Mini roundabout - over or round?

[gfoot]

Yes, it doesn't make sense to have two lanes on approach if there's not room for two lanes on the roundabout. The right lane is aimed squarely at the disc and any attempt to drive around the disc would involve cutting up the traffic in the left lane. Maybe that counts as it being physically impossible to drive around!

[foxtrot_mike]

I cant see what the issue on these, id go round them, but then again i havent driven them

I encounter regularly this roundabout http://goo.gl/rQybB and before I started doing AD i would go around it, but I have since started going over it again.

Im going straight on from Tower Road into North Quay Hill

Why?

I have gone around this but I have been cut up by drivers emerging from Beacon Road (signalling right, or not doesnt make much difference), actually in real life the junction looks to be at 12 o Clock rather than past 12 so its not obvious to signal right.

The other reason why I go over it is to maintain my point of vision down the hill, the cars parked generally obscure that, particualy in the hight of summer pedestrians will be walking up the road so It is important that they see me and I see them.

It is a dead end going that way and you often get vehicles reversing out into the roundabout,

It is very tight for 2 way traffic but sometimes you have to squeeze in otherwise youd never get anywhere, but for anything reversing or people or vans or taxis stopped to offload things by the pub you have to wait, and sometimes you have to wait at the give way line to allow people to progress from Beacon Road but you will always get an ignorant so and so with their hand on the horn behind you.

The rule book has to be thrown out of the window on this one

[crr003]

The rule book has to be thrown out of the window on this one

Commonsense notwithstanding, what would you do on Test with a copper sitting next to you?

[GJD]

I cant see what the issue on these, id go round them, but then again i havent driven them

The issue arises when going round instead of over is counter-intuitive and/or difficult to achieve .

[foxtrot_mike]

The rule book has to be thrown out of the window on this one

Commonsense notwithstanding, what would you do on Test with a copper sitting next to you?

Perhaps this goes for everyone on this thread who goes over not round, why single me out?

[Gareth]

The rule book has to be thrown out of the window on this one

Commonsense notwithstanding, what would you do on Test with a copper sitting next to you?

Perhaps this goes for everyone on this thread who goes over not round, why single me out?

It's a good question for you and for everyone else. It tests your confidence in what you've said.

I'd be inclined to go very slowly around, probably initially signalling right while heading slightly to the left of the blob.

I think the main reason for going over is to go quicker, and I don't have a problem with going slowly.

[kfae8959]

I think the main reason for going over is to go quicker, and I don't have a problem with going slowly.

Me neither, but there are other factors to do with shared knowledge (or local habits). Near me, for example, most drivers who do give way stop their cars well over their give-way line, which doesn't leave enough room to get between their front bumper and the white paint. As mentioned before, if it's expected that drivers turning right will ignore the roundabout, driving round it may give those waiting to enter the roundabout the impression that, however you may be signalling, you're not turning right after all.

I do almost always go round, but sometimes I wonder if that isn't more out of cussedness than anything else!

David

[crr003]

The rule book has to be thrown out of the window on this one

Commonsense notwithstanding, what would you do on Test with a copper sitting next to you?

Perhaps this goes for everyone on this thread who goes over not round, why single me out?

Because you've got "Associate" in your signature.

[drm567]

Some really interesting responses, thanks.

Perhaps I should make clear that I'm only thinking about painted circles, not raised circles.

I think the main reason for going over is to go quicker, and I don't have a problem with going slowly.

Not so much to go quicker, more to smooth out the path that the car is taking. And this point

for example, most drivers who do give way stop their cars well over their give-way line, which doesn't leave enough room to get between their front bumper and the white paint.

applies particularly at the one I illustrated in my second post. I went back to this one today, going straight over south to north, and (with no other traffic about) went round, rather than my usual over. Even in a Corsa there isn't much room to get round, and you are making a significant turn into the side turning to do the manoeuvre.

I encounter regularly this roundabout http://goo.gl/rQybB and before I started doing AD i would go around it, but I have since started going over it again.

This one gives a superb example. Imagine that you are emerging from Fore Street and turning right to go down North Quay Hill. Does it really make sense to go round? Even with other vehicles about, if you are signalling and they clearly understand your intention surely it makes sense to 'cut the corner'?

