signaling in rotaries

[cos]

I want to start a trend.

Several years ago I heard that in some places in Europe, people signal in rotaries - err, "traffic circles", for readers outside of New England. When they're in the rotary going around, they signal pointing into the circle. When they pass the last exit before the one they want to take - IOW, when they plan to take the next exit out of the rotary - they signal out from the circle. That way, people know which cars are trying to go around and which cars are trying to get out where.

As soon as I heard it, I thought it made a lot of sense, and started doing it. I hope that if people see me, some of them might like the idea and start doing the same thing. I've been signaling in rotaries for a few years, and I have no idea if anyone else has been swayed. I don't recall seeing any other cars doing it. But maybe if they saw it happen more often, if more of us did it, it might catch on.

Anyone wanna try?

Comments

[safetybitch.livejournal.com]

You've been to Seattle, right? I can only think of one or two large traffic circles, of the kind you mean, but the smaller neighbourhoods are riddles with circles in almost every intersection. The idea is that traffic always goes to the right, and signals, and therefore goes slowly through residential areas.

The reality is that people go whatever direction they find more convenient, at whatever speed they feel like, and we are constantly responding to MVAs in these areas. Meanwhile, though they don't slow down normal traffic, since small cars can fit around the circles, it is impossible for something like an ambulance to make a real turn... and the fire engines are forced to drive straight over the circles. Which becomes somewhat harder when people helpfully plant trees and the like in those circles.

This rant brought to you by the uncontrollable laughter caused by the thought of trying to convince Seattle drivers to signal.