It might seem like old news now, but let's face it. We all had a little crush on the roundabout when it first came out. It was a love-hate relationship ... "it's complicated", if you will. Like a blackhole, it drew us all in ... perplexed us ... made us question our previous views on life, love, and the rules of the road ... it was that great "North Bay mystery" that no one quite knew how to explain.
It stupefied drivers, and confused the innocent pedestrian ... it looks slightly dangerous, and maybe kind of smart? We all asked: how the heck do you drive around it? How do you signal in and out? And, I have yet to find the best way to cross the road: do I risk running through the roundabout to make a quick diagonal crossing, or do I take the long way around?
And then, there's the convenient entertainment value of the roundabout. I think it became standard procedure for every "drunk bus" or D.D. to circle the roundabout at least three times post-bar. Because living in North Bay, we need to entertain ourselves somehow ... let's drive around and around in a circle! Even now, I question how this became a form of entertainment. Like, "WHOOA!!!! You're driving in a circle! Now let's go watch the streetlights change colour, and learn to count to ten!"
Still, I can't deny the little spark of joy I get every time I go around it. I mean, not everyone gets to enjoy a roundabout each morning on their way to school. And nothing beats being on the bus when it takes it to wide and rubs against the curb ... or the time one city bus dragged a pylon all the way through the roundabout from the highway. Yep ... those were good morning commutes.
In deed! I like that thing, should it make me feel foreign? Because it kind of does, it makes me feel like I am in another country where roundabouts are common. I feel it from the time I set eyes on it until after about 90* through when I am looking away again, then I feel like I am back in North Bay.
ReplyDeleteI love the roundabout
ReplyDeleteBAHAHAH!!! OMG I am for sure one of those DD's I do it to get those that I DD to react in an amazing way! lol...plus no stop sign is a good thing!
ReplyDeleteLaura goes through the roundabout screaming at the top of her lungs: "But Kari, there's a CAR coming, AHHHH!!!" She doesn't understand the YIELD signs. I also love how much struggle it takes for the buses to get around the turns, and there are many a days of running over curbs, or wondering if we'll just give up one day and cut through the whole entire silly circular thing.
ReplyDelete-Kari
I have yet to drive a car around the roundabout, but i did have the experience of riding my bike in it! quite there terrifying experience, because apparently cars don't exactly yield to bikers unless they're about to hit you!
ReplyDelete-KDubs
There was this one time that we drove around the roundabout a few times, literally just around in circles...
ReplyDelete<3 Kari