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"Roundabouts don't fit American culture." (imgur.com)

trecht"We have more people per capita" が 投稿

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トップ新着論争中古い順Q&A

[–]trecht"We have more people per capita"[S] 178ポイント179ポイント  (32子コメント)

His reasoning is

Americans have more fixed schedules compared to Europeans. So mornings and late afternoons would be extremely congested and cause tons of accidents.

I'm baffled. I honestly don't know what to say.

[–]ThereIsAThingForThatRemember it's not *actually* free 147ポイント148ポイント  (27子コメント)

...What does he think we do? Does he think we just decide to meet up a few hours late and go a few hours early? Does he think we're all southern European?

[–]Barry_Scotts_CatInternet European 69ポイント70ポイント  (0子コメント)

We all travel on the one a day, commie transport services.

Personal transport is banned in yruop

[–]Petros557socialism = satan 29ポイント30ポイント  (8子コメント)

hey greek here. we are not lazy, we are just unemployed and inefficient.

[–]ZwemvestDutch? Deutsch? Danish? Eén pot nat. 7ポイント8ポイント  (7子コメント)

I have a Greek friend who showed me that Greeks are actually pretty hardworking; Greeks have, on average, the biggest work-weeks of all of Europe.

We Dutchies have the lowest (the previous graph only looked at full time workers, and we have a huge part-time working force).

However, those numbers can be deceiving; unemployment is large, and Greeks are among the lower half in productivity per hour worked (whereas the Dutch are among the highest).

[–]bigbramel 5ポイント6ポイント  (2子コメント)

Working more hours!= working efficient

[–]ZwemvestDutch? Deutsch? Danish? Eén pot nat. 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yes, that's pretty much the conclusion.

[–]DreamerlaxAmerica's Hat 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Also working more hours != more pay.

[–]sabasNLNot "Holland", FFS 4ポイント5ポイント  (3子コメント)

Sssh, you're ruining our only chance to be hypocrite

[–]ZwemvestDutch? Deutsch? Danish? Eén pot nat. 5ポイント6ポイント  (2子コメント)

Can't talk; gotta work.

[–]JebusGobsonEurofag Extraordinaire! 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

Relevant: because of weird and convoluted reasons I just stumbled upon this old exchange of ours, and burst out laughing behind my desk. I had to explain to my co-worker that I was working on a very funny client dossier.

[–]ZwemvestDutch? Deutsch? Danish? Eén pot nat. 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

Ah yes, leave it to Crusader Kings and /u/JebusGobson if you want some easy laughs.

[–]thisshortenough 13ポイント14ポイント  (0子コメント)

I've seen so many Americans say that they can't start schools later, despite this being better for children and teenagers physically and mentally, because the parents all need to go to work and the kids need the time to do team activities or jobs in the evenings. As if Europeans just don't know what it's like to have to try and fit only some things in during the day.

[–]Middleman79 17ポイント18ポイント  (7子コメント)

Spain here. Nothing wrong with southern Europe. We just have a relaxed attitude to work and time, that's all.

[–]ThereIsAThingForThatRemember it's not *actually* free 16ポイント17ポイント  (6子コメント)

Oh yeah definitely. It's just a different way of life, and I have nothing against it.

But I think a lot of americans conflate the south Europe way of life with just the general way Europeans live, and think all Europeans have the relaxed attitude to work and time.

[–]the_wandering_nerd 17ポイント18ポイント  (5子コメント)

I wish that Americans would develop a more relaxed attitude towards work and time. I got fired from a job once for being 1 minute late back from lunch.

[–]mandragara 5ポイント6ポイント  (4子コメント)

Is that even legal?

[–]Don_Quijoder 17ポイント18ポイント  (2子コメント)

In an at-will employment state? Absolutely. You can be fired for any reason, really.

The supposed trade-off in those places is that you don't have to give 2 weeks notice when you quit.

I'm not sure that "I don't have to half-ass it for two weeks" vs. "I can be fired if the boss doesn't like the color of my shoes" is exactly the power balance that's it's sold to be.

[–]ZwemvestDutch? Deutsch? Danish? Eén pot nat. 9ポイント10ポイント  (0子コメント)

You can be fired for any reason, really.

Not fully true. You can be fired for almost any reason, including no reason at all. It's legal to fire you because you are too expensive, because they don't like the colour of you hair, because you big mouthed the boss, or even for no reason at all.

