this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2023
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xkcd

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Look, I just think we need to stop coddling those hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours, wasting valuable capacity.

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[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Study reports that, surprisingly, the inspiraling roundabout rated the same score as the standard roundabout in the United States for their usability and user comprehension metrics. This is mostly due to the remarkably low score of the standard roundabout.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago

We don't need those hedonistic European roundamacircles.

In my day we just T-boned each other at high speeds, and we enjoyed it!

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 year ago (2 children)

For some reason I'm just looking at this, and thinking of far-future people digging up ANY roads with lines or on/off ramps or cloverleafs, scratching their heads, and going:

"It must've been used for religious purposes."

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Wanna really confuse them?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Carmel

This explains the entire image

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"It must've been used for religious purposes."

Hehehe...

Regarding the question whether future humans are going to be wiser than we are, I see 4 possiblities:

  1. They are wiser
  2. They are less wise
  3. They are exactly the same (most likely)
  4. They don't care
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Human nature does not change very much over time. When I was younger I thought the future was going to be awesome because then, people like me would be in power. Now there are many politicians, celebrities, activists, journalists, other people more powerful than me who are the same age as me or even younger; they are pretty much the same as the ones who are older than me.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

i mean wisdom is something you gain from experience so presumably later generations are always going to be wiser provided they study the past, that's kinda how we got to where we are

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 year ago (2 children)

When Junji Ito is your traffic planner

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Uzumaki ruined spirals forever (or made them better, depending on who you ask)

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

this is my lane, it was made for me!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

- BMW drivers to the whole street

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

It will deadlock in the center because the car lanes are used for two directions. Unless you upgrade those unidirectional lanes into bi-directional pairs of lanes.

And it will still deadlock, so you have to put a round-robin semaphore in the middle.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Simpler solution, just add a bottomless pit or small singularity in the middle to absorb excess traffic.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

Sorry I'm late for work, I got sucked into a black hole again. No, I didn't take a picture of the event horizon, you should just take my word for it. I wouldn't even be late if it weren't for the time dilation.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

An infinite spiral could easily solve these problems.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago

No one should reach the center. The lines are dotted. If anyone ends up in the center they deserve a deadlock.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The center should put you on an out-spiraling bridge that feeds traffic back into the outermost lane. Then even the most indecisive drivers are accommodated. Or just a deep pit of punishment.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

We have a small traffic circle near us, across from an outdoor restaurant. One day I was eating there and saw this dude start circling it endlessly until the police happened to show up, then he took off.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

First time I have to disagree with xkcd. It's very much not navigable, with exception of turning right.

Going left or back is impossible as you will be facing counterflow and not able to turn in tight spaces.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You can't go back the wrong way, you have to change lanes or you reach a dead end. No left, only right.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (9 children)

It's kinda funny how these comments are proving Randall's point, that people don't know to lane-shift in roundabouts.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

You shouldn't have to lane shift in roundabouts. On a well designed multi lane roundabout you choose your lane before you get there and simply follow it to the exit. The only reason to change lanes is if you screwed up.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

The lines are dotted. You can cross dotted lines. If you do cross a dotted line, please check your mirrors, or you might run into the point of the comic.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

i think it should spiral outwards instead, that way if you need to take the third exit, you switch to the third lane and simply follow it to your exit

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Agreed. If you're in the outside lane you must exit.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

its not like people follow the lanes in a roundabout anyway.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

That depends on which country you're driving in

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

It doesn't really solve the problem of having a road junction - that's still in the center and cars even come at worse angles than before- it just adds fluff around it.

On the other hand, it would probably turn into a tourist attraction and unique experience.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

You're not supposed to ever get to the middle. It's "technically navigable" because you can lane-shift your way out.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Randall in a road trip right now?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I'm too street illiterate to know of this is going clockwise or counterclockwise. It makes more sense spiraling out.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Who needs lane markings anyway :-)

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