Rotary

While most rotaries are counter-clockwise (to make turning onto/off of them easier), I have seen, and had the "privilege" of driving on a CLOCKWISE rotary, down in Pennsylvaina. Couldn't tell you which town, though.Quality kids who came up with that.

Living here in Colorado (against my will and formerly from Mass), all I hear is what a joke they are ("round-a-bouts" they call 'em) and beyond that, most don't know how to use them (this constituting the JOKE part), actually saw someone going the wrong way the other day - how do you do that? There is even a commercial (lawyers) and the girl says, 'who though of these thing anyway?' DUH! Like they have just popped up here in GJT out of the blue.Anyway, a HUGE bone of contention out here! and I love every minute of their confusion!!

yeild! just yeild to the drivers already in the rotary! I grew up in Woburn (ehm, 'Woobin') Mass, and we had to go 'round the rotery every time we got on the highway. My mother always cursed at the 'crazy movie people' who were getting off the highway and generally not yeilding, they had nothing to do with the nearby movie theater but she made the connection somehow.My parents moved to New Hampshire but I still get to go 'round a rotery on the way to their house if I get off the highway in Lowell.The rotarys on Route 128 are a thing of wonder. When you get to New Hampshire though, they mutate into 'traffic circles.'

Rotary was the Boston term.Some places call them traffic circles.The British only know them as roundabouts, but then again, they don't actually speak English.

Just a side note about the red and yellow lights for pedestrians: unfortunately our illustrious leaders in the State House have done away with them. My 25-year-old daughter and I were recently driving through Wayland (I think)and came upon one. I laughed because I hadn't seen one in ages. My daughter just said,"What the f***?!"

Per Katey's comment above, there's a big ol' rotary, labeled as such, in Plymouth, NH on Rt. 3A.

I grew up in Eastie, and now i live in upstate New York. They don't have rotarys up here, they have "round-a-bouts," the little sweet brother of the sadistic rotary. What a name, so queer.

Having grown up in Boston, I am used to them. Until I had to drive in New Jersey. They have "circles" but the people already ON the rotary have the right of way, which still screws me up.No wonder they are consistly voted/scored the worst drivers in the country.

I call them "rotary circles." A "rotary" is an old fashioned phone.

I also call them "suicide circles," but that isn't a regional thing.

I love rotary's. I love the look of confusion and utter dis-belief on the faces of out of staters as they approach the rotary in Meredith NH. They don't have a clue on what the rules are so they just get all ticked off and start flipping the finger at the people in the rotary WHO HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY !! Then the brave ones just crash into the traffic already in the rotary and start ranting and raving that "you cut me off". WRONG ------ YOU HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THERE IS A BREAK IN TRAFFIC TO ENTER THE ROTARY - YOU ARE WRONG AND YOU ARE THE MORON - not me ! People from Conn. and New York are the biggest offenders - I usually just smile and wave at them as I go by which ticks them off even more - Jane