What is a Spiral Roundabout and how to use them in the UK?
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- Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
- In this video I explain what a Spiral Roundabout is and how to use them. I use Google Earth and Google Maps to help you understand lane choice and explain why it can be difficult to get the correct lane and why I can also get the wrong lane when I'm on an unfamiliar big multilane roundabout. There is no quick fix to know what lane you need for every roundabout you ever use, but this video should give you a good idea.
I recommend you watch this video also for a full understanding: • Roundabouts Driving Le...
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This video is a guide intended to help people who are learning to drive with a driving instructor in the UK, it is by no means a replacement for driving lessons with an appropriately qualified driving instructor.
Laws and driving rules may be different in your country. The makers of this video cannot be held liable for any consequences caused by any information that is in any way inaccurate, misleading or missing. The makers of this video are not liable for any person's driving other than their own, it is the responsibility of the person driving a vehicle to ensure they drive safely and within the law. The makers of this video are also not liable for any person failing a driving test as a result of the information provided in the video.
What started as a lesson on spiral roundabouts became essentially a 5 minute complaint to the council about how dumb their roundabout is 😂😂
😂 Yes, I will have to make an better video on spiral roundabouts soon.
@@ConquerDriving is this still coming? I think this is your only video that has left me more confused than when is started.
That being said, the two example roundabouts are close to me so that was helpful to learn anyway.
But I don't think I fully understand spiral roundabouts, i just understand these two roundabouts.
@@ConquerDriving I'd love another one too, I understand roundabouts but big spiral ones throw me off.
Well actually i think this complaining was so beneficial becoz it's a real life situation on quite a bit of roundabouts that we have to face in our lives... this video is so relevent to our real life struggles & actually makes me feel more confident &.comfortable knowing that even instructors face these difficulties also & that i'ts not just me! Thankyou so much for this video! I actually have gained more understanding from this type of video than any other
🤣🤣🤣🤣 made me laugh this video it's so stupid
Brilliantly explained. This is exactly what makes our job as Driving Instructors, that much harder. The idiots who designed these spiral roundabouts must have smoked something dodgy that day.
😂
I hate spiral roundabouts, I have been driving a week and have messed up on about 3 so far, so it’s very validating to hear you explain how chaotic they in fact are 😂
I just want to thank you so much for your videos. I have just passed my driving test first time with 1 minor and feel as though you were a huge part of my success!! Through your channel I gained so much valuable insight which reenforced what I was learning alongside my instructor. This ultimately gave me a confidence boost resulting in me going into my test excited as opposed to nervous. Hence, today I begin the chapter in life of me as a driver. Cheers Richard, I'll forever be grateful :)
I'm so happy to hear this 😊
Thank you so much for making these videos! You have helped me a million times better than my driving instructor 😂🙌🏻
how bad has your instructor been lol
The best instructor to teach driving, A student from India
It sometimes looks like the roundabout designer accidentally submitted their child's latest spirograph drawing for these 🤯 but this is the best explanation I have seen on them, thank you.
Best channel for learning to drive by far... this guy is the key to passing fr
I'd rather not get to my destination than go on this roundabout.
honestly 😂😂
Google the magic roundabout in Swindon. It’s basically 5 mini roundabouts for one huge one
@@scottwhitley3392 yeah trust i live in swindon and i try avoiding it😂
😂😂 same here
@@scottwhitley3392 tf is that absolute abomination?! 😂
Failed my test today with one main serious fault on a roundabout similar to this, examiner read out some instructions whilst I was doing my independent drive which confused me a bit and ended up in the wrong lane when exiting, so went down as a serious (albeit no dangerous) fault. Rest of the drive was incredibly smooth so frustrated but confident I'll pass next time round. This video has helped paint a picture!
I'm sorry to hear that. Try and stay positive and keep up the practise. I wish you the best of luck with your next test.
I just passed my test this week. The first horrific roundabout in this video is one I have to use every day. I was on it yesterday and almost ended up kn the motorway (which I've never done before). It was slightly stressful so I came on here to brush up on larger roundabouts. Lo and behold, it's a video about the same roundabout!
Congratulations on passing. I personally dislike this roundabout. It's a dogs dinner and only works if you know it.
@@ConquerDriving Thank you and thanks for the good content. I particularly liked your video on clutch control in traffic. I guess I've memorised it now so I should be fine with the Birchanger one, and it comforts me to hear that roundabouts as nasty as that one aren't super common from the sound of it.
I passed my test in the first attempt in Dun Laoghaire. Watching and following your videos along with a few other channels here really helped me along the journey.
