| Author |
Comment
|
Simon
Apr 14, 08 - 12:01 AM |
Polish Roads and Driving
Can anyone spot the psossible problem in this photograph?
With the road design that is.
I'll give you the answer tomorrow 
|
Simon
Apr 14th, 2008 - 12:03 AM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
It's a new road financed by the EU and one of many local accident blackspots.
|
Another Ania
Apr 14th, 2008 - 9:52 AM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
Looks like many other roundabouts other than there seems to be a national speed limit applies sign just before it, if that means the same thing in Poland...That isn't a slip road merging on the right?
|
Victor
Apr 14th, 2008 - 9:55 AM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
If it's a roundabout in Poland it's probably not round.
|
//topic
Apr 14th, 2008 - 11:39 AM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
and the hard-shoulder/footpath are where, exactly?
(i'm presuming this is like most roads here - used by everything from a Hummer to the local 90y-old pedestrian on his drunken route to the village shop)
|
Another Ania
Apr 14th, 2008 - 2:30 PM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
Do you get people turning sharp left and ignoring the fact that there is a roundabout?
|
Another Ania
Apr 14th, 2008 - 9:30 PM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
Ok Simon don't keep us in suspenders! What's the answer?
|
Simon
Apr 14th, 2008 - 11:29 PM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
Sorry about the delay. I've just returned from an expedition into deepest, darkest western Pomerania 
Victor was half-right.
The roundabout centre itself is round; but the roads leading in to it and across it are not at all curved. Because of this design fault many drivers just drive straight across at speeds ranging from 80 to 140 km/h+. Completely disregarding the fact this is a roundabout because it is located on an inner-city dual carriageway (which many Poles treat as a motorway) and because most traffic is going straight on. The problem is that some cars do sometimes go around the roundabout! Often these cars end up getting sided by cars travelling in the direction I was when I took the picture. This is at least a weekly occurrance. Last week a car had been hit with such force it landed on its roof to the right of the picture (near the slip road). Accidents happen in both directions on this roundabout as both directions employ the same straight road dual carriageway design. Sometimes cars going around the roundabout even stop (leading to more problems) because of lack of knowledge or the likelihood of being hit by cars going straight across the roundabout without stopping!
I'll post another picture tomorrow.
|
Simon
Apr 14th, 2008 - 11:33 PM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
"and the hard-shoulder/footpath are where, exactly?"
There are none!
(i'm presuming this is like most roads here - used by everything from a Hummer to the local 90y-old pedestrian on his drunken route to the village shop)"
Yep. Tractors; cycles; pedestrians taking a shortcut; horse and carts, even 
|
Another Ania
Apr 15th, 2008 - 12:45 AM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
I guess town planners learn by their mistakes.
I was wondering that blue coloured bit on the roundabout sign (between 9 o'clock and 6 o'clock)- does that mean it's not a proper roundabout just a fancy junction?
|
//topic
Apr 15th, 2008 - 8:02 AM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
it might just mean the planners had a spare sign and thought "that'll do nicely" ...
|
claire masquerading as //topic
Apr 15th, 2008 - 8:25 AM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
no, i have no idea how that happened. at least it was polite.
|
Hans
Apr 15th, 2008 - 10:30 PM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
The fixed speed camera 1 km further on does slow down traffic though.
|
Sosh
Apr 16th, 2008 - 6:01 PM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
Yeah these square roundabouts drive me crazy - they are all over the place in our neck of the woods. It would be interested to know if this was recently designed like that, or whether they've just resurfaced a old communist design. You would think it would be obvious to road planners that if you're not forced to give way then it needs lights.
|
Another Ania
Apr 16th, 2008 - 7:09 PM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
You have to remember that even 20 years ago there were hardly any cars on the roads in Poland because a car was such a luxury item. Now they have a nightmare on their hands.
|
T.O.M.
Apr 16th, 2008 - 11:48 PM |
Re: Polish Roads and Driving
Indeed, 20 years ago, there were hardly any roundabouts either, hence the current crop's problematic design and the Poles' inability to deal with them. My wife still shouts at me that I indicate left when approaching a roundabout to take the third exit and switch to the right indicator when passing the second.
That junction in particular is a nightmare and has been since the longer stretch of the bypass was opened some years after the roundabout itself. When the road was initially opened, everyone HAD to turn left - the road ahead visible through the windscreen hadn't even been laid yet. When it did eventually open, it lead to accusations of people 'driving by memory' - a phrase I have never encountered anywhere in the world but Poland, and one which is used here on a daily basis. Maybe it really IS all the town planners' faults?
|
First
Prev
Reply
Forum
bravenet.com