Photo Courtesy of www.takepart.comI swear every day on my way home from work. It is something that I can count on quite like I can count on the fact that I will probably not leave the office for lunch no matter how many times I promise myself that I need to (today is a good example), or that I will have more bad hair days than good, or that a radio program that I have just discovered and love will be cancelled (RIP Adam Corolla). If you don't believe me, ask my sister Tricia who I talk to almost every day on the way home. My poor sister has to bear with me and my four-letter fury almost every time we chat.
The reason? Roundabouts. Rotaries. Whatever you call them in your neck of the woods. You know what I am talking about - those circular road configurations that are made so that you don't have to stop? "Safer" than a red light or stop sign? Keeps the flow of traffic moving at a busy intersection?
There are two of them within a mile of my house that seem to do nothing but the opposite of what they were designed for. "Safer" than a red light or stop sign? Really? With people going the OPPOSITE direction? "Keeps the flow of traffic moving"? Really? When people come to a complete stop when nobody is in sight. Taking extra time to put on their blinker (um...yeah, thanks for the warning that you are not the idiot that's going to go the wrong way), look left, right, and yes...left AGAIN before slowly pulling through the mysterious "crop circle" of a road.
I understand that rotaries are not very common here in Arizona. They aren't very common where I grew up in Vermont either (though neighboring Massachusetts is full of them), and I'm not saying that I'm a perfect driver because that I am not (call me granny as I can barely get up to 65 on the freeway without white knuckles!), but I just don't understand what it is about them that freaks people out. I swear that rational thought (such as reading/noticing signs everywhere that read: "Yield Left", not "Stop! Panic! Put on your blinker! Freak out because a car is approaching from 1/2 mile away!") goes out the window as people brace themselves for the moment they approach. Perhaps it is due to the lack of a thorough Driver's Ed program? Do budget cuts at schools mean that my rotary hell is going to be on the increase? Either way, I realize that this is something that I cannot control. I really need to get over it. I must now. This post is evidence of closure for my rotary rage. *Sigh*....I feel so much better. Thanks for listening.
(And just in case you are curious, I stumbled upon this video refresher for anyone that might be coming to visit anytime soon.)
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3 comments:
i'm surprised that you didn't reference, "my friend kelley can't figure them out everytime she drives me.." i hate those darn things!!
I'm a roundabout pro now! They are EVERYWHERE here! Like, every 100 yards or something. I was totally freaked out at first. Now, I rush right through them. Though, there are a few around here that are a bit tricky and I still get nervous. I can't say I like them or hate them. I think they make sense.
But, yeah, people get freaked out and accidents occur all the time. Even here. And, it's a great place for cops to catch you. They can stand at the roundabout and issue out tickets for minor offenses (no seat bealt) like candy.
Good thing we only have one in VT and people make me crazy every day that I drive through it. Someone the other day said I thought we all just waited our turn, didn't realize folks in the "circle" have the right of way!
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