It's not legal to fire you on racist or sexist grounds, because you refused to do something illegal, or because you joined a union. The boss can still fire you without reason, if he wants too, but he can't use those reasons.

[–]spencer102 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

I don't think you are legally obligated to give a 2 weeks anywhere in the us

[–]Nevociti 8ポイント9ポイント  (0子コメント)

r/ANormalDayInAmerica

[–]bolaxaoooo custom flair!! -4ポイント-3ポイント  (7子コメント)

Do you think all southern europeans do that? You're no better than the guy in the pic.

[–]GreedDisasterPosts pics of soldiers with kittens in /aww 33ポイント34ポイント  (0子コメント)

I thought he was joking...

[–]ObrakaWe won we get to name it 7ポイント8ポイント  (0子コメント)

Nah, of course not, it was obviously a joke since most South Europeans are unemployed anyway and don't need to be anywhere

[–]ThereIsAThingForThatRemember it's not *actually* free 16ポイント17ポイント  (4子コメント)

Nah, not all of them, I'm sure some northern Europeans live there as well.

Sarcasm may be present.

I also don't literally believe everyone from Zealand isn't Danish, but that doesn't mean I won't tell my Zealandish friends that they're swedes in all but name.

[–]sacredsnowhawkNu Zild 5ポイント6ポイント  (3子コメント)

Down here in Aotearoa we would prefer that you start calling it Old Zealand, you know

(yes yes I know, Zeeland, w/e)

[–]ThereIsAThingForThatRemember it's not *actually* free 5ポイント6ポイント  (2子コメント)

Zeeland is an area in the Netherlands. Zealand is the Danish island where swedes live

Not the same thing!

[–]ObrakaWe won we get to name it 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

It's land in the sea... Same same

[–]sacredsnowhawkNu Zild 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yeah I know, I was trying to joke about the spelling as well.

Trust me, I'm well aware of the difference – I'm obsessed with CK2

[–]DreamerlaxAmerica's Hat 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

What an absolute load of bollocks. I was in Paris and London for a couple of days and the roads were jammed pack in the mornings and late afternoons.

[–]PublicSealedClass 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

I encounter 4 roundabouts on my 20 minute commute to work every day (and the same on the return trip).

These things are generally not that congested at all, unless there's been an accident somewhere and traffic is clogged up, or it's caused a fucktonne of traffic to divert onto my route.

[–]HailSatanLoveHaggisOh wow! My ancestors were from Scotchland. Do you know Angus? 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yup. As someone who lives in a medieval European capital with roads designed for fucking wagons, I've yet to experience this 'rush hour' phenomenon.

[–]gaahead 110ポイント111ポイント  (13子コメント)

Don't they want as many diverse road types as possible?

[–]trecht"We have more people per capita"[S] 62ポイント63ポイント  (10子コメント)

Yeah, with different tops

[–]HaxiWeg 48ポイント49ポイント  (6子コメント)

Blacktop. Concrete. Solar Roadways.

[–]trecht"We have more people per capita"[S] 27ポイント28ポイント  (0子コメント)

So diverse

[–]rafxgsy 53ポイント54ポイント  (4子コメント)

The correct terminology is urbantop you racist.

[–]IstencsaszarGays are a more fabulous version of the freemasons 31ポイント32ポイント  (2子コメント)

African-American-top you racist

[–]TheRealCJ 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

Welfarequeentop

[–]Jan_Brady 20ポイント21ポイント  (2子コメント)

Roundabouts may have been invented in Rome, but New York improved them.

[–]can_the_judges_djp 20ポイント21ポイント  (1子コメント)

The difference between roundabouts in New York and Chicago is so big it's like they're two different countries!

[–]sabasNLNot "Holland", FFS 10ポイント11ポイント  (0子コメント)

In Europe, you only have two or three types of roundabouts and that's it. In America, every state has its own roundabout type. For example, in New York we have turbo roundabouts, whereas Connecticut has roundabout interchanges.

[–]Joe_HoleDidn't we bomb y'all a couple times? 13ポイント14ポイント  (0子コメント)

America is a very very big road

[–]presidentchimp 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Nah, it's more about people needlessly dieing in the name of upholding tradition and never being wrong, 4 way intersections are the american way, therefore the best way.

