Posted on 05/05/2025 12:05:07 PM PDT by DallasBiff
Australia drives on the left side of the road, and the reason for this is straightforward: historical influence from Great Britain. As a British colony until 1901, Australia adopted many British customs and laws, including the practice of driving on the left. This was not a unique decision; many other former British colonies also inherited this system, but let’s dive deeper into the history and the how’s and why’s of this driving norm.
(Excerpt) Read more at ncesc.com ...
When I was a kid they used to call a Roundabout, a Rotary. They put in Roundabouts on the roadway through Griffiss Business Park, which was once Griffiss Airforce Base here in Rome, NY. I know how to drive on them. Most other people here don’t. I usually take a different route when I go out so I can avoid them. They were part of Andrew Cuomo’s plans to expand the community college annex here, so you know someone he knew or one of his big donors got a kickback from the construction. The worst city I came across for Roundabouts is Indianapolis. It seems there’s one about every block once you get off the main highway.
That was YES.
I wonder what they do about escalators? Keeping to the right seems to make sense all over the world - where there are rules at all.
Yes, roundabouts are the norm in Australia, even in tiny suburban neighborhoods. In fact, Australians seem baffled by the concept of 4-way stop signs, imagining that it must be difficult and confusing to judge who reached the intersection first. That’s a skill we seem to take entirely for granted.
I’m sure it must have happened; but in all my years of driving I can’t recall a time when a 4-way stop was actually full; or when there was a problem figuring out my turn...
Traffic circles and squares were an important part of L’Enfant’s plan for D.C. Mindful of how the mobs took over Paris in the Revolution, L’Enfant designed a city easy for the army to defend. He began with a simple grid pattern, interrupted by broad diagonal avenues. He then placed an interlocking series of circles and squares along the avenues spaced one effective canon shot apart, with the idea this could prevent crowds moving toward the city’s center.
“Roundabouts” are called “Rotaries” in Massachusetts. They all over the place, compared to many other states.
Fascinating.
(Too bad he didn’t design driver’s education.)
Ya ought to try the one in East Kilbride Scotland. Thats a real dandy.
I first encountered a rotary while driving to Boston from California in 1977. I had never driven on one before let alone ever seen one. I noticed that most of the cars had dents on their sides. Everyone in Boston called them rotarys. Now they have traffic circles in some areas of Carson City, Nevada and encountered them in Arizona last your near Prescott.
Because it is illegal to drive on the right. They are ass-backwards in Australia, UK, etc.
We even have them in Branson. When they were first built more than one hillbilly had to be rescued as they drove round and round and round and....
Cause Max Rockatansky said so.
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