Subject: Re: Roundabouts and traffic circles

I don't know how bad is the traffic across the Atlantic Ocean, but in Europe it's bad enough to force scientists to find new way to retain mobility without forbidding citizens to buy more and more cars. Roundabouts (rotonda or circolatoria in Italian) are a good way to both keep traffic flowing on main routes and reduce cruise speed. The use of traffic lights at intersections causes a lot of delays due to slow-moving cars on the green light, and sometimes you need to wait for a green light even when there's no one coming across. Roundabouts are then a good solution, but only if the right-of-way belongs to those already inside the circle, while the incomers wait for their time. While most of Europe agreeds on that, there still is some confusion locally, where local public administrations set up a roundabout without clear signs. Another problem for our little Europe is a correct roundabout takes a lot of space, otherwise you find yourself turning on a too tight radius like you were on a roller coaster. This obviously is a problem in heavy populated urban areas or wherever you can't just bulldoze away the neighbourhood.

Bye Paolo Trieste, Italy