[–]Barry_Scotts_CatInternet European 41ポイント42ポイント  (2子コメント)

When you have two types of pizza in your car, you might crash

[–]armoured_wankball 33ポイント34ポイント  (21子コメント)

We have a lot of them around here. The 3 problems that the drivers in these parts seem to have are;

  • Some don't yield. They come to a complete stop, even if the roundabout is empty.

  • Then there's another group who, while on the roundabout, will stop to let people enter it.

  • The one that drives me crazy the most - people use their turn signals to indicate a right turn when entering the roundabout regardless of what exit they're taking.

We recently had our first 2 lane roundabout opened. The road markings have been changed 3 times it a month to make it clearer what's expected of drivers. The local news had a segment explaining how to use the thing. The newsreader even apologized for having to do the piece.

[–]ArvinaDystopiaLookit mah daivers guns! 21ポイント22ポイント  (13子コメント)

Ours are:

  • Too many of them. Roundabouts can be useful, but when there are only 2 exits+1 rarely used path towards a single company, a turn lane would be much more advised.

  • People who don't use their turn signals to exit.

  • People who exit straight from the inside lane(s).

[–]TonyQuarkDiversity Pizza™ 31ポイント32ポイント  (10子コメント)

Point 2 and 3: that's why a lot of "turbo roundabouts" in the Netherlands have raised lane separators.

[–]NechaefMuzzled when out in public. 25ポイント26ポイント  (1子コメント)

Go away with your sexy and logical roundabouts, you are putting us to shame again.

[–]jwiechers 14ポイント15ポイント  (0子コメント)

It's so beautiful.

[–]MshipQ 4ポイント5ポイント  (6子コメント)

Looks like you wouldn't be able to cruise all the way around if you miss your exit. Not something I do very often but it happens.

[–]traveler_ 7ポイント8ポイント  (1子コメント)

Heck I cruise all the way around for fun sometimes if there's no one else there.

[–]wandarah 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[–]TonyQuarkDiversity Pizza™ 0ポイント1ポイント  (3子コメント)

Why not? You can still change lanes in between the small barriers.

[–]MshipQ 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

Yeah I guess you could doesn't look very smooth though, can you cut the corners a bit on the grey bits or are they raised?

Edit: Oh I see hwre you'd do it now, could have problems with people on the inside lane depending on when you change in.

[–]TonyQuarkDiversity Pizza™ 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

Not sure what you're asking. Do you see the large open parts with the double dotted lines on the top right and bottom left? There you can change lanes, and doing so allows you to drive all the way round.

But usually there's clear signs before a roundabout, and really, it's not all that different from an intersection, for which you would also need to pre-filter. The filtering here is just: go right or any other direction.

[–]MshipQ 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yeah I see the gaps, problem now is that you might have someone on your inside when you want to merge left though the gap and unlike normal (unspiraled) roundabouts you can't just keep going round the outside.

It's not a big deal really though.

[–]janne-bananne 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

Actually, in the case with 2 exits and one rarely used path, roundabouts are more efficient than a stoplight, because 99% of the time, you drive through them as if they were not there – you almost never have to yield or stop.

[–]ArvinaDystopiaLookit mah daivers guns! 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

I said turn lane, not stop light.

[–]metarinkaI can't hear you over the sound of my freedom 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

I learned to drive in the US circa 2002, I don't remember ever learning anything about how to take a roundabout. They are becoming more popular in the US though and anyone can learn how to take them it's not rocket science.

[–]kinghfbthanks you for your service 1ポイント2ポイント  (3子コメント)

people use their turn signals to indicate a right turn when entering the roundabout regardless of what exit they're taking.

This is the legal way to use them here (Australia). You indicate right when you're entering, and indicate left when you're leaving. It's written in the handbook. Yes, even when there are only two (other) exits

[–]JoniffAmerican't 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

I'm not checking the British Highway Code, but this is how I prefer it in the UK. Makes it blatantly clear when you are leaving the roundabout. Sadly too many think because they are going straight across the roundabout, they don't need to signal - as if it's everyone else responsibility to remember where you joined the roundabout.

+1 for Australia

[–]AlfredJodocusKwak 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

We're talking about right-hand traffic.

[–]kinghfbthanks you for your service 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

I wrote "Australia". The concept is still the same.

