Mon Dieu! The French hate roundabouts!

I live in a town that LOVES roundabouts, so I’m very experienced in using them. However, the ones we experienced last month in Normandy were very frustrating. We had a navigation system in our car. It would say “Take the third exit”. The roundabout might have six exits, except the second one was a little country road that didn’t really “count”. Or the third exit was an entrance to a shopping center, so you weren’t supposed to count that one either. Once we took the wrong “exit”, which was actually a freeway entrance. That was a nice 12 km side trip before we had a chance to exit and turn around!

We got in the habit of taking a little once-around (sometime twice-around) in the roundabout before committing to exiting! Thankfully there was very little traffic in November. I imagine it would be quite stressful in traffic, especially if you’re not used to them.

Have to say I recognise very little in the NYT article. Pseudo-intellectuals trying to tie in a traffic feature to a protest misinformed by anti-EU propaganda???

please...

travel4fun - you really need to be aware of the road number you're looking for when on a roundabout. Some GPS systems don't count car parks/service roads as exits, some do. And that assumes the maps are up to date, as well. There was an interesting program on the BBC about what GPS does to the hippocampus in the human brain, as well https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07ydwql

Driving in Normandy we circled most roundabouts twice looking for the number highway/roadway to exit and quickly ignoring the imploring GPS. We tried to get the state (Kansas) to build a roundabout a few miles east of our small town at the intersection of two state highways but they opted to spend 45 million US dollars!! on a monstrosity of an elevated overpass, moving untold number of tons of dirt. Talk about irritation with our government, wasting $40 million when a roundabout with no dirt work would be perfect. The French should be thankful for roundabouts.

Oh - I'm still dizzy from all the roundabouts we went around in the Provence area when we weren't on the major highways...lol. At one point I commented to hubby that we should get back on the highway to avoid the numerous roundabouts. And I def get the annoyance with the little small rural road exits - those got us a few times.

Our town has one and boy oh boy - the consternation it caused when they put it in. But our province is doing more and more - and as I sit at a few choice intersections in our town - either watching 30 cars go by before I can get onto the road (because I have a stop sign and they are on the main artery) or having to sit thru 3 green lights because of the huge traffic backup at one of the lights in town (where there has been talk of - oh please god yes - putting in a roundabout) - I really wish we'd at least invest in a few more here.

The NYT article left me feeling more lost than trying to navigate some of the French roundabouts. My town has gone crazy for roundabouts (I think the contractor must be related to someone on the city council). People here have a hard time with one lane roundabouts so of the ones in France are crazy to figure out. I did notice in Provence drivers tended to signal when they entered to let you know they were exiting immediately.

I had to laugh at the post about trying to "guess" which exit was the second or third exit and if that counted what looked like a driveway or a real road. I stopped counting how many times I went around at least twice trying to hit the right exit. I did finally figure out that there were usually real small signs up on the post with the road # which was more helpful than counting exits.

Roundabouts are different for most American drivers, but they are not diabolical. I will gladly credit my wife with simplifying roundabouts. She - not a computer program - discerns where we should get off and easily discounts the dirt roads and shopping center entrances to ensure that we exit onto the proper road. If you are traveling alone, you would not have this kind of assistance, but anyone in the car with you should be able to help notice that a service road with a barrier across it is not a proper exit.
The difficulties we encounter on roundabouts are almost entirely the fault of the driver (me), making decisions about whether to be in the inner or outer lane and giving way properly to other vehicles.
I agree with the other posters who advised taking an extra loop or two if in doubt, as well as checking for road numbers. And who among us has not ended up on the wrong road using "normal" intersections and highway exits? Roundabouts take a little getting used to, that's all. You are, after all, visiting a foreign country.

Is anyone familiar with the Swindon, England magic roundabout?

It looks like utter chaos, yet its design is meant for efficient channeling of motorists to their destination. Does it meet that expectation? Constructed in 1972.

Pseudo-intellectuals trying to tie in a traffic feature to a protest misinformed by anti-EU propaganda???

I'll have to say I had a similar reaction when I read the article. And I also thought: "Must have been a slow news day."
I've driven through hundreds of roundabouts in France (sometimes it seems like that many in just one short drive), and have generally found them easy to deal with. Much easier than with US rotaries. I don't know if it's because the design is different, or if people here don't know how to deal with them.

