Roundabout

Quantum Theory said:
I hope that is a joke.

Anyway, i don't see much people thinking they are 4-way stops, but almost no-one in SA knows how to indicate correctly @ a circle...
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No joke, hope you learnt something :p

Best way to put it is as Sinbad said is 4 way or 3 way (most common) yields. No other traffic approaching while you are approaching, feel free to drive through without stopping (but not at speed limit, slow down a bit). A congested mini circle is treated as a 4 or 3 way stop. Pretoria has 2 big circles and 1000s of mini circles.

Anyone who feels different or wants to argue should go hand their license in because they need to redo their license.
 
Ms_S said:
Our town got its first traffic circle last year.

Within the first month, there were at least 2 accidents. The sign has been knocked several times already.

My colleague told me, "I've heard that people in Cape Town don't treat the traffic circle as a four way stop. Is that true?"
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Is it big or a small little circle?
 
supersunbird said:
No joke, hope you learnt something :p

Best way to put it is as Sinbad said is 4 way or 3 way (most common) yields. No other traffic approaching while you are approaching, feel free to drive through without stopping (but not at speed limit, slow down a bit). A congested mini circle is treated as a 4 or 3 way stop. Pretoria has 2 big circles and 1000s of mini circles.

Anyone who feels different or wants to argue should go hand their license in because they need to redo their license.
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I understand the whole yield thing perfectly fine, thanks... It still comes to the same thing though. If the other guy is at they yield first and enters the circle, he is in the circle first or will be coming from your right and you must yield. Treating the circle exactly as you would a 4-way stop, defeats the whole purpose.
 
Beachless said:
+1 on the indicators you indicate when you exit the circle not while in the circle.
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No. Unless you are taking the first exit, you indicate right as you approach and inside the circle, until you reach your exit... Then you indicate left. If you are taking the first exit, you just indicate left as you approach and until you exit.
 
noswal said:
Priority to right, throughout. However not everyone knows that. Hence the various posts, opinions, comments and facts.
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The law, as stated in my previous post quite clearly discerns between the two different types of circles, and very clearly states that it is not "priority to the right throughout". In a traffic circle, even though it may seem like the first guy in will always come from your right in theory, that is not always the case, whereas in a roundabout traffic can ONLY come from your right.
 
Quantum Theory said:
I understand the whole yield thing perfectly fine, thanks... It still comes to the same thing though. If the other guy is at they yield first and enters the circle, he is in the circle first or will be coming from your right and you must yield. Treating the circle exactly as you would a 4-way stop, defeats the whole purpose.
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They are designed to have better flow than a Stop in lighter traffic conditions.

Sounds like it defeats the purpose if you treat it like you propose at a 3 way T-junction traffic circle, because then you will sit at the side road until all the traffic in the "main road" has passed.

Will post a pic now.
 
supersunbird said:
They are designed to have better flow than a Stop in lighter traffic conditions.

Sounds like it defeats the purpose if you treat it like you propose at a 3 way T-junction traffic circle, because then you will sit at the side road until all the traffic in the "main road" has passed.

Will post a pic now.
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This. It's really not that difficult. REALLY.

Traffic circle - FIFO (First In First Out)
Roundabout - Yield to right

The law states this, thus it is what it is.
 
supersunbird said:
Sounds like it defeats the purpose if you treat it like you propose at a 3 way T-junction traffic circle, because then you will sit at the side road until all the traffic in the "main road" has passed.

Will post a pic now.
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No, as soon as you enter the circle, the next guy in the "main road" must yield. No need to post a picture...
 
If there is so much confusion in this thread, imagine the chaos on the road. Ha ha!
 
Quantum Theory said:
No, as soon as you enter the circle, the next guy in the "main road" must yield. No need to post a picture...
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Pictures incoming, cause what you say still does not sound right, I still say, its exactly a 3 way stop if congested:

circle.jpg

Have to pretend its very congested like it is in the mornings. So I am yellow. While I am still waiting for red (who was at his yield line first) to clear the intersection, the next car is already at reds yield line. I am still waiting at my yield line for red to clear the circle area. In the direction which me and red are traveling there is backup from the next intersection into this intersection. If I do what it sounds like you propose, I'd be waiting forever for no cars to be at reds yield.

Circle 2.jpg

The view from reds side.
 
Last edited:
It's a stop when traffic is congested. When there's no traffic you don't have to stop.

I know most drivers treat a stop street the same way, maybe that's causing the confusion? </rant>
 
supersunbird said:
Pictures incoming, cause what you say still does not sound right, I still say, its exactly a 3 way stop if congested:

View attachment 98279

Have to pretend its very congested like it is in the mornings. So I am yellow. While I am still waiting for red (who was at his yield line first) to clear the intersection, the next car is already at reds yield line. I am still waiting at my yield line for red to clear the circle area. In the direction which me and red are traveling there is backup from the next intersection into this intersection. If I do what it sounds like you propose, I'd be waiting forever for no cars to be at reds yield.

View attachment 98281

The view from reds side.
Click to expand...

You supposed to pull in at the left and shop at Woolworths.
 
supersunbird said:
Have to pretend its very congested like it is in the mornings. So I am yellow. While I am still waiting for red (who was at his yield line first) to clear the intersection, the next car is already at reds yield line. I am still waiting at my yield line for red to clear the circle area. In the direction which me and red are traveling there is backup from the next intersection into this intersection. If I do what it sounds like you propose, I'd be waiting forever for no cars to be at reds yield.
Click to expand...

Is that not exactly what happens there? You have to wait until a car, like the Polo, blocks the red path and take your change... or until some red car gives you a gap. That is what is happening at most of the traffic circles in Cape Town's Northern 'burbs.
 
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