See How an Insane 7-Circle Roundabout Actually Works
Released on 08/03/2016
(traffic sounds)
[Voiceover] You know how England likes to call
some of it's intersections circuses,
and it doesn't make any sense?
Well, here's one roundabout that actually
deserves the title.
Even if it doesn't get it.
Your first thought upon seeing Swindon's Magic Roundabout
might be, Man, the Brits are really
off their rockers lately.
But this thing, which is actually seven roundabouts
in one, has been working for 60 years.
In a regular roundabout,
traffic moves in one direction.
In Swindon's circle,
cars move both ways.
Also, drivers can move from point A to point B
without having to drive all the way around the circle.
But, they do have the option to use different
routes to get to the same exit in order to avoid traffic.
It may look chaotic,
but it's actually pretty efficient,
because it means less fighting for space.
You just point your vehicle toward where you
want to go, yield to cars already in the midst of the magic,
then, brexit on the other side.
Many Americans may hate roundabouts,
but they can actually cut serious crashes by 30%.
Swindon says it's roundabout has
only seen one fatal crash in the past five years.
So to celebrate a town anniversary,
they paraded over 60 vintage cars through
this feat of traffic engineering.
Is this madness?
Nope.
It's Swindon.
Astrobiologist Answers Mars Questions
Rhett & Link Answer The Internet's Best Questions
Emily St. John Mandel On Writing About The End of the World and What Comes Next
Anthropologist Answers Evolution Questions
Psychiatrist Fact Checks AI Slop
MS NOW President Talks Beating Fox Using The Influencer Playbook
Child Psychologist Answers Parenting Questions
Anthropologist Fact Checks Prehistoric Slop
Anthropologist Fact Checks Stone Age Slop
Ms. Rachel Answers The Web's Most Searched Questions