Congratulations! ☺️
Multilane roundabouts are the one thing that still makes me nervous when driving.
I think the main thing that confuses me is how the 1st and 2nd lanes are so inconsistent: sometimes 1st is left only, other times straight as well, and while most of the time 2nd lane is straight only, it's sometimes also able to turn left into a 2nd lane on the exit at bigger ones. This makes it difficult to predict how you and others are meant to behave until you're already moving round with not much time to react.
I thank you for making it clear from this video that the 'spiral' principle (of the leftmost lane exiting, with a new rightmost lane emerging from the centre) is something that can't be relied on, and I shouldn't assume that it will be the case when I enter. In fact in the examples you showed, parts of the very same roundabout are spiralling, and other parts aren't!
Ideally all the roundabouts would abide by the same rules, or at least have those hatched markings that show you which lane leads to which, but as they don't, keeping cautious only moving left if you're 100% certain it's safe to do so seems to the mindset to have?
I totally agree.
I resonate your concerns.
Best instructor out there I essentially learnt how to drive thanks to your channel appreciate the vids 👍
I'm happy to hear that! 😊
I usually overthink my journey and use Google Maps alot for checking lanes at roundabouts.
Nothing wrong with that.
I'd never thought to use Google Earth to check road markings when preparing for a journey. That's a great idea.
This is why there should be just one lane for each exit, so that lane 3 = exit 3, and lane 3 becomes lane 2, then lane 1 as you go around. This is how they are supposed to work!
There isn't often enough space to do it that way.
done a better job in few minutes than my instructor did for 7 months🤣
😀😀
Something that was touched upon in this video that needs to be emphasized is that if you don't know exactly where you're going on a spiral or even a regular roundabout is that you can stay in the right lane and go around the roundabout atleast once to get your bearings and then only commit to going left for your exit when you're sure. It might seem a bit silly to your passengers but atleast you won't end up massively late if you're then taken miles of course by taking the wrong exit.
This is very true. Although can take a long time when there are multiple traffic lights around it.
Interesting thank you!
Your driving videos are useful for us who live in left side driving countries like India.
Thank you for a very helpful video. A journey with no pre-planning could be a recipe for disaster, especially as you get older and your reactions slow down.
I passed my test 4 weeks ago and i work in Wolverhampton and used this technique for the ring roads there. A much smaller scale but i definitely recommend it.
Thanks Richard, this roundabout is frustrating, drivers pick the correct lane at the beginning but after just a second you can't turn right as they promised, i feel like that is a betrayal by the civil servants who designed that way. That kind of lying roadmark happens at many roundabouts, which unnecessarily caused extra miles/pollution. They should be renamed as "wrongabout" to alert drivers
Just found your channel today; thanks for all the cool videos you make! :) It baffles me why some drivers are not willing to show compassion to new road users since everyone was a novice driver once...we all have to start somewhere!
03:42 sometimes I wonder whether a concept of user-friendly design is something road engineers are familiar with. Things like this can be particularly frustrating for those who might be driving without their GPS app on.
With the GPS this one is still hard. I did it again on Saturday, even though I did the video on it I still couldn't remember which lane, you find out when it's too late. Bare in mind I did this video a month ago.
@@ConquerDriving wow even i mucked up a runadabout in town in wolverhampton sby me coming back home when i knew how to get into town i just mucked it up lmao
Thank you so much for this vid. I’ve been driving for 25 years. I don’t use this roundabout very often, but this particular route on this particular roundabout has me scratching my head every time. No one knows which lane they should be in. I thought I must be doing something wrong but now you’ve explained why I can never seem to get into lane 2 just before the m11 north turnoff it makes sense! Great explanation!
my local major roundabout in Scotland (A1-A720) does it right, by providing lighting in the intersections to provide lane markings for the section that the lights permit. Makes it VERY clear where to go when moving through the roundabout, providing lane markings where none persist in permanent markings
I recently passed and live right by two of these types of roundabounds. It's the only thing giving me anxiety above driving still. Well that and coming onto the motorway and A-roads when people just don't let you in until the very very last second.
I have one of these kinds of roundabouts near me, and is on the test route. Depending on which way you come onto it there are NO signs, so you have to rely on the road markings. Great, but it's a busy roundabout, so there's always cars over them! You just have to memorise it, or come off at the wrong place and go around again.
