In Reply to: re: you too can be a road-sign-nazi posted by gpjordanf1 on July 22, 2008 at 20:56:37:

That's what most debaters say when they are losing the debate - "Aw this is boring!"?

But you obviously haven't been driving around the country (nor indeed abroad) very much. Most towns in Ireland have exactly the same arrangements as Castlebar- adapted to the traffic flow over the day and making use of scarce taxpayers money. Even in the busier parts of Dublin - most roundabouts have two lanes on the busier approaching road side and just one on the various exits. The signage varies to suit the traffic and optimise the flow and safety needs.

In the case of Castlebar too - you may not remember but some of your elected politicians actually objected to these roads in the first place. This even went to the extent of physically trying to stop the bulldozers in protest against the purchase of the meagre bit of land on which the main roundabouts are built! They were not protesting because the lanes weren't wide enough - it was the exact opposite the elected politicians protest was because the land was being used for roads at all! "White Elephants" was the term that was used when ratepayers' money was required to buy the land for the new roads and roundabouts - sure there would never be enough cars to fill them! So we don't have three lanes approaching and four lanes leaving every roundabout in Castlebar - get used to it! The road engineers have to work with what they are given and try to minimise accidents and delays.

The roads are marked telling you which direction you can exit from each approaching lane. The rules say you have to follow the markings if they are marked. This applies no matter which Formula One school of surreal symmetrical roundabout markings you belong to. If you refuse to obey the rules of the road then you are an accident waiting to happen yourself.