[–]lolnamexyour friendly neighborhood yuropoor -2ポイント-1ポイント  (1子コメント)

  • Some don't yield. They come to a complete stop, even if the roundabout is empty.

  • Then there's another group who, while on the roundabout, will stop to let people enter it.

I would sit in the middle of the roundabout to gun down those people.

[–]NiCr0w 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

thank you for protecting our 2nd Amendment rights, patriot o7

[–]Cunninglinguist87Socialist countries like Europe 19ポイント20ポイント  (0子コメント)

They built a roundabout in a multi-way shopping center in my town. After almost being hit twice by people who don't understand how to yeild to traffic already in the circle, I have come to the conclusion that Americans aren't ready for that level of efficiency

[–]IRAN_MICKEYooo custom flair!! 36ポイント37ポイント  (41子コメント)

It is kind of true ...

My local area has started building them, as they are popular among traffic engineers and urban planners. They scare the shit out of old people, apparently.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20150817/ARTICLES/150819688

On Monday, shoppers at businesses near the intersection said they found the new layout confusing, and a little scary. Jennifer Puskas and Randy Edwards of Castle Hayne stopped at Carolina Cafe for lunch -- their home is on a road just off the roundabout.

"We sat for 10 minutes trying to get on it because nobody knew what to do," Puskas said. "If they would have just put up a stop light it would have been a lot easier. ... It's gonna take a while for people to get used to it. Just like anything, nobody likes change at first. Especially around here."

[–]Ferociousaurus 50ポイント51ポイント  (12子コメント)

I think this is more of a "we've never had roundabouts, so we don't intuitively know how the right-of-way rules work" problem, which can be fixed with just a bit of education and experience, than a "Americans intrinsically can't comprehend roundabouts" problem.

[–]jalford312 7ポイント8ポイント  (0子コメント)

He's just old, I took a test for my driver's permit just 2 years ago, and the test covered roundabouts.

[–]IRAN_MICKEYooo custom flair!! 9ポイント10ポイント  (9子コメント)

well yeah i hope nobody was suggesting that americans were intrinsically incapable of comprehending roundabouts

[–]Ferociousaurus 25ポイント26ポイント  (8子コメント)

Sure, but I'd say the original "Roundabouts don't fit American culture" seems to be implying that.

[–]PublicSealedClass 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

They're not difficult, you just give way (yield) to the direction of traffic - from the right in the UK, from the left everywhere else.

And when you're on the roundabout YOU have right of way, so people waiting to enter will wait until after you've passed them (if it's clear behind you).

As with anything in driving, its just experience and practice.

[–]YT4LYFE 61ポイント62ポイント  (1子コメント)

I think we should have people take the driving test at least once every 10 years. Laws change, roads change, signs and lights change, peoples driving ability and spacial awareness in general changes. If you're too old to readjust to something as simple as a roundabout, maybe you shouldn't be driving in general, IMO.

[–]Andyk123 18ポイント19ポイント  (0子コメント)

I took driver's ed more than ten years ago in a rural area and we were taught roundabouts. They're really not even hard, and most of them have signage telling you exactly what to do. It's so much better than waiting 3 minutes at a red light. My parents constantly complain about them, but I don't understand how it's difficult at all.

[–]HaxiWeg 15ポイント16ポイント  (6子コメント)

Once we drove from Germany to Brittony. There is barely any better way than via Paris. The Periferique Sude (the street Lady Diana died on) was blocked because of construction. Suddenly we were in the middle of Paris and had to drive alongside the Seine. We passed the Louvre and Place de la Concorde (7 Lane Roundabout I think) and the Arc de Triumphe (9 Lane Roundabout I think). We did just fine. It's not like it's witchcraft.

[–]TRiG_Ireland 11ポイント12ポイント  (4子コメント)

If you survived L'Étoile, you can survive any roundabout. I once spent quite some time standing on top of l'Arc de Triomphe watching the traffic: it's fascinating how many near misses there are.

[–]HaxiWeg 10ポイント11ポイント  (2子コメント)

There are only three rules on this roundabout:

  1. Traffic goes counter clockwise

  2. Watch out for each other

  3. Abandon everything you learned in driving school

[–]TRiG_Ireland 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

I saw a motorbike trying to go round the roundabout. It was sandwiched between two buses which were trying to leave.

[–]intredastedQuality of life=!= freedom 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

Absolutely.