Yes, if driving to Bletchley Park, be prepared for MANY roundabouts in Milton Keynes.

After I return from driving in England a few weeks, I miss roundabouts, which I prefer to waiting at a stoplight if traffic is light.

I grew up in New England where roundabouts are called "rotaries." I love them! They efficiently move traffic through an intersection of multiple roads smoothly. And without making people wait at a traffic light—which would be the alternative. When I drive in Normandy (often) I just love that they use this convenient road layout in many places. They're really not complicated. Just drive until your exit comes up. Move inside until that, and outside as you approach your exit. And always yield to the traffic already in the circle. The alternative is waiting at a light for your turn, then signalling, and then maybe waiting again until the oncoming traffic has cleared or allows you in. All of which is a waste of time, fuel and patience.

I can remember long sequences of roundabouts on some European roads, but I can see their value. Our town has started using them instead of traffic lights at some intersections, and I think they save time. They take getting used to but they work well after you get used to them.

...where roundabouts are called "rotaries."

Current American transportation engineers differentiate between "roundabouts" and "rotaries" or "traffic circles". Current design practice for roundabouts are intended to reduce speed in the roundabout and are considered "traffic calming".

Insurance Institutes explanation of roundabout vs traffic circles:
https://www.iihs.org/topics/roundabouts

Modern roundabouts are much smaller than older traffic circles — also
known as rotaries — and require vehicles to negotiate a sharper curve
to enter. As a result, travel speeds in roundabouts slower than speeds
in traffic circles.

Because of the higher speeds in older traffic circles, many are
equipped with traffic signals or stop signs to help reduce potential
crashes. In addition, some older traffic circles and rotaries operate
according to the traditional "yield-to-the-right" rule, with
circulating traffic yielding to entering traffic.

Other than the circle by the Arc de Triomphe, I have never seen roundabouts that yield to the right (unless you are in England and drive backwards). Nor have I ever seen a rotary that has traffic light regulating those entering—at least not in New England. I think the whole point of these is to eliminate the need for a traffic light.

...Nor have I ever seen a rotary that has traffic light regulating those entering....

Cherry Hill, New Jersey" NJ 38, Cooper Landing Road, Church Road Traffic Circle.
NJ 38 Kaighns Ave is a divided multilane norad crossing the traffic circle.
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9406576,-75.0100636,139m/data=!3m1!1e3

I think it was in Arles that we encountered a roundabout with traffic lights during rush hour. What took the longest was just getting up to the roundabout on the traffic clogged road.

My favorite European roundabouts have only 2-4 exits. We enjoy the ones where we just go halfway around and exit straight in line with the road we entered on. They definitely slow traffic down so that you get the 🙂. Not the ☹ or the 😐.

We use a roundabout almost weekly to go to our local Costco. There are only 4 entrances/exits. They are clearly marked. Many don't seem to notice the signage, particularly the signs that say to yield to the cars in the traffic circle.

Cars with license plates from Mexico are the most likely to do it right. Cars with plates from states other than AZ are the most likely to do it wrong. Those of us with AZ plates and those with plates from Canada are as likely to it right as to do it wrong.

But no matter the finesse of the driver, it's still much faster than it would be with a traffic light.

I think roundabouts are quite ingenious. We did discover quite a few of them this summer in Provence and the Rhone.

They were fine except for the one in Nimes where there were multiple lanes weaving in and out of the roundabout! It was death defying to make it to the correct lane and then exit on the correct turnoff!

And the article proves the opposite, starting with “France loves its roundabouts.” What a piece of hogwash. Simon and andrew hit the nail on the head.

roundabouts are a constant reminder of an overreliance on cars and have come to symbolize deeper worries about French cultural identity

That's a big stretch. Thanks to Andrew for posting his opinion.

From personal experiences, I find French roundabouts efficient and easy to maneuver. Every one I used was clearly marked and it was easy to continue towards our destination even when we were unfamiliar with the area.

When you are in northern France in the small towns, villages, and cities, say from Paris to Arras, you'll run into lots of turnabouts with that sign, "Vous n'avez pas la priorité."