Yay.
A roundabout revolution is slowly sweeping the US. The land of the car, where the stop sign and traffic light have ruled for decades, has started to embrace the free-flowing British circular.
A few moments after entering Carmel, it's clear why the city has been described as the Milton Keynes of the US.
As the sat-nav loudly and regularly points out, there's often a roundabout up ahead.
But unlike in the English town famous for them, driving into this pretty city on the outskirts of Indianapolis also involves passing several more under construction.
"We are saving thousands of gallons of fuel per roundabout per year"-Mayor of Carmel, Jim Brainard
"I think they're awesome," says Blair Clark, who has lived in the area for 26 years. "They keep the traffic flowing, you don't have to stop, you save gas and there are less accidents."
And Dan Neil, motoring correspondent at the Wall Street Journal, personally welcomes their arrival but thinks there is something deep in the American psyche which is fundamentally opposed to them.
"This is a culture predicated on freedom and individualism, where spontaneous co-operation is difficult and regimentation is resisted.
"You see it in the way Americans get in line, or as the Brits say, queue. We don't do that very well.
"Behind the wheel, we're less likely to abide by an orderly pattern of merging that, though faster for the group, may require an individual to slow down or, God forbid, yield."
Americans tend to be orthogonal in their thinking and behaviour, he says.
"We like right angles, yes and no answers, Manichean explanations. Roundabouts require more subtlety than we're used to."
Un-American or not, it's only a matter of time before they are covering every US state, says Gene Russell, a leading civil engineering professor at Kansas State University.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13863498
Last edited by Dilbert_X (2011-07-02 05:31:03)