Driving rant: PLEASE stop this!!

[flycy]

Seems pretty clear that time of arrival doesn’t matter as it’s never mentioned.

https://iowadot.gov/media/7310/download?inline&utm_source=chatgpt.com

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It's mentioned elsewhere and says first arriving goes first with no mention of turning or going strait. This assumes simultaneous. Gives way to different interpretations.

I got my first taste of traffic circles in Riyhad Saudia Arabia. What you learned there is to never make eye contact with other drivers or you would be expected to get out of the way.

 

[simply1]

It's mentioned elsewhere and says first arriving goes first with no mention of turning or going strait. This assumes simultaneous. Gives way to different interpretations.

I got my first taste of traffic circles in Riyhad Saudia Arabia. What you learned there is to never make eye contact with other drivers or you would be expected to get out of the way.

First arrival at a four way stop sign intersection? Everything I’ve found says that right of way has priority for every other situation.

 

[Gonzo]

So what happens if another car also going straight pulls up behind that vehicle going straight etc. Do they all go first? The real rules only will matter in court. I would allow the car arriving first to go first, but in either case proceed cautiously and watch other driver. Nothing I hate more than two tentative drivers at an impasse.

No, they're all pulling up to stop signs. So there's vehicle #1 at their stop sign that intends to go straight through the intersection, and vehicle #1 at their stop sign that intends to turn left. Vehicle #1 going straight passes through the intersection, meanwhile vehicle #1 turning left slowly enters the intersection, waits for the car going straight to pass through, and then makes their turn. Then vehicles #2 do their thing.

 

[bluestarcyclone]

Love them - they're so much better than stoplights and stop signs. Biggest issue is people who don't know how to ******* drive through them.

I think its a combo

There are many who don't know how to drive through them. But there are also many that are poorly designed. Especially when you start going beyond one-lane roundabouts to where it can be difficult to tell whether a car is exiting or continuing on around the circle, which causes people to be stopping anyway, and the rules for 2 lane roundabouts can be inconsistent

 

[VeloClone]

I do that as a courtesy if someone is coming up behind me. I also pull over even if there's only a relatively short gap before the next vehicle ahead I want to pass. I would hope people would notice that courtesy and kind of speed up to get past me so I could come back over and pass the next vehicle. But most are so unaware they just camp there in the left lane and you end up slowing way down because they won't get past to let you in.

I tend to have a bit of a lead foot and I genuinely appreciate those who are alert and move back into the right lane when they can. I will generally (where possible) momentarily speed up a bit to prevent the kind fellow motorist from having to slow down after yielding the passing lane to me.

I really despise those who just drive in the left lane when not passing. They are called the driving lane and the passing lane for a reason. Everyone forgets to move back over once in a while, that's okay. When you find somone coming up behind you signal and get back into the driving lane. But some people seem to think that the passing lane is actually their own personal lane. They set the cruise at 2 mph under the limit and pull out a book to read.

 

[VeloClone]

I have mentioned this before in other threads, but I live about a block from the first roundabout in the entire state of Minnesota. In my over 20 years living here and averaging multiple transits of that baby a day I have had to come to a complete stop probably only a handful of times a year. I would have been stopping and starting every single time if it was a 4 way stop, and stopping and waiting even longer half of the time if it were a traffic signal. It has probably saved me hours of my time and gallons upon gallons of fuel.

 

[flycy]

I have mentioned this before in other threads, but I live about a block from the first roundabout in the entire state of Minnesota. In my over 20 years living here and averaging multiple transits of that baby a day I have had to come to a complete stop probably only a handful of times a year. I would have been stopping and starting every single time if it was a 4 way stop, and stopping and waiting even longer half of the time if it were a traffic signal. It has probably saved me hours of my time and gallons upon gallons of fuel.

True in some cases, especially replacing 4 ways, but well-timed lights can be better. That is lights that allow the main throughway to hit green at every light if following the speed limit. It's one of the best ways to limit speeding. About two years ago, I drove University in Cedar Falls for the first time in over 20 years. All the roundabouts on that are annoying.

 

[deadeyededric]

In most situations they are great.

My only hesitation is how many people are utterly clueless in how to use them safely.

Most of the ones I see in Iowa are one lane. Billings, MT uses 2 lane ones everywhere and after I got used to it I was hooked. As far as the one lane ones go it basically the same principle as a 4-way stop imo. Its pretty simple who gets there first has the right of way. I kind of feel like people look at me crazy because I use my turn signals at them. Id be all about Iowa using reflectors in cities to divide traffic like Seattle does. Im getting old here and at night when its raining im as bad as a drunk driver when I cant see the lines.