Two years ago, a roundabout in France
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340635)
Rockingham, Australia
August 17, 2018 7:41pm CST
Two years ago, very close to this date, we were in north-west France and I was occupying myself taking photos of the interesting roundabouts. I’ve written about some of them and if you search for ‘roundabout’ they should come up. Unlike the roundabouts in Australia which usually have nothing in the middle, those on the continent had some very inventive structures, often featuring something to do with the town we were in.
I have a photo of the ‘grown-up’ version of this bridge but thought you’d like this miniature version. It was relatively easy to take photos of the roundabouts in France as we were driving a right-hand drive vehicle in a left-hand drive country so I was always on the inside going round roundabouts. If there was no traffic and I was having trouble getting a good shot we would go around twice. I think we might have even gone around three times at one of them. Are the centres of roundabouts in your area made to look attractive?
18 people like this
18 responses
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
18 Aug 18
Roundabouts are very rare in the states, and even when they have them they are not very efficient, people here don't understand the concept.
5 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
18 Aug 18
@JudyEv Yes I agree they should work but here all four sides just stop and that rather defeats the purpose lol
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@JudyEv (340635)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Aug 18
@BelleStarr Most people are pretty good here now but they have been around a long time. It's the multi-lane ones that can get tricky.
@MarshaMusselman (38863)
• Midland, Michigan
18 Aug 18
I think they used to be more common here in smaller cities. An area near my home is called the circle even though now all the streets meet at a center spike in the middle the old circular street still goes around the outside although that mainly used to get to the shops and not for driving around.
In recent years one has been added coming off the freeway into town another it's on an exit off an interstate and one is being considered near where I work but that may never happen as certain businesses would need to be removed.
As far as what in the center of them? If anything maybe flowers or fauna.
2 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38863)
• Midland, Michigan
18 Aug 18
@JudyEv the thing with putting some of that in the middle of think drivers could be looking at that and mess up since paying attention is vital when driving around them
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@JudyEv (340635)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Aug 18
@MarshaMusselman You're right of course. The locals would get used to us but tourists like us were always gawping at the roundabouts.
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@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
18 Aug 18
Up at NC State they have some roundabouts on or adjacent to campus and most have something in them. Here in the city closest to me they recently renovated Center Street through downtown and each roundabout there now has a sculpture in the center.
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I know I had some scary moment thinking that my husband was on the wrong lane.
@moffittjc (121621)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Aug 18
Most of the roundabouts in our city are beautifully landscaped, and most have a large beautiful tree as the centerpiece.
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@moffittjc (121621)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Aug 18
@JudyEv I'm surprised the US hasn't caught on to displaying public works of art or other special items in the middle of roundabouts. It would be neat to see things like that in our roundabouts.
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@JudyEv (340635)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Aug 18
@moffittjc I guess they can be a big distraction so maybe that has something to do with it.
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@arunima25 (87820)
• Bangalore, India
18 Aug 18
We have roundabouts in our city and they are beautified with plants and some statues of a great person or some incident from history and mythology.
This is a beautiful mini bridge. I was in Paris in May 2015. I was on a short trip of 1 and half day with my husband. He had a conference and I accompanied him as he got some award from his company. We could only visit the museum and Eiffel tower. Could not go around the place much.
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@arunima25 (87820)
• Bangalore, India
18 Aug 18
@JudyEv Maybe I will go for a vacation in future.
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@arunima25 (87820)
• Bangalore, India
18 Aug 18
@JudyEv We have a plan to visit it again for vacation with children.
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@shaggin (72196)
• United States
21 Aug 18
When I went to visit my dad a few weeks ago in upstate NY there were so many of these roundabouts. I hate them they make me nervous as I get in an accident on one when I was a teen. There was a particular roundabout while I was going to my dad's that kept telling me to get off then get back on. It did it about three times and I was so annoyed. I figured out where I needed to go on my own and took a diff road to keep from having to go around and around and around that circle all day.
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@JudyEv (340635)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Aug 18
Some can be very tricky I know. Our SatNav is always telling us this and that. I'd rather have a paper map any day.
@xFiacre (13055)
• Ireland
18 Aug 18
@judyev I have to concentrate very hard while negotiating French roundabouts so I don’t notice, but here’s a picture of a huge artistic installation in Belfast’s biggest roundabout that you can’t miss as you drive in from Dublin direction - two giant balls, one inside the other.
1 person likes this
How many lanes is the roundabout? I'm guessing it more than one or two.
@snowy22315 (181139)
• United States
21 Aug 18
Not that much here..but usually the brick lay of the roundabouts themselves are pretty interesting. In DC, I think some have sculpture or something in the middle.
@snowy22315 (181139)
• United States
24 Aug 18
@JudyEv Yes, that is why they aren't too common here. You should be paying attention to your driving instead of oohing and ahhing
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (80178)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 Aug 18
That is a lovely photo. I checked online and it appears that Daytona Beach where I live now had roundabouts but I have no idea what they look like since I don't drive.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
18 Aug 18
There's nothing in roundabouts here.
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