Etoile or Bastille are not made for those, who wish to base their driving on rulebooks.

You just go with the flow (I used to go through Bastille twice a day on bike).

[–]Titibu 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

As a French driver, L'Etoile is both famous and tricky. It's one of the only (the only? I don't think there is another...) roundabout in France where you have to give way to entering traffic if you are yourself in the roundabout. If you've never been in a roundabout, it's scary as hell. You can not just "stay on the outer side", or you won't be able to move.

[–]suvanna 11ポイント12ポイント  (6子コメント)

reporting from Southeastern US: roundabouts are terrible here because most drivers wait until the roundabout is COMPLETELY CLEAR before entering. however it tends to work out for me, since they are afraid of using the inside lane, I can usually scoot through while the outside lane gets backed up.

[–]TheIdesOfLurch 7ポイント8ポイント  (3子コメント)

Here in New England roundabouts (or rotaries as we like to call them) have been around forever. There are two within maybe a mile of me. They do get congested, though not more than a t-intersection would. They can be scary though. The thing I see the most is people who don't understand that they have the right of way and yield to the people trying to get into the rotary. Gets me apoplectic.

[–]JebusGobsonEurofag Extraordinaire! 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

What I get irate from is people doing almost a complete circle on the outer lane, all the while refusing people correctly using the inner lane to cut in so they can exit the roundabout.

It's usually old people on Sundays. Also they usually have a difficult time sticking to their lane, almost scraping into you when you're driving the inner lane.

[–]chocolatepot 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

The bigger one I drive through handles the lane issue by breaking it down into spirals, basically. So instead of making you choose the inner or outer lane, you get in the three-quarters-around lane or the just-the-next-exit lane and it shunts you right to where you need to go. Obviously somebody could plow through and cause some damage, but at least you don't get people hogging the outer lane.

[–]ArttuH5N1Finland, you're welcome for Marshal aid and NATO 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I'm feeling a little apoplectic myself.

[–]YT4LYFE 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

Where exactly, if you don't mind me asking?

[–]suvanna 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

upstate South Carolina

[–]martensit 10ポイント11ポイント  (9子コメント)

that's more a 'peoples problem' than a 'roundabouts problem'. They probably weren't taught how to use one properly.

[–]Illum503 6ポイント7ポイント  (7子コメント)

Put roundabout use in license tests. Once everyone is familiar, introduce the roundabouts. Problem solved.

[–]traveler_ 10ポイント11ポイント  (6子コメント)

The thing is we usually only have one license test our entire lives. So "once everyone is familiar" would take like 50 years.

[–]Illum503 10ポイント11ポイント  (5子コメント)

The thing is we usually only have one license test our entire lives.

...one more thing about America that is insane to me.

[–]JebusGobsonEurofag Extraordinaire! 6ポイント7ポイント  (2子コメント)

Are there a lot of countries where you have to re-take your driver license test regularly? I don't think I've heard of that existing, honestly.

[–]deltaSquee 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yep, Australia for example

[–]Illum503 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

AFAIK here the elderly have to retake it every 2-5 years.

[–]VelvetElvis 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

In many states driver's education classes are not required. When they are taught in high-schools, it's usually the day job of the football coaches to do so.

[–]GnuRip 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

The thing is we usually only have one license test our entire lives.

...one more thing about America that is insane to me.

In Germany we only have one too

[–]Tinie_SnipahTHIS POST ISN'T ABOUT AMERICA! QUICK SOMEBODY MENTION AMERICA!!! 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

to be fair that is his point

[–]Illum503 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

nobody likes change at first. Especially around here."

America in a nutshell.

[–]flyingtiger188 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

That's funny, in the past decade or so many suburbs in my area have put in many roundabouts and everyone seems to love them. Then you go into the one city that doesn't have them and it's frustrating as hell waiting two minutes to get through that four way stop. For the most part they're all single lane without any right turn lanes, so there's really nothing to get confused about. This is in north texas, if that makes a difference.

[–]Vincenttb 33ポイント34ポイント  (26子コメント)

He's right. Americans are terrible drivers.

[–]seventhsausageI'm a filthy beast 15ポイント16ポイント  (24子コメント)

I'm pretty sure that's because they have more cars per capita.
Actually, they probably do.

[–]Perpetual_Entropy"Saying western isn't enlightened is saying we're not modern." 11ポイント12ポイント  (3子コメント)

Sort of, they do for countries with population greater than about 50 million.

