Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: ...My town installed what to my knowledge is the only roundabout in America. Washington DC has roundabouts. Hilton Head Island has roundabouts.

They suck too.

Quoted: Quoted: Five roads meeting at a point....We call that "Five Points", and it looks like this: img51.photobucket.com/albums/v157/brisk322/5points.jpg I've never had any trouble at this intersection.  A five-way roundabout?  Call the body shop. If you can't wait a minute for a traffic light, then you should have got up earlier. Thats easy to say until you've sat through this light a few times. And its more like 5 minutes at this light.  YOUR 5 way light may be different than mine as far as amount of traffic that goes through it.

I'd grant you the point...except for what a fender-bender turns into these days.  This intersection is about 20 miles outside of Philadelphia, in a rapidly developing area.  These are the main roads in the area, and more houses (many $500k or more) are being built every day.  Rich (and pushy) folks like that, driving expensive cars (in a hurry), having lawyer friends, driving through a circle/roundabout?  Here's what it would be like:

<screech> <bump>  <screech> <bump> <yell> <yell> <horns>
<police>
<ambulance for a "neck injury">
<more police>
An hour later, traffic will be allowed through the intersection again.

I'd rather sit at a light for five minutes.

It doesn't get more wrong than that.  Furthur proof that there is, indeed, true evil in the world.  

Looks like the Shriners in a parade.

tagged for later.

Being an ugly American, I would just do what it took to get the hell out of that Quagmire.

Roundabouts (and Rotaries) are a left over from Medieval city planning, or more precisely, the lack of it.  Eventually you get stuck with them.  The monstrosity at the top of this thread is just a modern attempt to rationalize what is essentially a f*cking free-for all.

Rotaries are fine, roundabouts are a nightmare.

Quoted: I know I'm gonna get my ass kicked for this but you guys sound like a bunch of chimps pounding on some new invention.   Roundabouts KICK ASS.  They are easy to use and they're fast. it's as easy as flying into the roundabout, checking to your left and either yielding or stopping if you have a car coming from the left  or dropping the hammer  if you're clear.  Think if it like stop sign that you can run if there is no traffic. How many times have you been sitting at a traffic light and there are no other cars and you're thinking "this is fricking stupid" but you sit there anyway cause you're worried that if you take off, that cop sleeping behind the billboard will pull you over. With roundabouts that's eliminated. I'll tell you the best round about trick there is;  In Finland they have bigger roundabouts made of cobblestone (really really slick when snowy).  We had this little VW Golf that was like a golf cart on steroids. I think that's why they called it a golf.  We'd FLY into that roundabout  at about 40 mph when it was snowy and we had front studded snow tires,  you'de be flying around that roundabout sideways,  the studded tires just barely holding you in there, you'd be steering by looking out your right passenger window and you'd see how far you could go. Once we went around almost twice. Totally sideways. At the last minute you'd let go off the wheel and you'd straighten out and shoot the little sidestreet. Anyway,  you amish people let up. Roundabouts rule and once you've been through one once, you'll see the light. One thing that DOES suck about roundabouts?  Old Peeps in roundabouts.  Going the wrong way.  Stopping.  Cursing.  that does suck. CrashBurnRepeat

Examine your directions carefully, then compare it to the picture of the roundabout.  Nothing about that roundabout gives an outsider any indication you can turn right.
NFW they confuse people.  Whoever constructs them has no idea how to post proper directions.
Screw roundabouts.  Left turn, right turn, go straight.  Now THAT's easy.