Thankyou so much for this video!! I can't tell u how much i appreciate this!! I am an experienced driver & i'm going to give my part 2 test soon on my training to become an instructor journey... i encounter spiral roundabouts quite often & i'm always becoming confused with the lane markings, i know this is my weak point & i want to correct it before my test. This video has done exactly that for me!! Thankyou ever so muchh!!
on my lessons the thing i notice is that the paint on the road really needs to be freshened up .
Yes, that's a massive problem. Not enough money is spent on that.
i'm from morocco and ur videos were a big help for me, thank you
Crikey! Spiral roundabouts are demons. As I'm learning I've definitely thought multiple times how the hell did chaos like this actually came to existence. Like at how many millions did they realise, bollucks, we buggered it up.
Anyways, awesome video -- I'm on a mission to be roundabout ready for my test.
This is great! Trying to articulate how to navigate a four or five lane roundabout, to a colleague, this is the best way. I will just show them this! You do it perfectly. Thank you :)
Thanks for using that particular roundabout, I also take the 5th roundabout to Cambridge from Essex. I've nearly crashed twice into another car using it and had other cars beep at me.
It's very confusing.
True some of the road signs are poor and conflicting the road markings sometimes
I've been driving for 2 and a half years and I still don't get these confusing roundabouts.. i often find me self in the wrong lane or go around and around and around till i figure out lol.
I've been a driving instructor for nearly 12 years and I still get the wrong lane. It's not your fault.
Thank you for explaining that! I got my licence in a different country where there aren't that many roundabouts and I always had a feeling I didn't really know what I was doing on big roundabouts here, so it's not just me but the markings😅 I was even considering some extra driving lessons to learn roundabouts, I think I'm alright now...🤔
I am by no means an expert, but ideally a roundabout should be designed in a way that shows you the destination on the approach and just guides you to your exit without you having to change lanes ever! That's what a spiral roundabout should do by definition, but this video gave an example of some not perfectly thought-out designs. IMO anyway.
I agree. But I guess they like to be able to do what they like to make best use of space and traffic flow. It's the lack of clear simple signs that are the real culprit. I made this video a month ago and I did the roundabout again on Saturday, still didn't know what lane to use and there were no signs, the road markings are only visible once you already need your lane.
Essex is literally the capital of annoyingly dangerous roundabouts. Hastingwood (M11 J7) is also very annoying.
the council should release a how-to video when they build these things
I just wanted to say thank you and you are amazing
i just failed because of a spiral roundabout. one of the road markings was so worn that the arrow part wasn't visible so it just looked like a line. i feel like the examiner was trying to catch me out which feels completely wrong as i only got 3 minors, no other faults and drove perfectly otherwise.
I've had my license for over half a year now and these are the only thing that still gives me a headache
🙂 thank you a lot for the great video, found it's really valuable!
I really struggle with lane discipline when it comes to such roundabouts.
I try to avoid cars in other lanes but then I struggle to move across to exit because I have cars in that lane and fear getting too close or potentially hitting them.
My other issue is that because of the road markings, I struggle to stay in the correct lane and then there's the risk of hitting someone next to me.
Do you have any advice for this?
I'm definitely going to act on your tip to look at Google Maps and Google Earth!
Thank you so much.
My best advice would be to look for space, where you can go as apposed to where you can't go.
Great Video. I find spiral roundabouts with good signage throughout the whole roundabout (sign boards where lanes and corresponding directions are shown) not particullary hard to navigate. Thing I really can't stand is direction markings on pavement. Usually all worn out and when not there is cars over theme so you can't read them at all. Even when not obstructed they're often hard to notice because you just can't read across four lanes while driving.
A good spiral roundabout works well, trouble is they are few and far between.
wow, what a dangerous roundabout
When you're inside the spiral roundabout, how do you change lane? Do you still indicate left/right to change lane but not exit? I know you said it depends but any tips?
I hate spiral roundabouts, in my lesson on them, it took me three times to get out, because I get moving, the lines are so bad.
Harder because my instructor kept talking louder at me at stuff
Been driving for four years and I've had to come back to this because of how bad the spiral roundabouts are near me. The markings have completely gone and its basically a free for all.
There is several new housing estates with hundreds of houses and the roundabout I once somewhat knew has now become hell 😂
They are a bit of a joke to be fair.
Thank you so much
Thanks for sharing it with us
another excellent video
This is a helpful video. I've been planning a route from A13 westbound from Dagenham onto A406 northbound (3rd exit) at the Beckton Roundabout. Signs/markings say you can use either 3rd or 4th lane on approach, but as soon as you enter onto the roundabout itself the 3rd lane is no longer for A406 - it's now marked for A13W and it spirals outwards to ensure you do leave at the 2nd exit for the A13W (pointless as I'll have just come off the A13 anyway). You have no choice but to change lane to the right (which actually splits into two lanes itself). It seems to be unnecessarily confusing and just makes me want to look for a simpler route instead.