[–]JebusGobsonEurofag Extraordinaire! 6ポイント7ポイント  (2子コメント)

In that example it's more like 'for countries with a population greater than 50K'.

[–]seventhsausageI'm a filthy beast 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

Go away with your details.

[–]Perpetual_Entropy"Saying western isn't enlightened is saying we're not modern." 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

I was going to say something like that, but they aren't that far in front of Australia which is something like 20 million.

[–]Egalitaristen 8ポイント9ポイント  (14子コメント)

How would having more cars make you a worse driver?

And Americans are terrible drivers according to international statistics.

Compared to my country (Sweden) they have almost 3 times the accidents and deaths/capita when adjusted to km traveled and everything else.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

[–]traveler_ 5ポイント6ポイント  (5子コメント)

How would having more cars make you a worse driver?

I'm not sure it's the major cause, but here's how it works: if cars are rarer, then they aren't the expected "default" form of transportation—the entire society is structured to expect that people will be using buses, trains, scooters, or whatever else. Roads are designed for that, parking is designed for that, cities, homes, everything. And licensing requirements can be made stricter.

But in the U.S. cars are seen, in almost every city other than New York, to be the "normal" form of transportation. People oppose making licensing requirements stricter because it would take away too many people's mobility. Roads are designed for cars first or even cars only. Politicians campaign on promising to tear out bike lanes. Middle-class voters oppose extending mass transit routes to their neighborhoods because it would bring the "wrong sort of people" in.

It sucks.

[–]Egalitaristen 3ポイント4ポイント  (4子コメント)

Oh, you were thinking in multiple steps. Yeah, I get that.

I'm not sure that the number of cars is responsible though, to me it seem to rather be a cultural thing. Sure, more cars feed into American car culture but American car culture (which is massive, one look at the Discovery Chanel these day show that) makes people buy more cars.

I get what you're saying and mostly agree, I just think that the number of cars isn't the root problem. But it sure is connected.

[–]traveler_ 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

Yeah I certainly feel the culture has more of the lead in this effect. But I think there's a feedback cycle between the culture making cars common, and the commonality of cars making the culture car-centric.

[–]solistus 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

I think it's pretty clear that the cars themselves came first in this particular chicken-egg scenario. The US invested enormously in the interstate highway system, and in the postwar era virtually all new housing that was built was built in suburbs with no mass transit. American car culture has become such a huge thing because cars are the primary or sole means of transportation available to most Americans, not the other way around.

[–]Egalitaristen 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I wasn't arguing that car culture came before cars (how stupid would that be?), but that the number of cars isn't the main reason as to why Americans are poor drivers...

コメントをもっと表示する (8 返事)

    [–]Jeester 3ポイント4ポイント  (3子コメント)

    Well they have greater than 3 times higher fatality rate but not 3 times higher car ownership rate...

    I also had an argument (see history) with them about checking their mirrors before they turn. It seems they are against checking their left mirror before turning left.

    [–]seventhsausageI'm a filthy beast 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

    That sounds a bit... completely ridiculous.

    [–]Egalitaristen 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

    So does being against roundabouts or deliberately targeting cyclists on the road...

    [–]seventhsausageI'm a filthy beast 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    deliberately targeting cyclists on the road...

    Well we all need hobbies.

    [–]VelvetElvis 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    In many states we're not required to take any kind of driver's education classes. That's a big factor.

    [–]Swagosaurus_YoloSwag 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

    This is very true. My dad's number one complaint about American life, since he moved from England in 1998, is that the drivers are substantially worse than in England, especially in North Carolina as he's travelled all over. Now that i drive as well I see what he's talking about.

    [–]Madrid_Supporter 12ポイント13ポイント  (0子コメント)

    lol that's the dumbest excuse I've ever read. I'd love to meet the idiot who thinks its a valid reason.

    [–]appamp 9ポイント10ポイント  (0子コメント)

    There are usually reasons why we aren't clones of Europe

    We made you

    [–]Watertor 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Funny. In Wisconsin there are plenty. At first people complain, then they realize they're much more efficient than everyone fullstopping.

    I hate the "Americans are different" argument that seemingly every fucking American uses. It's no different than the goth kid in high school saying "I'm darker than you, you wouldn't get it" only 400x more douchey as I could not give less of a shit about their MCR remix, but I do care about efficient traffic layouts.

