Silly British Design: The Magic Roundabout

They can be found all over Europe and Europeans generally approve of them. To an American, roundabouts rarely make any sense, but in some specific circumstances, it is possible to see the cleverness of them. While weaving through vineyards in Southern France for example, the roundabouts keep you moving as traffic is generally sparse. This is not to say I approve of a road system that requires traffic circles, but for the zig and zag roads that span most of Europe, roundabouts often make sense. But then there are some situations where it just doesn’t work. Situations where adding a roundabout to a junction is kind of like trying to square a circle. A prime example of this exists in Swindon, England. It is by far the most ridiculous and yet oddly magical roundabout ever conceived. My description won’t do it justice, so below is the Wikipedia description of this roundabout.

“The town of Swindon in Wiltshire, England, is known for its Magic Roundabout This roundabout is at a junction of five roads and consists of a two-way road around the central island with five mini-roundabouts where it meets the incoming roads. Traffic may proceed around the main roundabout either clockwise via the outer lanes, or anticlockwise using the inner lanes next to the central island. At each mini-roundabout the usual clockwise flow applies.”

Five roundabouts that make up one big roundabout. And if you are still following, you probably noticed the bit where it says you can either proceed around the outside route clockwise, or choose to go ‘anticlockwise’ through the inner lanes! This thing is a complete imbroglio and apparently it is not the only one in England.