French roundabouts - "le rond point?"

[halfblind]

I am sure that we all have at sometime admired the French panache at roundabouts and the speed at which they have adopted these over the past few years, but there is one type that I havent seen before today. A square roundabout. Its in the Angouleme suburb of Soyaux - only in France LOL

[bubbles]

Erm.

Are you sure you saw that correctly?

I take into account your username!

[suej]

[quote user="halfblind"]I am sure that we all have at sometime admired the French panache at roundabouts and the speed at which they have adopted these over the past few years, but there is one type that I havent seen before today. A square roundabout. Its in the Angouleme suburb of Soyaux - only in France LOL[/quote]

 

We 've got one of them in this little town too! Not surprising that several of the PL lorries haven't adjusted their steering and what used to be a square is beginning to develop rounded corners....

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I want to know when a roundabout becomes a roundabout in France.

In Valencay, there is a smallish, what I would consider roundabout, but the amount of people who give way to the right is ridiculous. I think priority to the right is a ridiculous and confusing rule anyway, it seems so subjective.

[Jon02]

I second the sighting of a square roundabout in Angouleme. Only the French could design something so sylish and useless. And can anyone tell me the difference between a rond-point and a girotoire? 'Cos the French can't.

[mint]

I think a girotoire is a big rond point.  At least, the ones I have seen designated as such have multiple exits and entrances.

[Chancer]

They had a square about in the UK town I was born in over 40 years ago, I built a tree house on the only tree left standing on the sea of mud in the middle, my big sister worked in the civil service tower block that overlooked it, one day her supervisor said "will you just look at those filthy urchins down there!" she looked down to see her baby brother smiling and waving at her.

8 years later and unbeknown to me at the time the whole office used to gather at the window at 4.40 precisely to watch the mad boy racer in his V6 Anglia with Carlos Fandango super wide wheels do his customary 5 laps against the clock on his way home from the factory.

I found this out by chance many years later, (my sister having left to start a family) they were all hoping one day I would crash and get my come uppance.

[Clarkkent]

[quote user="Mr Coeur de Lion"]I want to know when a roundabout becomes a roundabout in France. In Valencay, there is a smallish, what I would consider roundabout, but the amount of people who give way to the right is ridiculous. I think priority to the right is a ridiculous and confusing rule anyway, it seems so subjective.[/quote]

Roundabouts are relative new to French roadscapes. Thirty years ago you could travel from end to end of the country and not see one.

However, there was a large roundabout just outside St-Tropez, where the coast road from Le Lavandou met the RN98. This was the scene of massive traffic hold-ups at the height of the holiday season simply because of the priority rule: traffic on the roundabout had to give way to traffic entering the roundabout. At peak traffic times it could take 30 or 40 minutes just to get round it.

[bubbles]

Lovely story, Chancer.

[Alan Zoff]

Chancer - one of life's conformists!

[Jon02]

[quote user="sweet 17"]I think a girotoire is a big rond point.  At least, the ones I have seen designated as such have multiple exits and entrances.[/quote]

If you head south from the aforementioned squareabout in Angouleme by the time you get to Carrefour you will have been through two small roundabouts. Nothing fancy, four turnings, smallish centre with a mound, trees and flowers, standard stuff. But both have a little nameplate saying Giratoire XXX. Maybe that's how they do things in Charente but I can't tell them from a regular roundabout.

[Iceni]

But when will we get a wrong way/right way roundabout similar to Colchester's ?

But as our local "towns" of St Cere, Bretenoux and Gramat don't have traffic lights (AFAIHS) I suppose it will be a long wait.

John

[PaulT]

Different country, sorry about that..........

Drove up from Pennsylvania in the US and into Massachusetts and just inside the state line there was a roundabout. I knew what to do as I am from UK but many of the other car drivers did not have a clue.

Think it is the only one I have seen in the States.

Paul

[Iceni]

[quote user="PaulT"]

Drove up from Pennsylvania in the US and into Massachusetts and just inside the state line there was a roundabout. I knew what to do as I am from UK but many of the other car drivers did not have a clue.