So basically, signs are misleading half of the time, so just get lost and learn from experience.
Could you do a video on the Birchanger Green roundabout please, coming from the Birchanger Services and turning right onto the M11 south bound. The roundabout worries me. I learnt to drive in the 70's and I'm always getting good driving advice from these videos. I should add that at the moment they're doing road works there and it's a double roundabout. You probably know it. I feel I should be in the middle lane just before it veers right and then swap to the left hand lane after I've turned, to exit.
Do we signal on approach to spiral roundabouts for left and right exits? Also with exiting- do we signal for exit on spiral roundabouts for straight and right exits?
At 8.30, you say that if you cant get into the right lane to leave you should go round the roundabout and try again. What lane shoukd you use? Do you try to stay in the current lane or do you have to move right into the m11 north lane when it appears? Thanks anyone for your help!
and I thought Brooks street spiral roundabout in Brentwood is crazy...
Almost failed my test there haha
@@lils8289 I have my test this friday.. hopefully the odds will be in my favour
How does one signal on these traffic light controlled roundabouts ? 😫 I can’t understand whether I should signal as usual or just follow the roads signs using signals Only to change the lane? Thank you 😊 your videos are so very helpful
Signal to change lane and if you think it's necessary. Make sure your signal is helpful and not misleading. No signal is better than a misleading signal. I rarely signal right on these big roundabouts. Mostly left to change lane and then to leave if I feel it's helpful.
Personally I think these roundabouts should be an option when doing a driving test. There's other roundabouts just as difficult which aren't spiral.
I guess better choosing lane on account of arrow markings on the road, the difference of left, right and straight (also combinations). If arrows in front of stop line before an exit, and there are straight only ones and right only ones, I don't think mistaking such difference is an excuse. But of course we still have to beware of some blinds don't care about those arrows and cutting off us, so always don't go fast, prepare enough gap from the vehicle in front of us, avoid going head-to-head alongside vehicles on lanes beside. Always make sure we can see half of their cars, and they can also see half of our car. In HK, always being taught that going alongside inside a roundabout "ring" is a taboo. One follow one even we are on different lanes, so we could always leave enough room for seeing each others' signal lights, and we all could possibly survive, no matter they are brains or idiots.
Advice on mean drivers who try to intimidate/tail you 😞 really worsened my anxiety when it comes to driving :(
I have a video on anxiety. I should do more.
Conquer Driving yesss I would LOVE THAT
More than anything if everyone maintain distance and low speed it easier to manoeuvre
I understand the idea: New lanes are added on the right to move drivers left towards the exits, then the old rightmost lane hands the 'and so on' role to the new one -- giving drivers who need to merge against the spiral a lane that cannot possibly have traffic blocking their merge.
Except that's not possible when they use _two_ lanes to handle a single route. This is a fundamental contradiction in the design: If there's enough traffic to warrant a second lane heading to that exit, there's _too much traffic_ to merge into when the new 'etc' lane shunts everyone over to the 'you're still going the right way nbd' lane. Drivers, having chosen the correct lane when they were supposed to, have retroactively been put in the wrong lane and must merge right. But they put *traffic lights in a freeway interchange,* ensuring both that lane changes become impossible at effectively random intervals, and that LITERALLY ANY OTHER INTERCHANGE DESIGN WOULD BE BETTER. WHO APPROVED THIS? THIS IS DUMBER THAN THE AT-GRADE CLOVERLEAF IN NEW JERSEY!
I appreciate what you're saying. It all comes down to available space and budget. The system is very flawed, this was my inspiration for the video.
I did a lot of lessons on the Brook St roundabout and, cos I used it often I get it, I'm pretty terrified to use gallows corner though, so many experienced drivers I know are scared of it 😭
That roundabout is a difficult one, lots of cars moving quickly.
@@ConquerDriving I need to start driving somewhere other than sainsbury's and the gym though 😂
My worst nightmare followed by steep hills
You just follow the white line to the left of you and filer out when you see hatched lines thats true on the one near me
They're all different and unpredictable though.
My head is mindblown right now haha.
Just imagine someone from Congo where theres no roundabouts driving in this Spiral Roundabout😢
Spiral round anoint are dangerous and need to be changed so it’s easier for everyone to understand
I must remind myself not to ever use this roundabout,how confusing is that .
