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Magic Mushroom Roundabout

Passion, instruction, buying, care, maintenance and more, any form of vehicle discussion is welcome here
bungeejumper
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Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709245

Postby bungeejumper » February 2nd, 2025, 1:44 pm

Ha, I'd like to see Tesla's Full Self Driving cope with this one. The BBC report says that the place is already thick with drivers who have no idea which cars have priority, and frankly I'm not surprised.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpv96lyp4o

It's certainly an intriguing design when viewed from the air. I'm trying to decide whether it's based on some exotic new kind of bacterium, or on a gigantic negligee complete with suspender straps. :lol:

BJ

Mike4
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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709251

Postby Mike4 » February 2nd, 2025, 2:48 pm

It's absolutely nuts. I drive over it from time to time and nobody has a clue what they are supposed to do.

It used to be a pair of mini roundabouts really close to each other so drivers who know that, tend to treat it as though they are still there. Other are simply bemused and drive ultra-cautiously as though there are no road marking at all. Which is perhaps a Good Thing as at skool chucking out time there are loads of pedestrians there too, IIRC.

But honestly, what ARE Wokingham council thinking of, wasting £3m of our council tax on it? (Or so I've seen reported.) I'm so pleased I moved 40 miles westwards a while back!

(Edit to add "ultra-cautiously".)

BellaHubby
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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709252

Postby BellaHubby » February 2nd, 2025, 3:00 pm

I'm astonished that it appears not to contravene various regulations on road markings.
And when the fancy marking get worn away, as they will, it looks like the cost of redoing all those markings will not be trivial, compared to just painting new white lines.

bh

DrFfybes
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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709257

Postby DrFfybes » February 2nd, 2025, 3:47 pm

There's something similar in Poynton except theres is shared space.
Apparently accident rates have gone up, tenfold for those involving pedestrians in recent years as what markings there were have worn off. However there the issue is capacity - the roads were already gridlocked so slowing vehicles donw means longer waits mean less patience when drivers arrive there.

I suspect this one will be equally amusing, I wonder what there is to stop someone just parking halfway through it to go shopping? With no ker markings it might be interesting to prosecute :)

It is on Nine Mile Ride, which is another pretty major road. https://maps.app.goo.gl/1po7akaRfse6cgfr5

Paul

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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709260

Postby the0ni0nking » February 2nd, 2025, 4:12 pm

Mike4 wrote:But honestly, what ARE Wokingham council thinking of, wasting £3m of our council tax on it? (Or so I've seen reported.) I'm so pleased I moved 40 miles westwards a while back!


Well, according to the page on Wokingham Council's own site, the cost is £5.7m.

I'm just flabbergasted by the first question and response on the site:

What makes the proposed design better than the existing layout?
The project aims to create a stronger sense of place by shifting priority away from motor vehicles.


I dread to think how Donald Trump would describe that sentence. :lol:

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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709264

Postby CliffEdge » February 2nd, 2025, 4:54 pm

Our local council is the enemy of the local residents. This seems to be generally true of local councils. Come back Margaret, we need you.

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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709281

Postby BigB » February 2nd, 2025, 6:09 pm

I'm local and use this junction in the summer when I'm fairweather cycling. Haven't been over it yet but will go and check it out in the spring!

I did hear about it last year on local radio but the focus was on the leaves design rather than the cost.

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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709285

Postby bluedonkey » February 2nd, 2025, 6:18 pm

Have a look at the famous Hemel Hempstead roundabout cluster.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_R ... _Hempstead)

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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709296

Postby Lootman » February 2nd, 2025, 7:08 pm

DrFfybes wrote:Apparently accident rates have gone up, tenfold for those involving pedestrians in recent years as what markings there were have worn off. However there the issue is capacity - the roads were already gridlocked so slowing vehicles down means longer waits mean less patience when drivers arrive there.

I suspect this one will be equally amusing,

Yes, this entire "Vision Zero" idea that slowing down saves lives is misguided in my view. Because what it actually does is frustrates drivers into taking more risks, and so being more dangerous.

DrFfybes
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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709312

Postby DrFfybes » February 2nd, 2025, 8:39 pm

bluedonkey wrote:Have a look at the famous Hemel Hempstead roundabout cluster.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_R ... _Hempstead)


That one wasn't too bad, at least it had a proper centre.

The one in Swindon OTOH....

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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709319

Postby Alaric » February 2nd, 2025, 9:48 pm

DrFfybes wrote:The one in Swindon OTOH....


Familiarity maybe, but the one in High Wycombe has the feel of a series of mini roundabouts. Trees in the middle screen the other side from view which may well help.

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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709323

Postby Gerry557 » February 2nd, 2025, 10:02 pm

Some will be confused and slow down. Others will get to know it and will speed up. You can't be on the wrong side of the road and I'm not stopping for leaves cos the highway code doesn't say so unlike a pedestrian crossing.

I'm more likely to get a picnic blanket out and have a kick about with the kids on it.

There are a few magic roundabouts, Swindon, High Wycombe etc at least you know what you are supposed to do on them.

Good luck cycling on it, let me know how it goes. Things can be difficult on normal roads for cyclists never mind confusing ones. We need some youtube of this now. :D

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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709326

Postby Watis » February 2nd, 2025, 10:13 pm

Alaric wrote:
DrFfybes wrote:The one in Swindon OTOH....


Familiarity maybe, but the one in High Wycombe has the feel of a series of mini roundabouts. Trees in the middle screen the other side from view which may well help.


Very true. In addition, unlike the magic roundabouts in Swindon and Hemel Hempstead, drivers in High Wycombe are not presented with signs showing all the mini roundabouts that comprise the magic roundabout on any one sign. Perhaps that's because the mini roundabouts are spaced further apart and are not equidistant.

Watis

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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709331

Postby Mike4 » February 2nd, 2025, 10:56 pm

Y'know thinking back, the first time I drove over this my first reaction was to stop, as I thought I must have inadvertently driven through a "No Entry" sign or something into a recreation or pedestrian area where vehicles are not supposed to be.

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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709332

Postby CliffEdge » February 2nd, 2025, 11:01 pm

Lootman wrote:Yes, this entire "Vision Zero" idea that slowing down saves lives is misguided in my view. Because what it actually does is frustrates drivers into taking more risks, and so being more dangerous.

Bring back the 'person' with the red flag, maybe?

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Re: Magic Mushroom Roundabout

#709333

Postby JohnB » February 2nd, 2025, 11:45 pm

road markings need to be consistent so everyone knows the rules. Departures from this means all go "WTF" for a bit, work it out, then add the exception to their mindset. So as a reporter who went there observed, there were lots of cars braking sharply and having near misses, and a few that whizzed through having mastered it. So expect locals hitting hesitating strangers for years to come.


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