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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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This is the second consecutive comic that deals with confusing directions given to road users.
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{{incomplete|Created by RUNAROUND SUE}}
  
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A {{w|roundabout}}, a form of traffic circle or rotary, is a traffic control device that 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-hand traffic countries). Roundabouts improve safety and the flow of traffic, since they eliminate turns against traffic and full stops are only needed during high-traffic periods. One downside is that they take up more space than a traditional signaled intersection.
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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).  
  
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Various roundabout designs have been proposed and used throughout the world. Some use "out-spiraling" designs in which a driver wishing to access one of the furthest exits is initially directed into a lane towards the center, which then spirals outwards, guiding them out until they reach the intended exit. Randall, in contrast, proposes an "Inspiraling Roundabout" which spirals each entrance lane inward, eventually leading all three roads to meet in the center and become the exit lanes.
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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.
  
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The caption states that it's "[[Technically|technically]] navigable", but that the Highway Department has vetoed it, presumably because of its deliberate complexity, impracticality, and the high risk of head-on collisions.
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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 complexity and impracticality.  
  
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The system is fairly simple to use. Assuming {{w|Left- and right-hand traffic|left-hand driving / right-hand traffic}}, one could get to the next exit without entering the spiral. Getting to the subsequent exit would simply require making a lane change toward the right.  
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A few '''observations''' of this particular design (assuming right-hand driving):
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* 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.
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* Driving to the '''2nd exit''' (e.g., from 12 o’clock to 4 o’clock) first requires entering the spiral, driving '''counterclockwise''' (normal direction for a roundabout) as you head inward to the center
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* Exiting the spiral from the center means first finding the correct exit lane (which may not be obvious) and then driving '''clockwise''' (not typical for a roundabout)
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* Inward-bound and outward-bound vehicles would use the same lanes, risking '''head-on collisions''' if more than a few vehicles are using the roundabout at the same time
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* When exiting back into the outermost lane and then turning into one’s exit, drivers must make a '''very sharp left turn''' to exit to avoid crossing the painted lines.
  
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However, Randall is likely assuming drivers who don't change lanes, in which case his design would force drivers to travel ever deeper into the spiral, reach the center, and choose one of the other two lanes to attempt to exit the roundabout.
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Alternative methods to legally get from 12 o’clock to 4 o’clock (i.e., to the 2nd exit):
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* Exit at 8 o’clock, do a legal U-turn, re-enter, and then exit at 4 o’clock.
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If vehicles don't change lanes, head-on collisions would be likely in a few scenarios, such as two vehicles reaching the center at the same time, or two vehicles trying to use the same lane going in different directions, one outspiraling from the center and one inspiraling from the entrance, eventually meeting each other head-on. (In this design, each inspiraling entrance lane can also be used as an outspiraling exit lane.)
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* If lane changes are allowed across dotted lines (which is typically what dotted lanes indicate), enter at 12 o’clock and then simply lane-change into the outermost lane near 6 o’clock.
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The joke is that such a deliberately challenging and dangerous design would be unlikely to be approved.
 
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The '''title text''' justifies this creative design by manufacturing an amusing problem of "coddling hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours". Of course, it's unlikely (but [https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/hamilton-county/carmel/2019/09/22/hamilton-county-bicyclist-sets-carmel-indiana-roundabout-record/2411449001/ not unheard of]) that anyone would deliberately spend more time than necessary (let alone hours) circling a roundabout, so this design proposes to solve a non-issue.  In reality, if someone finds themselves deeper into or longer in a roundabout that they need to be, it's more likely to be a misunderstanding of how roundabouts work and confusion about how to get out of them rather than a hedonistic "doing it for the thrill" rush.
 
  
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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" -- circling a single spot at high speed to leave circular tread marks on the pavement -- is a popular pastime, but these drivers circle for a few rotations, not several hours.
 
* In street racing culture, doing "donuts" -- circling a single spot at high speed to leave circular tread marks on the pavement -- is a popular pastime, but these drivers circle for a few rotations, not several hours.
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* The complaint of "coddling" some group was popularized by the title of the 2018 book, "The Coddling of the American Mind," a criticism of modern higher education.
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* The "coddling" of some population is a complaint sometimes seen in US conservative discourse, most famously as a criticism of modern higher education in the 2018 book, "The Coddling of the American Mind"
  
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==Similar XKCD comics==
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==Trivia==
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* [[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]] also has a rotary that intentionally collides cars.
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* Unlike inspiraling roundabouts, outspiraling roundabouts are a real thing, common across western Europe. They are known as "[https://g.co/kgs/51QWWt Turbo Roundabouts]", though the design requires at least 4 entrances/exits.
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* [[2728: Lane Change Highway]] has a similar theme of changing lanes because the road is poorly designed -- and it was the first time Randall complained about his ideas getting rejected by traffic engineers.
 
  
 
==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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==Trivia==
 
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* Unlike inspiraling roundabouts, outspiraling roundabouts are a real thing, common across western Europe. They are known as "{{w|Roundabout#Turbo roundabouts|turbo roundabouts}}", though the design usually features at least 4 entrances/exits.
 
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
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