In a car - I would go round normally to the left with a right signal (if necessary) and completely miss the white paint without confusing any other road user - I do not see what the problem is

The 'problem' for me is that we as advanced drivers now what we are doing, and know that we are sending out the correct signals, unfortunately the vast majority of drivers are only concentrating on the space immediately in front of their vehicle, do not have the same enhanced anticipation skills as us and may be completely confused by our actions.

Commonsense notwithstanding, what would you do on Test with a copper sitting next to you?

. Interesting question. I think I would go over, explaining what I'm doing and why.

The issue arises when going round instead of over is counter-intuitive and/or difficult to achieve

And this, for me sums up the issue better than all of my ramblings!

[ROG]

ROG wrote:
In a car - I would go round normally to the left with a right signal (if necessary) and completely miss the white paint without confusing any other road user - I do not see what the problem is

The 'problem' for me is that we as advanced drivers now what we are doing, and know that we are sending out the correct signals, unfortunately the vast majority of drivers are only concentrating on the space immediately in front of their vehicle, do not have the same enhanced anticipation skills as us and may be completely confused by our actions.

Then as advanced drivers we should be aware that others may not view our intentions as they should and make plans for that

The alternative is to do it incorrectly because others think we should !!

[GJD]

The alternative is to do it incorrectly because others think we should !!

That's one reason you might do it incorrectly. Another could be that you think it's safer.

[gfoot]

I encounter regularly this roundabout http://goo.gl/rQybB and before I started doing AD i would go around it, but I have since started going over it again.

This one gives a superb example. Imagine that you are emerging from Fore Street and turning right to go down North Quay Hill. Does it really make sense to go round? Even with other vehicles about, if you are signalling and they clearly understand your intention surely it makes sense to 'cut the corner'?

Judging from the map, I'd definitely go around that one, especially if there were other vehicles about. Cutting the corner there looks especially dangerous with so many feed-in roads - you could easily end up in conflict with other drivers. On a mini-roundabout of that size there's enough room for two vehicles to join at once from opposite directions without interfering with each other. Now while I'd tend to avoid being second on, being wary that other people do cut across, when I'm first on I'd still want to choose my own path to allow another to also join without ending up head-to-head. The worst case if I go around the paint is somebody misinterprets my intention and pulls out in front of me - in which case I'll stop safely and wave them on.

I guess maybe you could choose to view the painted circle like a dotted white line - in the absence of other traffic who might get confused or offended, perhaps you could choose to disregard it to straighten your line. However, the Highway Code does use capitals here so unlike dotted white lines, this is also against the law, and for me I'm afraid that is enough motivation to make a significant effort to go around, even if that means tighter cornering, lower speeds, and occasionally ceding my right of way.

[brianhaddon]

I would say that I have rarely come across a painted roundabout that I couldn't go round at (to paraphrase Gareth) an appropriate speed, and I must say have not experienced problems in doing so. I have not looked at all the examples on the thread but those I have looked at it seems possible to negotiate them the way the HC dictates. The one exception that comes to mind to me was on one occasion when I did as ROG suggested (although I believe these situations should be picked with care) - 'The alternative is to do it incorrectly because others think we should !!' - And that was when I was following a diversion off a motorway along A and B roads and in a long line of traffic. We came upon this mini roundabout and everyone in front of me cut a path across it. To do otherwise at that time would have caused confusion to say the least so I followed suit.
Regards
Brian Haddon

[playtent]

I'd drive over it but following the course of an island as intended, i.e not go completely the wrong side of it.
If I drive half on it, what difference does it make?

[GJD]

I encounter regularly this roundabout http://goo.gl/rQybB and before I started doing AD i would go around it, but I have since started going over it again.

This one gives a superb example. Imagine that you are emerging from Fore Street and turning right to go down North Quay Hill. Does it really make sense to go round? Even with other vehicles about, if you are signalling and they clearly understand your intention surely it makes sense to 'cut the corner'?

Judging from the map, I'd definitely go around that one, especially if there were other vehicles about. Cutting the corner there looks especially dangerous with so many feed-in roads - you could easily end up in conflict with other drivers.

Which other drivers do you think you might come into conflict with? Turning right from Fore Street into North Quay Hill, if you ignored the white paint and took the 'natural' line, it looks from the photo that you'd be quite significantly further away from all three of the other three feed-in roads.