Circumlocution

I know life runs in circles. I know that if you live long enough just about everything will happen at least twice. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. Sure I'm glad mini skirts keep coming back. Seeing the P.T. Cruiser again is kind of fun. I'm guessing the hoola hoop will resurface some day. But please save us from the traffic circle. I HATE those things.

When I was going to school at Long Beach State in the 60's they had this monster near the school along Pacific Coast Highway. My last trip through it involved sliding on gravel in my Honda '55 motrocycle with traffic coming at me from all directions. I survived with some bumps and scratches, and an attitude. There was an urban myth that the person (man I believe) who designed that traffic circle, died trying to navigate it. With all respect he should have at least been hung in effigy.

When I lived in Boston they had the traffic circles designed around the old cow paths near Boston Common. They added another element called flashing green. They might have more appropriately called it crashing green. The best interpretation I ever got of how to use flashing green was, "every car for itself"  I was listening to a radio talkshow host there in the 70's who was offering any Bostonian 25 bucks if they could bring a car down to the station that didn't have a dent in it. I think he had to shell out about 50 bucks total

 Even more irritating is what happens to your spirit when you are pressured to get off the wrong escape route in the circle. Now I'm not joking. After living in Boston for about a month I got spun off a circle in the wrong direction and ended up 50 miles out of my way. For you New Englanders I wanted to go to Wellsely and was almost to the Cape before I could find someone who could redirect me. 

. Its always amazed me that you have all these brilliant MIT engineers sitting on one side of the Charles River looking at the worst designed traffic system in the World on the other side.   

  I'm sorry, I don't know anyone personally who likes traffic circles.You'll hear these urban planners talk about how they slow down traffic(given), how they expedite the flow of traffic (huh?), how they reduce accidents (no way), how they clearly establish the right of way (what are they smokin?), how they save lives. (but are they lives worth living?) In the words ofButch Cassidy or The Sundance Kid, I don't remember which, "WHO ARE THOSE GUYS? "  

  It used to be those entering the circle had the right of way? Now in most places those in the circle have the option of blocking your ingress forever. 

 We didn't invent the traffic circle. There is some dispute over whether the first one was designed in England or somewhere on the European Continent. Sure immigrants have made their way to this country to escape proverty, tyranny and religious persecution. But isn't it just possible that a percentage of them came here so that their descendants might never have to navigate a traffic circle?  That's what I'm thinkin'. And we should be ashamed.