Do we have traffic circles or roundabouts in PE? No one seems to know, and generally most of us just yield to the right.
Circular junctions existed before roundabouts, including the Circus in the English city of Bath, Somerset, a world heritage site completed in 1768, the 1907 Place de l'Étoile around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the 1904 Columbus Circle in Manhattan, and several circles within Washington, D.C.. The operating and entry characteristics of these circles differs considerably from modern roundabouts. In 1907 Architect John McLaren designed one of the first American roundabouts for both autos and street cars (trams) in the Hanchett Residence Park in what is now San Jose, California. The first British circular junction was built in Letchworth Garden City in 1909. Its centre originally was intended partly as a traffic island for pedestrians. It was featured in the film, "The World's End" In the early 20th century, numerous traffic circles were constructed in the United States, particularly in the northeast. Examples include a circle in Atherton, California
A "modern roundabout" is a type of looping junction in which road traffic travels in one direction around a central island and priority is given to the circulating flow. Signs usually direct traffic entering the circle to slow and to give way the right of way.
Because low speeds are required for traffic entering roundabouts, they are physically designed to slow traffic entering the junction to improve safety, so that the roads typically approach the junction radially; whereas rotaries are frequently designed to try to increase speeds, and thus have roads that enter the traffic circle tangentially.
Because of the requirement for low speeds, roundabouts usually are not used on controlled-access highways, but may be used on lower grades of highway such as limited-access roads. When such roads are redesigned to take advantage of roundabouts, traffic speeds must be reduced via tricks such as curving the approaches.
Magic" roundabouts/ring junctions
Line drawing of the roundabout "Magic Roundabout" at Hemel Hempstead illustrating the concept and the reverse (anticlockwise) flow of the inner lane
"Magic roundabouts" direct traffic in both directions around the central island. They are officially known as "ring junctions". The first magic roundabout was constructed in 1972, designed by Frank Blackmore inventor of the mini-roundabout.
The name derives from the popular children's television series, The Magic Roundabout, and is considered "magic" because traffic flows in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions. This is achieved by surrounding the main island with one smaller roundabout per entry/exit street. This pattern directs traffic in the usual clockwise manner around each mini-roundabout. Exiting the mini-roundabouts, traffic may proceed around the central island either clockwise (via the outer loop), or anticlockwise (the inner loop). The arrangement offers multiple paths between feeder roads. Drivers typically choose the shorter, most fluid route. Although the safety record is good many drivers find this system intimidating, and some drivers go to great lengths to avoid them.
The town of Swindon in Wiltshire, became home to the first Magic Roundabout. This roundabout joins five roads and consists of a two-way road around the central island with five mini-roundabouts meeting the incoming roads.
Similar systems are found in the Moor End roundabout in Hemel Hempstead (Hertfordshire), which has six intersections; in High Wycombe (Buckinghamshire), the Denham Roundabout in Denham (Buckinghamshire), the Greenstead Roundabout in Colchester (Essex), "The Egg" in Tamworth (Staffordshire) and the Hatton Cross Roundabout in London.
Churchbridge Junction in Staffordshire is a magic gyratory. This type of junction is similar to a magic roundabout, except that the constituent roundabouts are connected by longer lengths of roadway.
(Information from WikkiPedia)
This particular Roundabout was built to link the roads from the South Campus to the North Campus. It also slows down traffic as many students in the past managed to roll their cars on “Langdraai”.
It is planted with indigenous species (similar to that found at the old gate. And as such requires very little watering.