The coolest roundabout ever!
- Thread starter Tsingtao_1903
- Start date
Is the speed limit 33.33 mph?
The traffic lights on the main N and S (one-way) streets in Baltimore used to be* aligned so that a constant speed of 33 mph** allowed a stop-free drive from Pratt Street (downtown/Inner Harbor) to 29th St ("uptown", just south of Hopkins, where the road structure becomes less rectilinear).
Or, at least, so my father always maintained. I can tell you that from my commuting days in B-more, it was true, on those rather uncommon days that such speed could be maintained, that one could cover the bulk of the city proper with, usually, one traffic light stop (usually North Avenue).
ahem. Where were we? Rotaries (as we know 'em in New England -- tool of the Devil that they be
).
vinoly.com
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* perhaps still is.
** The speed limit was 30 -- draw your own conclusions.
Or, at least, so my father always maintained. I can tell you that from my commuting days in B-more, it was true, on those rather uncommon days that such speed could be maintained, that one could cover the bulk of the city proper with, usually, one traffic light stop (usually North Avenue).
ahem. Where were we? Rotaries (as we know 'em in New England -- tool of the Devil that they be
).Laguna Garzón Bridge
vinoly.com
_________________
* perhaps still is.
** The speed limit was 30 -- draw your own conclusions.
JoeThePop
Known member
The traffic lights on the main N and S (one-way) streets in Baltimore used to be* aligned so that a constant speed of 33 mph** allowed a stop-free drive from Pratt Street (downtown/Inner Harbor) to 29th St ("uptown", just south of Hopkins, where the road structure becomes less rectilinear).
Or, at least, so my father always maintained. I can tell you that from my commuting days in B-more, it was true, on those rather uncommon days that such speed could be maintained, that one could cover the bulk of the city proper with, usually, one traffic light stop (usually North Avenue).
ahem. Where were we? Rotaries (as we know 'em in New England -- tool of the Devil that they be
View attachment 75986
View attachment 75987Laguna Garzón Bridge
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* perhaps still is.
** The speed limit was 30 -- draw your own conclusions.
What the heck is the purpose of this “rotary”? To slow people down?
To enjoy the scenery.
I used to enjoy the scenery from the Concord and Fresh Pond (Cambridge) rotaries twice a day in the Bay State. On Fridays, often for quite a while.
They've spruced these up a bit since the early '90s when I was slogging in to Cambridge. For example, they've removed the signs that said:
😎
JoeThePop
Known member
To enjoy the scenery.
I used to enjoy the scenery from the Concord and Fresh Pond (Cambridge) rotaries twice a day in the Bay State. On Fridays, often for quite a while.
View attachment 75994
View attachment 75993
They've spruced these up a bit since the early '90s when I was slogging in to Cambridge. For example, they've removed the signs that said:
It’s really not that difficult, but watching this video made my brain hurt.🤦♂️
I actually like roundabouts (or rotaries for that matter). They make driving into an intersection that much more exciting.
JoeThePop
Known member
I love roundabouts. Except when I’m behind a person that doesn’t know that once they are in the roundabout, they don’t have to yield to people outside the roundabout.
Utica Rd. at Dodge Park...right by Shelby Twp. city hall. Countless times, I'd encounter someone, usually an older person, who would slam on their brakes while poking their way through the circle. 😡 (My youngest went to Stevevnson, so I was there at least once a week.)
I still call them traffic circles. And IMHO, all the traffic circles in MI are poorly engineered. Traffic circles don't need right turn lanes! 🤦♂️ I first encountered them back in the mid 80s on Hilton Head Island. Got so I could fly around those easily, keeping the traffic flowing.
Whatever you wish to call them -- they are of the Devil.
JoeThePop
Known member
😂 You New Englanders and your devil. I say burn ye all thee rotaries. They be the devil’s spawn!!Whatever you wish to call them -- they are of the Devil.
I used to design in-car Sat Nav systems.
This is The Magic Roundabout.
www.atlasobscura.com
This is The Magic Roundabout.
Swindon Magic Roundabout
This hilarious English intersection is an automotive whirlpool.
www.atlasobscura.com
JoeThePop
Known member
I spent several minutes trying to figure out how this could possibly work before realizing that i was looking at it wrong. This is in the UK where they drive on the wrong side of the road. Now it’s… nah it’s still not clear how this works.I used to design in-car Sat Nav systems.
This is The Magic Roundabout.
Swindon Magic Roundabout
This hilarious English intersection is an automotive whirlpool.
JoeThePop
Known member
I fear Americans are far too rude and aggressive for that magic.
Funnily enough, my son shared that roundabout with me a while back (Feb. 2023). I even posted it on the Polk forums.
I cannot easily point to the exact post, but it's on this page of a long-running thread there.
From the Polk forum post:
I said...
The other thing I found interesting about the photo -- the roundabout(s) is/are full of cars, but the approach roads are empty.
I pointed this out to my son, and told him that this effect is what chemical kineticists would call a gate.
His response:
Kinda reminds me of the electron density map of benzene.
I cannot easily point to the exact post, but it's on this page of a long-running thread there.
Post a picture... any picture - Page 838
forum.polkaudio.com
From the Polk forum post:
I said...
The other thing I found interesting about the photo -- the roundabout(s) is/are full of cars, but the approach roads are empty.
I pointed this out to my son, and told him that this effect is what chemical kineticists would call a gate.
His response:
That's my boy! 😎
Kinda reminds me of the electron density map of benzene.
Oh.
And.
On the subject of intersection design and why magic mushrooms should never be involved...
The erstwhile "Dave Thomas Circle" (as it was colloquially refered to) in Washington DC.
Also discussed on the Polk forums at some point.
Remember that rational humanists designed the plan of Washington.
Maybe there was ergot in their daily bread (to borrow, and only slightly mangle, a great quote from Bruce Cockburn).
WaPo's article, written before the Wendy's demise, is excellent.
And.
On the subject of intersection design and why magic mushrooms should never be involved...
The erstwhile "Dave Thomas Circle" (as it was colloquially refered to) in Washington DC.
Also discussed on the Polk forums at some point.
Remember that rational humanists designed the plan of Washington.
Maybe there was ergot in their daily bread (to borrow, and only slightly mangle, a great quote from Bruce Cockburn).
WaPo's article, written before the Wendy's demise, is excellent.
Dude.
It's like, pentagrams 'n' $#!t ?!
L’Enfant’s sacred design for Washington DC
Pierre L’Enfant created the physical framework for a resilient, dynamic, and sometimes disorienting city—now the hidden celestrial meaning behind the patterns is finally revealed.