[/quote]

I suspect that this is a slight variation on the problem that US cars have with corners.

John

[ericd]

Rond point des Champs Elysees is the only one in France (i believe...) to have kept the old right of way to those that arrive from your right as all other roundabouts give priority to those already engaged (ie. those that come from your left).

[idun]

I suppose the nearest we had to the Champs Elysee was the big one in our dept, if they had put any road markings it would probably have been three lanes wide and there were several entry/exit points.

You had to rev up to get onto it doing a racing start going as fast as you could and once on, would have to almost do an emergency stop to let the people on from the right. Terrifying it was.

When they changed over the to 'UK' system, I drove along there shortly after. We hadn't had snow or ice, and the gutters were heaped up with broken glass as if a snow plough had been along.

I'm glad they changed them to priorité a gauche, I only wish that they had had a proper campaign on the tv to educate people as to how to use them properly and how to incidicate on them.

[Jon02]

[quote user="ericd"]Rond point des Champs Elysees is the only one in France (i believe...) to have kept the old right of way to those that arrive from your right as all other roundabouts give priority to those already engaged (ie. those that come from your left).[/quote]

There's a right priority roundabout in Auch as well. And in Berlin somewhere by the wall. Both very confusing the first time.

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Jon02"][quote user="ericd"]Rond point des Champs Elysees is the only one in France (i believe...) to have kept the old right of way to those that arrive from your right as all other roundabouts give priority to those already engaged (ie. those that come from your left).[/quote]

There's a right priority roundabout in Auch as well. And in Berlin somewhere by the wall. Both very confusing the first time.
[/quote]Eric, you do surprise me - is that true?  There are several villages and small towns around here which clearly have the crossed out yellow lozenge signs when you enter and which have what look like mini roundabouts a per the UK (ie just a little different coloured circle in the midde which you can drive over as they have no curbs etc) but which have no dotted lines across the exits and no "Vous n'avez pas la priorite" signs as normal roundabouts have.  I used to assume these were ordinary roundabouts until I'd been here a few months and found that everybody gives way to the right (as they used to do when roundabouts first came to France when I was a kid of about 8 - used to get my Da  in a right old flap!)

Are the locals right in this case, or was I?

[Sunday Driver]

The locals are right.  A roundabout is a junction and traffic entering from the right will have the normal 'priorité a droite' unless that priority is revoked by a sign/road marking.

 

[pachapapa]

The one at St Loup sur Thouet by the bridge was always a good laugh with la maréchauséee in attendance, now has cede notices.

[ericd]

To be honest I have never seen a roundabout giving priority to traffic joining said roundabout other than the Champs Elysees (never been to Auch.....). It can be fairly common in deep down parts of France to see "older drivers" stop whilst engaged on the roundabout to give priority to vehicles arriving from their right otherwise I would be extremely surprised that both systems are in use.

[ericd]

Look at this links......there are still in France some "older style" roundabouts which are represented with a round blue sign and 3 x white arrows ....those roundabouts still require priority to those entering the roundabout......WHAT A FARCE !!!

http://www.maif.fr/conseils-prevention/sur-la-route/prevenir-les-risques-routiers/adapter-conditions-circulation/circuler-sur-rond-point/circuler-sur-rond-point.html

 

[Patf]

I know the one in Auch well, been on it many times. While it does make it safer to get onto the roundabout, giving priority to the right, coming off is still a bit of a free for all.

There are 5 roads feeding into it.

Have you been on the one at Marble Arch in London? Just close your eyes and GO! Otherwise you'll never get onto it. Maybe it has traffic lights now.

[idun]

ericd, when they were 'all' the old style, ie priorité a droite, there were very very few of them, and a good job too.

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

The locals are right.  A roundabout is a junction and traffic entering from the right will have the normal 'priorité a droite' unless that priority is revoked by a sign/road marking.

 

[/quote]Thanks.  That was what I thought.  There are loads of these round us, many recently introduced in villages on main roads as part of new "traffic caliming" measures.[:-))]