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US city is opening its first ever roundabout and it's completely baffling

Home> News> US News

Published 18:35 4 Jan 2024 GMT

US city is opening its first ever roundabout and it's completely baffling

Not satisfied with the standard roundabout, the Americans have come up with the 'turbo roundabout'

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

A city in the US is getting something called a 'turbo roundabout' and it's making them all very excited.

It's no secret that the majesty of the roundabout is not quite as appreciated over in the US as it is over here - to the point that The Simpsons did an entire joke about getting stuck on one when they visited the UK.

They do have some over there, but they're a rarer sight than this side of the pond where we love driving around in circles.

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So it's a big thing that the city of Gilroy, California, has decided to go for a 'turbo roundabout'.

Now I know what you're thinking, just what on earth is the difference between a roundabout and a turbo roundabout?

Please direct your attention to the picture below.

See the weird looking partial lanes in the middle? That's what makes it turbo.
Shae Hammond/ MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images

First things first, remember that Americans have their steering wheels on the wrong side of the car and this drive on the other side of the road.

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With that in mind, see how those segmented inner lanes play a part in keeping the cars apart while still letting them move around the roundabout.

The idea behind the turbo roundabout is that drivers have to pick a damn lane before they actually get onto it.

The first ever turbo roundabout, which has literally reinvented the wheel, was made in the Netherlands and has since spread to other countries.

As for why Gilroy is getting this special roundabout, it's because the intersection they used to have there was a notorious disaster zone.

The intersection of highways 25 and 156 has a disproportionate number of accidents and attempts to fix the problem with small nudges haven't worked - so instead they've made themselves a whopping great roundabout.

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The turbo roundabout has replaced a notoriously dangerous intersection.
Shae Hammond/ MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images

This one they've introduced in the US is a three lane roundabout and there'll also be raised dividers so you can't change lanes once you've picked one.

Roundabouts were already an amazing invention but, according to The Mercury Times, the introduction of the turbo roundabout in the Netherlands has brought crashes down by about 70 percent.

Despite the 'turbo' name making it sound souped up and dynamic, cars actually travel slower on the turbo roundabout than usual.

The 'turbo' comes from the turbine shape of the roundabout, with the central island having fins to introduce new lanes into the mix.

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The first ever US turbo roundabout was opened in 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida, and construction on the one in California started the same year.

Featured Image Credit: Shae Hammond/ MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images

Topics: US News, Cars

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

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@MrJoeHarker

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