Editing 2842: Inspiraling Roundabout
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by RUNAROUND SUE}} | |
− | A {{w|roundabout}}, a | + | A {{w|roundabout}}, also called a traffic circle or rotary, is a traffic control device that often serves as an alternative to stop signs, instead allowing for mere yields, as all traffic flows in the same counterclockwise direction around a central point (clockwise in left-driving countries). |
− | Various roundabout designs have been proposed and used throughout the world. | + | Various roundabout designs have been proposed and used throughout the world. This comic proposes an "Inspiraling Roundabout" which spirals each entrance/exit lane inward, eventually leading all three roads to meet in the center. |
− | The caption states that it's | + | The caption states that it's [[Technically|technically]] navigable, since you can get anywhere on the roundabout without breaking highway laws, but that the Highway Department has vetoed it, presumably due to its impracticality. |
− | + | A few '''observations''' of this particular design (assuming right-hand driving): | |
+ | * To drive from one entrance to the next exit is '''easy''' and does not require entering the spiral. If you start at 12 o’clock, it’s easy to exit at 8 o’clock. | ||
+ | * Driving to the '''2nd exit''' (e.g., from 12 o’clock to 4 o’clock) requires entering the spiral, driving '''counterclockwise''' (normal direction for a roundabout) as you head inward to the center | ||
+ | * Exiting the spiral from the center means first finding the right exit lane (which would be confusing) and then driving '''clockwise''' (not typical for a roundabout) | ||
+ | * Inward-bound and outward-bound cars would use the same lanes, risking '''head-on collisions''' if more than a few cars are using the roundabout at the same ime | ||
+ | * When exiting back into the outermost lane and then turning into your exit, drivers must make a '''very sharp left turn''' to exit. | ||
− | + | A few '''implications''' of this design: | |
+ | * If your goal is to get from 12 o’clock to 4 o’clock, it would likely be easier to exit at 8 o’clock, do a U-turn (legal or illegal), re-enter, and then exit at 4 o’clock. | ||
+ | * If lane changes are allowed across dotted lines (which is typically what dotted lanes indicate), that would also make it easy to get from 12 o’clock to 4 o’clock because you could simply change into the outermost lane near 6 o’clock. | ||
− | + | The '''title text''' justifies this creative design by presuming the amusing existence of "hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours," expressing Randall's frustration that we've been "coddling" them with normal roundabout designs that let them get off on circling in the inner lane for hours, wasting capacity. Of course, this is a non-issue {{citation needed}}. | |
+ | * In street racing culture, doing "donuts" on the pavement -- circling a single spot at high speed to leave circular tread marks -- is a popular pastime, but these drivers circle for a few rotations, not several hours. | ||
+ | * The "coddling" of some population is a complaint most often seen in US conservative discourse, most notably as a criticism of modern higher education in the 2018 book, "The Coddling of the American Mind" | ||
− | + | '''Trivia''' | |
− | + | Unlike inspiraling roundabouts, outspiraling roundabouts are a real thing, common across western Europe. They are known as "Turbo Roundabouts," though the design requires at least 4 entrances/exits. | |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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:[Caption below the panel:] | :[Caption below the panel:] | ||
:Even though it '''''was''''' technically navigable, the highway department vetoed my inspiraling roundabout design. | :Even though it '''''was''''' technically navigable, the highway department vetoed my inspiraling roundabout design. | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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