[drcongo]

There's a couple of these in Bodmin [0], Cornwall that I've driven through a few times. It used to be traffic lights and was constant jams at each junction. I'd never seen one before when they first changed it, I approached cautiously, drove onto it cautiously, and exited pretty impressed. I do wonder what less considerate drivers are like on it though. Local residents apparently complain about it [1], but then it seems to be part of the British psyche to complain about anything new and different, especially if it's done by your local council.

[0] https://maps.app.goo.gl/LQ9kSNZxQwYV8S9C9

[1] https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/bodmin-round...

[alistairSH]

As somebody who has visited and driven around the UK quite a few times, I would assume that was a roundabout and treat it as such. Other than the lack of blue roundabout traffic sign, it looks just like one of many other roundabouts.

Or, put another way, why is it shaped like a circle, and not just a normal 4-way uncontrolled intersection?

[drcongo]

Well, until today and reading the parent's blog posts I hadn't actually realised it wasn't a roundabout, and in use, it seems everyone kinda behaves like it is anyway. It's certainly an improvement on what was there before though.

[nmeofthestate]

It used to be a roundabout and now everyone treats it as a roundabout, and it's an improvement - I'm somewhat baffled.

[drcongo]

No, it used to be traffic lights with long queues at each entrance. I mentioned that in my original post.

[nmeofthestate]

Okay. In the streetview imagery it's a traditional roundabout with no lights, but from the map view it's... weird looking. Maybe they have changed to a normal roundabout, or the tried a normal roundabout for a bit instead of lights, and then went with the new round thing...

[wonder_er]

wow! Thanks for this link to the junction in Bodmin! I didn't know there were more. I'll save this and add it to the traffic bean post.

Indeed, the junction can be a bit unfamiliar, and it looks like the one in Bodmin could be less confusing - I think delinieating the inner space and keeping cars to the edges (to make it more of an actual roundabout) would improve things for everyone.

Maybe I should call it a 'traffic doughnut' to highlight the difference between the inner/outer space of the junction.

American road networks were designed to be impervious to the opinions of everyone who uses them, so I'm very pleased with myself to have gotten so close to the permission I need to do a novel junction design.

[nmeofthestate]

It looks like a small roundabout? (I'm guessing the google streetview imagery is out of date and it used to just be a roundabout).