Calaber
Nil Bastardo Carborundum
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2007
- Messages
- 4,334
- Reaction score
- 1,357
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Lower Hunter Region NSW
- Members Ride
- CG Captiva 5 Series 2
At the end of my road is a major roundabout. The speed limit in our street is 50kph and the cross road, a major regional distributor, is a four lane 70kph road.
Our roundabout is the first one you encounter on Wyong Road after leaving the F3 freeway, which has a 110kph limit. The roundabout is at the bottom of about a half kilometer incline. This tends to mean that traffic leaving the freeway is still in "F3 mode" and instead of approaching the roundabout at 70, they are more likely to be doing 80 or 90.
For us to enter the roundabout, we not only have these people coming from our right at high speed, our vision is extremely limited by the decorative entryways developers place at the entry to residential development areas. In other words, we don't have much time to see, estimate speed and make a safe entry to the roundabout. It's a recipe for death.
Crossing from the other direction, to enter our street, the same problem exists, because the idiots won't slow down. They think they have the speed to cross in front of you, even if you are already on the roundabout.
Well, last week, I struck two cretins side by side coming from my left. I was half way across the intersection and about to enter my street, indicator working. The first (a p plater, of course!), who was in the kerbside lane, crossed in front of me, forcing me to brake to avoid him. The second, the car beside him in the median lane, decided that I had already gone through, so she decided to go through too. Trouble is, I had stopped for the other f***wit, so I was right in front of her.
She realised her mistake at the last second and swung hard left to avoid me, while I accellerated hard to the right. Our cars actually brushed, with only a polish needced to remove the paint on my side mouldings.
The police don't pay enough attention to traffic behaviour at roundabouts and this is one where they could set up camp and book nit wits all day long. Too much policicing emphasis on speeding (particularly over holidays), not enough on intersections.
Someone will die at this intersection. It won't be me - I have had enough scares to be extremely cautious every time I use the roundabout. But the behaviour of Central Coast drivers of all ages at roundabouts is beyond description.
Our roundabout is the first one you encounter on Wyong Road after leaving the F3 freeway, which has a 110kph limit. The roundabout is at the bottom of about a half kilometer incline. This tends to mean that traffic leaving the freeway is still in "F3 mode" and instead of approaching the roundabout at 70, they are more likely to be doing 80 or 90.
For us to enter the roundabout, we not only have these people coming from our right at high speed, our vision is extremely limited by the decorative entryways developers place at the entry to residential development areas. In other words, we don't have much time to see, estimate speed and make a safe entry to the roundabout. It's a recipe for death.
Crossing from the other direction, to enter our street, the same problem exists, because the idiots won't slow down. They think they have the speed to cross in front of you, even if you are already on the roundabout.
Well, last week, I struck two cretins side by side coming from my left. I was half way across the intersection and about to enter my street, indicator working. The first (a p plater, of course!), who was in the kerbside lane, crossed in front of me, forcing me to brake to avoid him. The second, the car beside him in the median lane, decided that I had already gone through, so she decided to go through too. Trouble is, I had stopped for the other f***wit, so I was right in front of her.
She realised her mistake at the last second and swung hard left to avoid me, while I accellerated hard to the right. Our cars actually brushed, with only a polish needced to remove the paint on my side mouldings.
The police don't pay enough attention to traffic behaviour at roundabouts and this is one where they could set up camp and book nit wits all day long. Too much policicing emphasis on speeding (particularly over holidays), not enough on intersections.
Someone will die at this intersection. It won't be me - I have had enough scares to be extremely cautious every time I use the roundabout. But the behaviour of Central Coast drivers of all ages at roundabouts is beyond description.