    Just say "I don't like change, change is terrifying and I'm a coward" and be honest for once.

    [–]softhands_creme>be me in europe; >tfw killed by literally shakira law 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

    They got problems, man...

    [–]iain_1986 4ポイント5ポイント  (2子コメント)

    Having driven in America...

    He's not wrong. (Complete unfair generalisation coming...)

    I've never experienced such selfish driving. Completely ignoring your indicator. Never indicating themselves. Undertaking. Constant lane changing to 'get ahead'. If you want to change lanes they will actively accelerate to close the gap that was there so you can't. Blind spot? Enjoy having someone just constantly sitting there.

    All those things really don't work well with roundabouts.

    [–]Whiskey_Cures 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Clearly you have been driving in the Boston area...it takes some getting used to in order not to be stressed out. If, however, you are refering to Miami, that is not considered the USA and the people with cars are not what we would call 'drivers' since it is clear all of them refuse to learn the skill.

    Edit: ^ Shit Americans say

    [–]l33t_sas 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    I spent a month in Chicago with a friend and we didn't drive, but we took a few Ubers and we say some terrifying shit. At one point there was a traffic jam on the freeway and one guy literally drove off the road along the side just to get ahead. Later on the same drive a truck cut us off and our driver rolled down the passenger side window and started screaming at him while my friend and I looked at each other in horror. And then when I spent two months in Arkansas, everyone seemed to be driving at least 15 miles over the speed limit ALL the time and there seemed to be no cultural stigma against drunk-driving at all. People in the bars would all just leave and hop right into their cars. I asked the guy giving me a ride if he was okay to drive and he looked at me like he'd never gotten that question before in his life.

    [–]IAMTHEBATMAN123 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Fuck that. I live in MA, we got roundabouts up the ass.

    [–]fartbox2000 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

    I live in the US and my city has converted several intersections to roundabouts and accidents and congestion have both decreased since their implementation.

    [–]acideath 9ポイント10ポイント  (1子コメント)

    Such special little snowflakes.

    [–]FaFaRog 8ポイント9ポイント  (0子コメント)

    That's hilarious because there are a ton of roundabouts in Massachusetts. As a Canadian, the first time I really had to figure them out (which takes all of 1 minute) was when I was living there. Unless they've seceded recently, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about.

    [–]pwnies_gonna_pwnleave Emily A. alone!!! 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

    didnt we have that exact discussion once? with the same words?

    i have the déjàest of vus right now.

    [–]VelvetElvis 3ポイント4ポイント  (5子コメント)

    When Nashville got its first roundabout, people were fine with the traffic flow part. The main controversy was the topless statue in the middle.

    We can deal with European style civil engineering just fine. Naked breasts are still a problem.

    [–]pwnies_gonna_pwnleave Emily A. alone!!! 0ポイント1ポイント  (4子コメント)

    that access lacked in sneakiness id say.

    sculpt the round "island" in the middle in form of a glorious boob. wait a couple of years till people get it and it went viral on the internet.

    voila, tourism + nobdoy dares to remove it.

    [–]VelvetElvis 1ポイント2ポイント  (3子コメント)

    This is the sculpture:

    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Musica_%282003%29_by_Alan_LeQuire%2C_Nashville.jpg

    It's actually quite good as far as public art in the southeastern US goes.

    I forgot about the penises. The nipples were the main point off contention when it first went up.

    [–]pwnies_gonna_pwnleave Emily A. alone!!! 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

    It's actually quite good as far as public art in the southeastern US goes.

    indeed, while its not the greatest of artworks its not bad. something nice and abstract would have been more fitting i guess

    [–]VelvetElvis 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

    Nashville has the nickname "The Athens of the South," despite the fact that there is actually a fairly nice town in Georgia that is actually called Athens. We have several institutes of higher learning (most of which are bible colleges) and several leading medical centers, as well as a to-scale replica of The Parthenon. This is always used as a reason to put more mediocre Grecian styled art in public places.

    Athena was opposed on the grounds that she would draw Pagans to our city to worship at her feet.

    [–]pwnies_gonna_pwnleave Emily A. alone!!! 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Athena was opposed on the grounds that she would draw Pagans to our city to worship at her feet.

    cant make this shit up...

