4-way stops vs. roundabouts: which is more efficient? Mythbusters tests both (vid)

[XYZ]

Originally Posted by eco_generator

The ultimate round-a-bout is an interstate ring road around a major city. 50+ mph and no waiting.

They have one in Washington DC known as the Beltway. But it has traffic jams, too.

If you don't know where you are going you will end up back where you began.

[eco_generator]

Originally Posted by XYZ

They have one in Washington DC known as the Beltway. But it has traffic jams, too.

If you don't know where you are going you will end up back where you began.

Ugh, DC. I try to stay at least 100 miles away. My best friend married in the area. After midnight 6 lanes of 95 comes to a dead stop. Anytime of day it took 45 minutes to get 4 miles down a 4 lane collector road near the highway.

I wanted to see the destruction of modern technology... and have people start riding massive turtles again like the old days

7 years later and the mental scars are finally starting to heal, sort of.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by eco_generator

Ugh, DC. I try to stay at least 100 miles away. My best friend married in the area. After midnight 6 lanes of 95 comes to a dead stop. Anytime of day it took 45 minutes to get 4 miles down a 4 lane collector road near the highway.

I wanted to see the destruction of modern technology... and have people start riding massive turtles again like the old days

7 years later and the mental scars are finally starting to heal, sort of.

I remember riding through DC from 1,998-2,000. The one time that I drove, I went through an Intersection and realized that the sign had said "Do not enter." I loved how streets changed direction!

The rest of the time, when we just went from one part of Maryland to another, I could always tell when we crossed some part of DC because the roads were much worse.

[user removed]

I lived right near the intersection of 123 and the west loop of the beltway and worked at a Mercedes dealership on North Glebe in Arlington. 123 (Chain Bridge Road) was my perfect route, 35 MPH and perfectly timed lights to work and back. Got 44 MPG in my 84 CRX 1.5 while enduring that commute, drove parallel to the main road in to DC and seldom did I go slower than the 55-65 MPH speed limit traffic, 1983.
When I was in high school in the mid-late 1960s, the govt offered Pop a GS14 position at the Pentagon, an increase in grade and a pay raise. He turned it down and retired in 1975, about 8 years after the job offer.

Picked up a motorcycle 15 months ago in Silver Springs Md, just north of the beltway. My poor younger brother crawled from there to Fredericksburg before we actually got up to the speed limit, close to 40 miles in his manual Nissan truck.

I avoid the place like the plague, but when I have to go through there I take route 28, or route 15 to Leesburg. One trip to Detroit I was headed north of Leesburg when the sun came up at 5:30 AM 3 hours into my trip. The southbound traffic into DC was crawling, backed up 20 miles on route 15, while northbound was practically deserted.

regards
Mech