2842: Inspiraling Roundabout

2023-10-17T22:28:54Z

Enter username: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2842
| date = October 16, 2023
| title = Inspiraling Roundabout
| image = inspiraling_roundabout.png
| titletext = Look, I just think we need to stop coddling those hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours, wasting valuable capacity.
}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by RUNAROUND SUE}}

A {{w|roundabout}}, also called a traffic circle or rotary, is a traffic control device that often serves as an alternative to stop signs, instead allowing for mere yields, as all traffic flows in the same counterclockwise direction around a central point (clockwise in left-driving countries).

Various roundabout designs have been proposed and used throughout the world. This comic proposes an "Inspiraling Roundabout" which spirals each entrance/exit lane inward, eventually leading all three roads to meet in the center.

The caption states that it's [[Technically|technically]] navigable, since you can get anywhere on the roundabout without breaking highway laws, but that the Highway Department has vetoed it, presumably due to its complexity and impracticality.

A few '''observations''' of this particular design (assuming right-hand driving):
* To drive from one entrance to the next exit is '''easy''' and does not require entering the spiral. If you start at 12 o’clock, it’s easy to exit at 8 o’clock.
* Driving to the '''2nd exit''' (e.g., from 12 o’clock to 4 o’clock) first requires entering the spiral, driving '''counterclockwise''' (normal direction for a roundabout) as you head inward to the center
* Exiting the spiral from the center means first finding the correct exit lane (which may not be obvious) and then driving '''clockwise''' (not typical for a roundabout)
* Inward-bound and outward-bound vehicles would use the same lanes, risking '''head-on collisions''' if more than a few vehicles are using the roundabout at the same time
* When exiting back into the outermost lane and then turning into one’s exit, drivers must make a '''very sharp left turn''' to exit to avoid crossing the painted lines.

Alternative methods to legally get from 12 o’clock to 4 o’clock (i.e., to the 2nd exit):
* Exit at 8 o’clock, do a legal U-turn, re-enter, and then exit at 4 o’clock.
* If lane changes are allowed across dotted lines (which is typically what dotted lanes indicate), enter at 12 o’clock and then simply lane-change into the outermost lane near 6 o’clock.

[[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]] also has a rotary. [[2728:_Lane_Change_Highway]] has a similar theme of changing lanes.

The '''title text''' justifies this creative design by presuming the amusing existence of "hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours," expressing Randall's frustration that we've been "coddling" them with normal roundabout designs that let them get off on circling in the inner lane for hours, wasting capacity. Of course, this is a non-issue {{citation needed}}.
* In street racing culture, doing "donuts" -- circling a single spot at high speed to leave circular tread marks on the pavement -- is a popular pastime, but these drivers circle for a few rotations, not several hours.
* The "coddling" of some population is a complaint sometimes seen in US conservative discourse, most famously as a criticism of modern higher education in the 2018 book, "The Coddling of the American Mind"

==Trivia==
* Unlike inspiraling roundabouts, outspiraling roundabouts are a real thing, common across western Europe. They are known as "[https://g.co/kgs/51QWWt Turbo Roundabouts]", though the design requires at least 4 entrances/exits.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[A large roundabout with three entrances of two lanes, three exits, and three spirals (as is CLEARLY evidenced by the three inner termini and three separate starts) of dotted lines starting from the medians between entry lanes and exit lanes of the same road which terminate in the center leaving a lane-sized median of plain asphalt.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Even though it '''''was''''' technically navigable, the highway department vetoed my inspiraling roundabout design.

{{comic discussion}}

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2842: Inspiraling Roundabout