Roundabout

The funny circle in the middle of the road seems like a child's idea, making traffic turn round and round in a never-ending game of chase. You sit on your balcony watching the endless effort of drivers to decide when and how to enter or exit the spinning torrent of turning automobiles. But beyond the potential for comedy, you appreciate the fluid beauty of circular motion, and the inclusion of patches of green that these roundabouts insert into your otherwise grey community. A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Numerous circular junctions existed before the advent of roundabouts, including the 1907 Place de l'Etoile around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the 1904 Columbus Circle in New York City, and several circles within Washington, DC. However, the operating and entry characteristics of these circles differed considerably from modern roundabouts. The first British roundabout was built in Letchworth Garden City in 1903 making is the first in the world - originally intended partly as a traffic island for pedestrians. In the early 20th century, numerous traffic circle junctions were constructed in the United States, particularly in the northeast states. There are many instances of traffic circles in the US that predate the modern roundabout, like the ones that can be found in Atherton California. Although the term roundabout is sometimes used for a traffic circle even in the United States, U.S. traffic engineers now make the distinction that in a roundabout entering traffic must always yield to traffic already in the circle, whereas in a traffic circle entering traffic is controlled by Stop signs, or is not formally controlled.