What is this called?

[justina]

Hi everyone! So I was having an arguement and the other party insists this is called a roundabout but I have always called it a traffic circle? What have you called it a traffic circle or a roundabout? Help me settle this argument!

 

[Croconaw]

I call that a roundabout. I think it depends on where you’re from.

 

[Belle T]

I'd like to cite the wisdom of a professional to properly answer this question.

 

[Xara]

i actually call them road circles, so i guess traffic circles since that’s the more similar name haha. my mom calls them roundabouts, though.

 

[oak]

That there is a roundabout

 

[-Mars-]

I would personally call it a traffic circle I've never heard of the term "roundabout" before.

 

[xSuperMario64x]

the Ohio dept. of transportation refers to them as "roundabouts" so that's what I call them

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

They're called roundabouts and I hate them

 

[Pyoopi]

I never heard of traffic circles. I think if someone said that to me, I'd be super perplexed and spooked. It makes me think of crop circles or something silly like that, haha.

They're roundabouts to me. There's a couple tiny ones in San Francisco and Seattle; they are strange.

 

[Ravenkitty22]

That’s a roundabout and it’s one of the weirdest ways to design roads

 

[.: Meri :.]

I've heard them called both traffic circles and roundabouts pretty much interchangeably.

 

[LadyDestani]

I've always called it a roundabout. That's the common terminology where I live. But I've heard them called traffic circles as well. I think they can be used interchangeably.

 

[daisyflowers]

not heard of a traffic circle until this post. i reckon that's a roundabout

 

[Midoriya]

I've always called it a roundabout. Traffic circle sounds weird.

 

[Newbiemayor]

I've heard it called a traffic circle but it's not that common and I've always called them roundabouts. A friend of mine growing up reeeally liked them and sometimes when my dad took us some place and there was a roundabout on the way we'd go around 4-5 times

 

[JellyBeans]

i've always called it a roundabout, i had no idea people had other names for it!!

 

[Kitsuragi]

In Michigan, we call them roundabouts, but I have heard them referred to as traffic circles too. I think cities skylines calls them traffic circles, I'd have to check later. Probably a regional thing.

 

[daringred_]

roundabout, and i'm obsessed with how much americans seem to hate them.

 

[Foreverfox]

roundabout, and i'm obsessed with how much americans seem to hate them.

Yea, we generally do. I personally LOVE the functional purpose they serve. That being said many people for some reason don’t know how to drive in them and THAT’S what makes it scary. If you screw up in a traffic circle, you’ve ruined a lot of people’s days.

 

[daringred_]

Yea, we generally do. I personally LOVE the functional purpose they serve. That being said many people for some reason don’t know how to drive in them and THAT’S what makes it scary. If you screw up in a traffic circle, you’ve ruined a lot of people’s days.

yeah, i've heard that it's because a lot of americans don't know how to use them for some reason asdfghj. but they're much better for traffic than intersections. (we have intersections in our city center instead, so i know.) we have roundabouts all over the place here in the uk, and it can definitely be scary when you have a big truck/lorry in the lane next to you while going around, and there are still definitely some idiots who don't indicate or give right of way, but you get those idiots everywhere, it's not exclusive to roundabouts asdfghjk.

there's also actually a slight distinction between roundabouts and traffic circles !! the latter isn't super common anymore, and roundabouts tend to have a smaller diameter. traffic circles also tend to operate with stop signs etc. (i think we have these; roundabouts with traffic lights that dictate entry.) roundabouts, on the other hand, operate with a yield rule; i.e. vehicles already on the roundabout have the right of way, and vehicles wanting to enter have to wait for a gap. i still call them both roundabouts though lol.