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Originally Posted by freebeard
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Maybe I'm biased, but a normal 2 lane road for both directions with express way style exits seems to make the most sense to me. The only issue is a bridge would be required which is expensive but about 100x less confusing to be a driver on the road.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nathan jones
That's not a small road junction. In towns, stopping every 50 yards. It was fine in the 50s when fuel oozed out of the garden but not now and there's not enough oil left to have a war over. Yes, groundbreakingly expensive but social and economic stability is worth more. Or bike, and local authorities would prefer that too
You are quite likely right about drum brakes though, the rotating would slightly be higher but unsprung maybe a lb less or more per axle
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That junction is about 15 mins from the nearest city/town. There's a village about 2 miles south then 2 miles west though, and there's another major state highway about 8 miles south that is 2 lane on both sides with a left turn lane in the middle. It runs from the near by city to another city about 30 miles away.
I don't think a roundabout vs traffic lights or stop signs effects mpg of the average driver enough to do much for the average fuel usage. The USA was energy independent and a net exporter till our current administration shut down pipe lines and such. Trump actually mentioned if Biden got in gas prices would rise $5, 6, 7, 8 a gal and we are sitting around $5 for gas $6 for diesel. Prices at that time was around $2.50/gal in my area.
Can you clarify what the bike, and local authorities would prefer, the wording kind of seems a bit mixed up there. I doubt you mean wars would make bikers and local authorities happy. Was that in the context of more roundabouts or something? Bicyclists here have to be on the road and obey the same traffic laws as a car does. In some cities there are some dedicated bike lanes but it's not the norm.
Even in the middle of Detroit (or Chicago, Lansing, Flint, Saginaw, etc) I've never seen the traffic pattern setup where you had to stop for every intersection, normally there's traffic lights and a limited number of them so traffic can flow better. I hate driving in the city, but I've made it through Detroit stop and go traffic which extended all the way to the express way and I still got a good 40mpg with my corolla, but I was driving smart and for saving fuel. USA cities aren't like New York City, they have a very limited space with a massive population so they have major traffic issues, that's the exception not the rule. I'm sure the double (or more) roundabouts isn't the rule over there, but more the exception. We even have 2-3 roundabouts tied together in Michigan, super confusing to drive and and as an out of towner, it's extremely annoying to try to be in the correct lane to get where you want to go. Been in the wrong lane several times and got screwed over because I don't live in those areas and it seems like the signage is really terrible. Here's a vid I found trying to find a vid about the roundabout I was thinking of that's 2 or 3 roundabouts in one. Have to switch lanes quickly in it unless you want to miss the exit and I think the one side goes to the express way so you have to drive a mile + to get off legally to turn around.
Here's one I've been in somewhat recently. I came from the south side going north. I've been though it enough to know I need the left lane, first time I came through I was in the right lane since I wasn't passing anyone. The satellite images shows the road design before the roundabout was installed. I don't recall going through that area before the roundabout so can't really comment if it was better or not before but it looks like the old layout if you was in the right lane, you never had to slow down, left lane shouldn't have to slow down except if there's a ton of traffic because there's a left turn lane. The other direction appeared to also have a right turn lane. As long as the road was marked clearly before you got to it, I think no roundabout would probably be better than with for that exact setup. Most traffic isn't existing the road and are just going straight through.
Anyway, kinda getting off topic lol.
I could be wrong, but I think most road bikes are also front disc brakes and rear drum, with the rear drums being steel lined aluminum. The old Honda 3 wheeler also used aluminum brake drums in the 80's. Some were finned, some weren't.
I think both designs have their own pros and cons. It seems like 4 wheel disc brakes act a bit differently from front disc rear drum setups. Pedal seems to sink farther before braking happens, at least for my Lexus LS400, but it has undersized brakes, and even with the upgraded brakes I put on it from a newer LS400, it's still a joke for brakes. My Prius stops way better than the LS400. I'd say the same for my F250 power stroke diesel, but Fords are known to have good brakes so not really fair.