.UUCP>, <977@umcp-cs.UUCP> On the other hand, D. C. has more traffic lights per square inch than anyplace in the world. And none are synchronized. AAARRRGGGGHHHHH. T. C. Wheeler
emh@bonnie.UUCP (Edward M. Hummel) (11/14/84)
>> >> Who has the right of way on traffic circles? > >Traffic coming from the right has the right-of-way unless other- >wise posted. Thus usually the people getting on a traffic circle >have the right of way in the US. In GB where traffic goes clock- >wise on a traffic circle, the cars on the circle have the right-of- >way. According to the state of New Jersey Driver's Manual the right of way belongs to traffic already in the circle. I believe that the regulation is the same in New York. Ed Hummel {ihnp4,allegra,burl,cmcl2,...}!clyde!bonnie!emh
phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) (11/16/84)
> >Traffic coming from the right has the right-of-way unless other- > >wise posted. Thus usually the people getting on a traffic circle > >have the right of way in the US. In GB where traffic goes clock- > >wise on a traffic circle, the cars on the circle have the right-of- > >way. In GB, doesn't traffic coming from the LEFT have the "right-of-way"? -- The girls just want to chfn but the boys just want to fsck. Phil Ngai (408) 749-5588 UUCP: {ucbvax,decwrl,ihnp4,allegra,intelca}!amd!amdcad!phil ARPA: amd!amdcad!phil@decwrl.ARPA
pennell@isosvax.UUCP (T.A. Pennell) (11/16/84)
You REALLY haven't lived until you've tried driving in Paris. The city has
about 9000 traffic circles. The right-of-way rule ( The vehicle approaching
from the right has the right of way) is strictly enforced throughout Europe
and in England also. This gets a little confusing when you are driving on
what seems to be the "wrong" side of the road. Therefore, in France, cars
ENTERING a counter-clockwise traffic circle have the ROW. The Parisian driver
typically barges straight into a circle WITHOUT LOOKING TO HIS LEFT AT ALL.
What's even more interesting is that they usually drive all the way in to the
center, turn right, then turn hard right again to exit the circle. They do
this even if they're only going to the next radial spoke. In England, the
circles run clockwise, which means that the cars ALREADY IN the circle have
the ROW. Makes it kind of chancey for getting in in the first place. Both
countries have large numbers of cars per available road mile, so you'll
seldom get through a traffic circle ("roundabout" in England) without
encountering another vehicle and applying the proper ROW rule. The best thing
to do when in Paris is let a Parisian drive the car. You just keep your eyes
closed.
T.A. Pennell
--
"You can tell he's a British car nut. There's a puddle of oil under his chair."ayers@convex.UUCP (11/20/84)
********************* On the other hand, D. C. has more traffic lights per square inch than anyplace in the world. And none are synchronized. AAARRRGGGGHHHHH. ********************* So what's the problem? NO ONE in DC obeys the lights (at least during rush hour). They just jam bumper to bumper and keep inching along... blues, II (If you meet the Buddha on the road, say hi for me)