    [–]yankbotEnglish motherfucker! Do you speak it? 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

    As we debate the boundaries of law enforcement's authority, I am reminded of my own recent run-in with a traffic cop. While I currently live in the state if Texas, where Ms. Bland was pulled over, my incident occurred on the other side of the world in a place widely considered friendly and accommodating: New Zealand. As a visitor in any foreign country, I never expect my rights as an American to supersede those of the nation where I am traveling. But things just didn't seem right when I was given a mandatory road-side breathalyzer test, just because I was speeding.

    Snapshots:

    I am a bot. (Info | Contact)

    [–]JrMint 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    … And thank God for that. I've almost been killed being in the car with an American who didn't know what to do when coming up to a roundabout in New York. I had to scream for her to stop before a huge truck almost barreled into us.

    I drove us home after that.

    [–]andrey_shipilov 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

    Can you handle McDonald's on a roundabout?

    [–]Liberty_Chip_CookiesBack-to-back World War Champs! 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    So here's a funny thing; in New Hampshire there are at least three roundabouts with a McDonald's either at or very close to the intersection.

    The northeastern US has a relatively large concentration of rotaries/roundabouts, so it's sad to hear that the region doesn't fit American culture, especially considering it's where American culture started.

    [–]UncleSlackyTemporarily Embarrassed Millionaire 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

    I hope no Americans have to visit Swindon.

    [–]BaumkronendachSpreading my freedumb 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

    There are "rotaries" in my area of the country and they are approached with ease... So right there they are wrong. The fit in somewhere haha

    [–]coldbeeronsundayFeelin' the Bern 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

    He'd shit himself if he came to my neck of the US and saw our new exit off the Interstate where you have to drive on the wrong side of the road before switching back over after a stoplight.

    [–]Wabbithunter68British Bitch 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    What he doesn't seem to realise is that he's doing his own fellow countrymen and himself a huge disservice. He's basically saying that Americans are too stupid or are totally incapable of learning something new.

    [–]anschelsc 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    TIL Boston isn't in America.

    [–]Dotile 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Reasons like an education system that sucks?

    [–]Atomicgoatfarm 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    There are actually a couple where I live. Most people who've talked about them are more intrigued than annoyed.

    [–]Silvedl 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    They put a roundabout at the corner of a moderately busy intersection in my town. Fucked up the dimensions the first time and had to tear it up and re-pave it, wasting like 8 months. When it was fixed and ready it lasted 3 months, causing at least 5 major car accidents and countless minor accidents. They tore that shit out pretty quick.

    [–]LG193 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    I think you don't really get what he meant OP. He probably means that there shouldn't be roundabouts in the US because the people there simply don't know how they work (yes, it's hard to imagine such a thing but according to reddit it is true). So before roundabouts are built, drivers should know how to deal with them.

    [–]xolov 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Did the TIL article got deleted, I can't find it again?

    [–]squidsquad 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

    I mean he's right, but for the wrong reasons. Americans are just stupid as shit and would crash into each other on roundabouts. There's one at the end of the bridge into Cape Cod Massachusetts and it magically turns licensed American drivers into 90 year old blind dogs.

    [–]BaumkronendachSpreading my freedumb 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Must be all the vacationers. Mass has rotaries all around and usually are non-problematic

    [–]Doctorphate -4ポイント-3ポイント  (2子コメント)

    Americans are just too dumb for round abouts(that took 6 edits on the iPhone.. What a piece of shit).

    We have both setups here in Canada and I have to say I prefer street lights. Not because I don't like round abouts but because I've had idiots hit me multiple times and almost hit me dozens of times on the round abouts I use often.

    If everyone knew how to fucking drive a round about would be vastly superior but because people can't figure out yield signs, how to stay in their own lane, etc I prefer to take routes with traffic lights

    [–]TRiG_Ireland 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

    I'm no road engineer, but from what I've heard there actually are more accidents on roundabouts, but they happen at significantly slower velocities, and therefore do considerably less damage.

    [–]BaumkronendachSpreading my freedumb 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    That's what I've learned/heard as well: accidents in roundabouts also yield fewer fatalities than 4-way stops. It's just a matter of physics: Getting hit by someone traveling at a low velocity in comparison to you, like getting jostled on a busy street, or do you have someone slam into you from the side, either because you screwed up thinking you could go, or they didn't stop.