Whilst
Language Log linguists
debate the logic of naming transit loops clockwise or counterclockwise, rather than eastbound or westbound, motorists in Swindon intuitively circumnavigate the
Magic Roundabout, which combines two roundabouts in one--the first the conventional, clockwise variety and the second, which revolves inside the first, sending traffic "anti-clockwise" as they say.
And magic it certainly is. Though it may confuse or amuse new visitors and baffle American tourists, the average Swindonian finds that his or her passage through one of the town's busiest junctions is actually quite fluid, even at peak times. Twenty-five years on, the Magic Roundabout still works, despite ever-increasing volumes of traffic.
As if by magic, British motorists traverse this seemingly complicated intersection without driving on either the right or the wrong side of the roadway.
Posted by
abnu on Monday, October 11, 2004 @ 10:54 PM
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