# Roundabout hysteria

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roundabout-hysteria/1028186>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 4, 2026, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roundabout-hysteria/1028186 "2026-03-04T07:29:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 210

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**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roundabout-hysteria/1028186/210 "2026-05-21T15:50:56Z")

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> [@Spiderman](#):
>
> No, not all the time. I can think of at least two where the main road has the right of way, which means cars already in the roundabout have to yield to those entering from a certain direction.
> 
> Those two also have multiple lanes & are both uneven entry/exit points, meaning _not_ 90°. I never know which lane I should properly be in. If I want to take the third exit if I’m in the inside lane in the beginning to not be in the way now there may be a car in the outside lane that I need to navigate around to exit, & if I’m in the outside lane & wanting to continue maybe the car on the inside lane wants to exit. There are no standards which makes for chaos.  
> One of those two also has a traffic light approaching it from either end of the main road; there is _no_ intersection at that traffic light but there is a sign on the light about “Light controls flow into the circle” What is the point of having the ‘efficiency’ a circle if they still need a traffic light to maintain that efficiency?

I went thru one of the above circles last night, I was going N & wanted to go W, so about 270° around the right side; however, it’s actually a 180° & then a 90° right as it’s more of an oval than a circle. Southbound traffic (coming from the north) has the right of way entering the circle so I was looking to my right to see if there was any traffic coming south that I needed to yield to even though I was already in the circle as I’m simultaneously changing from the inner lane to the outer lane (yes, I checked my right side mirror, I was the only car) when all of a sudden there’s headlights in my face. Someone, whether idjit, drunk, or confused (looking at Google Maps, drive view I do see not one but _two_ yellow signs showing an upcoming circle; don’t know if they were there last night, though) took the 90° from West to North, _against_ the flow of traffic.  
If I had the right of way in the circle I would have seen him much sooner as that’s where my eyes would have been & not so narrowly missed an accident.

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