In Great Britain we drive on the left, so we turn left at a roundabout, not right. This photograph reminded me so strongly of my years spent living abroad that I had to write about it, so here is my own piece of potted history - every word of it is true!
RONDA
We were living in Tenerife when the Cabildo introduced rondas. Many locals had never seen a roundabout, let alone driven
round one.
The first instructions
in newspapers were wrong and had to be amended. Leaflets appeared in
letterboxes, posters in supermarkets, there were endless discussions in bars.
Then, suddenly they were here.
Wise people stayed off the roads for a while, but
others had jobs to get to, or shopping to do, and had no choice. There were
countless accidents, many gesticulating arguments, a few deaths.
Years later the local drivers still hadn’t learned
that a roundabout wasn’t a parking zone.
....................................................................................
Thanks as ever to Rochelle for hosting Friday Fictioneers, and to C E Ayr for the photo which brought back so many memories. To read other FF stories, click on the frog on https://rochellewisoff.com/
It's simple. You just go round them faster and faster until you achieve escape velocity
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, Neil, some drivers do, even those behind the wheel of a bus.
DeleteDear Liz,
ReplyDeleteOh my. I can only imagine what a traffic knot that must've been. Personally I'm not all that fond of roundabouts and they're cropping everywhere around here. Hmrmph. Good story'
Shalom,
Rochelle
They're the best way to give traffic from any direction a fair turn at moving. I much prefer them to traffic lights, or to being stuck in a side road waiting for a gap in main road traffic.
DeleteI've only ever lived in or visited mainland Spain, and roundabouts still confound some people! I have to confess to parking on a roundabout once when we went to a concert and everyone had to embark on what we call 'inventive parking'. Nice one, Lizy.
ReplyDeleteSusan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Inventive parking - how would that go down as an excuse to a traffic warden, I wonder?
DeleteLaughing.
ReplyDeleteHere in southern France parking, and sometimes driving, is more of a concept than a reality.
So abandoning your car on a rond-point is acceptable, except in tourist season, when everyone gets ticketed.
Abandoning your car in the MIDDLE? But yes, the Europeans do seem to treat driving as a sport.
DeleteGosh, you wouldn't think they'd be that difficult to get to grips with!
ReplyDeleteWhen even the 'experts' who put diagrams in the newspapers get it wrong, what chance have drivers got?
DeleteThe world is small, and yet so large with its differences.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Reena!
DeleteI can imagine the chaos this would cause, no one here knows how to drive them properly even after decades of having them!
ReplyDeleteThere are times when I wonder if drivers even remember what they learned before their tests!
DeleteOh my goodness... roundabouts are bad enough without having people parking in them!!
ReplyDeleteThe first time I saw that I was flabbergasted.
DeleteRoundabouts are great. They make so much sense. Here in crazy drivers world, people need lights to tell them to stop, go, or run through the lights.
ReplyDeleteThere's one for jumping the lights?
DeleteRoundabouts can make life simpler, or more complicated ... al depends on whether what comes around, also goes around ... ;)
ReplyDeleteA very philosophical comment!
DeleteSome are a blessing, others a curse. I see you live in West Sussex so you are probably familiar with the nightmare ones on the A27 at Worthing and along the Chichester bypass!
ReplyDeleteHere's my tale!
Oh yes, I know them, Keith, but nothing can faze me after regularly navigating the one in Los Cristianos, Tenerife!
DeleteThat's a fun take on the prompt!
ReplyDeleteThanks Penny!
DeleteI laughed at your story yet am amazed some died over the change. You would hope people would go very slowly through it at first to get used to it.
ReplyDeleteSlow driving isn't in the Spanish DNA!
Deleteonce you get used to it, navigating on one can be second nature. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, in an ideal world, and as long as other drivers observe the rules!
DeleteRound -a- bouts would be great if everyone could be trusted to follow the rules. They are prone to accidents.
ReplyDeleteThey are.
DeleteThank you for sharing this with us. I remember the consternation when the first traffic circle, as we call them, appeared in our little town. As you say, lots of confusion. But now, I think most people love it because it eliminated endless waiting at what had been a four-way stop.
ReplyDeletePrecisely why I like them too, Linda.
DeleteRoundabouts where you have right of way coming from the right are actually a death trap....
ReplyDeleteThat depends on which country we're talking about!
DeleteMy gracious...scary. (lol)
ReplyDeleteThey are quite common here and I live in a rural area so it is not too bad. However, they are even more in abundant in Pennsylvania where my sister lives and she is a near a tourist area....that can be quite tricky, and as in yours...scary!
Thanks for commenting. X
DeleteRound here there's one particular mini roundabout where it's quite common for everyone to be stopped, then for everyone to go at once, then all slam on their brakes together. No idea why it's just that one and the others (mostly) work fine.
ReplyDeleteIt's like a game of chicken!
Delete