Jesus H Christ... I'd be stuck going round that roundabout for the rest of my life. 😬
Ohh dear, I am frightened with this huge roundabout, it’s good to use ✈️ I guess 🥺
Stansted Airport is next door to it.
Definitely I need to use it 😍🙈
please can u help on forward and reverse angle parking
I have a video on parallel parking if that helps you?
How common is it for a car to be in your "next lane" as you try to change down a lane when passing an exit?
Not very common in flowing traffic as they shouldn't pass you on the left, very common in slow traffic.
whne do you follow those broken lines that spiral off ?
There is no real answer to your question because it is going to depend on the roundabout and where you want to go. There is no fix standard for what lane is needed on roundabouts, you have to follow signs and road markings.
Hi, hope u'll be fine. Can u suggest me any cheap car insurance please. I just recently passed my driving test through watching ur all vdo,s. My licence is new and my wife has 3 years old licence. We want 2 insurance on 1 car. Astra vauxhall. Thanks and waiting ur rep
I recommend using the links in the video to confused and collingwood. You will get your best deal this way.
I would avoid those roundabouts like the plague
Hell on earth. No one really knows what their doing. Spiral are by far the worst human design ! If you are in wrong lane you are fkt and is super stressful to move. I am avoiding those if possible. I would add 10min to my journey and take some side roads instead
Britain should just use turbo roundabouts like The Netherlands does
Or at least have the lane road markings continue through each intersection on the roundabout
There is a Dutch roundabout in the next town to me and everybody hates it.
Just failed my test because I never checked my mirrors on one of these roundabouts :(
I'm sorry to hear that 🙁
10:10 Why on earth would lane 1 be entirely dedicated for people who want to get back on the M25 even though lots of the people in that lane just came off it? (apart from those coming from A12 west.) Whoever designed that roundabout must've been high xD
Could you not just go round the round about again? Rather than taking a wrong turn?
Yes, I did mention that briefly near the end of my explanation. But I should have made that more clear. However it can be hard to do that if you're in lane 2 when there are 4 lanes.
Some sick minds designed these... Infuriating!
The road markings on that roundabout, bloody useless, confusing etc etc
It's better to play sudoku than driving on the spiral roundabouts. Lol. I wonder are the rules made for safe driving or causing a collision.
God knows when would I be able to go on roundabouts without any problem. I'm confident in driving on long routes but roundabouts hold me back :( People who are experts in driving start overtaking you and the worse thing is that they stare at you while overtaking too😣;utter killing of your confidence.
It can be hard at first, try your best to focus on yourself and ignore the people around you. Unless you need to wait for them of course.
@@ConquerDriving thanks alot! You're such an inspiration 😊
this is what i failed on earlier haha
I'm sorry to hear that.
That Lane 2 at 9:31 should be labelled as M25(N) maybe some smart-idiot at the highways agency thought that because cars there just came off M25(N) it doesn't make sense to label it as such, well maybe someone took the wrong exit and needs to get back onto M25(N)? I see such silly mistakes that causes massive confusion all the time causing people unfamiliar with the area to cut other people up!
3:17 i get beeped for this?
I've been beeped at for this also. Doesn't mean they are right. Make you own decisions when driving based on what is the right thing to do and expect people to beep at you whatever you do. Part of being a good driver is to know when the other person is wrong and to deal with it well, it should be like water off a ducks back and you carry on your day without letting it affect you. If you get beeped at and it was your fault, then try to learn from it but it will happen because you are a human and humans make mistakes no matter how much they practise something.
@@ConquerDriving it’s difficult to judge where someone is at night in the rain too. You don’t know if they’re undertaking you
I m lost after few minutes
How isn’t he a model 🥵
Hahahha😂, multilane roundabouts are just the toughest as there is no standard procedure followed, there is no way to understand and have a common approach except relying on google or making a mistake
People who design road systems should have a mandatory IQ of 120+, preferably 150+. I'm seriously considering writing a letter of complaint to whoever is in charge of the UK road system. It's honestly ridiculous following road signs from the 20th century in a first world country. Even Thailand has better roads than the UK.
I hate that M11 roundabout. Why is it only Essex Highways that builds such f××ked up creations? Boreham Interchange is a mess, and what is it with converting two perfectly formed twin roundabouts into single dumbell formations?
Also, Essex loves building stuff but I notice it hates maintaining it. Driving on the surface of the moon is smoother than driving through Essex!!!!
I think whoever designs the road layouts are on drugs
😂 Probably too much caffeine
You look dutch
I would rather take a flight 😂