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This is a feature, not a bug. Once you learn the general philosophy, you will be fine. For a 2-lane roundabout: Use right lane if you want to turn right. Use left lane if you want to turn left. Either lane is fine if you want to go straight.

It's like when you approach a traditional 4-way intersection, some of which add a left-turn-only lane and some of which add a right-turn-only lane: once you learn the general philosophy, you will be fine.

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autoexec|3 years ago

> It's like when you approach a traditional 4-way intersection, some of which add a left-turn-only lane and some of which add a right-turn-only lane: once you learn the general philosophy, you will be fine.

Those bug the shit out me to too. Sure, you get used to them quickly enough when you drive on those roads all the time, but everyone who hasn't encountered it has to figure it out and depending on how well marked it is even people familiar with the rules have to deal with confused people who haven't figured it out yet.

I especially hate those left-turn-only lanes which leaves people who could have turned right on red stuck behind people who just want to go straight. The people who want to go straight would have to wait for a green light anyway, so why not leave them stuck behind the left turners who also have to wait and let traffic flow for the people making right hand turns?

jsmith45|3 years ago

I agree with that. I used to be one of VERY, VERY few drivers that ever when straight at a certain intersection with a left turn only lane, and a straight and right turn lane. The other direction was bigger, and there was a relatively long wait for the light to change once a vehicle detection was triggered. I always felt bad for the people behind me because I was blocking from making a right on red.

It would have been so much better if it was a right only, and straight+left lane.

There is of course an exception to this. If there is a protected left turn cycle, then the left turn lane needs to be its own lane, but that was not the case at the intersection in question.

tengbretson|3 years ago

> For a 2-lane roundabout: Use right lane if you want to turn right. Use left lane if you want to turn left. Either lane is fine if you want to go straight.

This is simply not universally true. I've seen roundabouts with different lane routing assignments even within the same neighborhood. It's incredibly hostile to visitors.