[kellyhound]

It is located in Swindon, England, and consists of seven circles of Hell rings, on which cars drive simultaneously clockwise and counterclockwise.

Each ring leads to its own exit, and newcomers get lost within the first few seconds.

Local drivers have no problems as the interchange was built back in 1972, and over the decades they have gotten used to it.

[Guns N' Coffee]

Hell on Earth. Why did they not just do a standard roundabout with all traffic going in the same direction? Some traffic engineer must have been inspired by the works of M. C. Escher.

[Mr.NoCredit]

Enjoyed the second video with all the colored lines and soft chill music…

Nutty place to drive through though.

[WonderMomma]

I thought DC roundabouts were bad.

[WonderMomma]

oh yeah... and

[kellyhound]

Originally Posted by Guns N' Coffee ↗

Hell on Earth. Why did they not just do a standard roundabout with all traffic going in the same direction? Some traffic engineer must have been inspired by the works of M. C. Escher.

It was a single roundabout but it was causing frequent backups near key landmarks like the County Ground football stadium, a fire station, and residential areas.

Traditional solutions like a flyover were considered but deemed too costly, so Swindon Borough Council turned to the British Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL) for alternatives.

TRRL engineer Frank Blackmore, who had been developing "ring junction" designs since the late 1950s, proposed linking multiple mini-roundabouts to allow bidirectional flow around the center.

This enabled drivers to take more direct paths (e.g., from Fleming Way to Queen's Drive without circling fully), potentially doubling traversal speeds for straight-through routes compared to a conventional roundabout.

The design prioritized efficiency over simplicity: the outer ring flows clockwise (standard for UK traffic), while the inner one goes counterclockwise, balancing load if one side congests.

After initial trials elsewhere (like Hemel Hempstead), Swindon was selected as the testbed because Birmingham couldn't fund a similar project.Post-opening, the junction proved highly effective, handling higher traffic volumes with fewer delays and an excellent safety record—collisions are minor due to low speeds (around 10-15 mph).

Despite its intimidating reputation (once ranked among the UK's "scariest" junctions), it has become a symbol of Swindon's pragmatic urban planning.

The name "Magic Roundabout" was coined by the local press, inspired by the popular children's TV show, and stuck officially by the 1980's.

[houseoftechno]

I love roundabouts. I loathe stop signs and traffic lights. I would be very happy there.

[kbt3168]

[akham]

Originally Posted by WonderMomma ↗

I thought DC roundabouts were bad.

To be fair, most DC traffic circles are large enough that you at least have some time to figure it out as you are going around.

What does my head in is all the outlets from the 395 between L'Enfant Plaza and the Capitol, especially the long underground tunnels. Never figured that shit out.

At least the DC metro is relatively good, so you can just stick to that.

[akham]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

The design prioritized efficiency over simplicity

That's an understatement!

the outer ring flows clockwise (standard for UK traffic), while the inner one goes counterclockwise, balancing load if one side congests.

As a life-long left-hand-side-of-the-road driver the counterclockwise thing would get me. That sort of thing is hardwired into my brain.

Last century I exited the 405 southbound in LA onto Santa Monica Blvd, and turned west to head towards Santa Monica. Unfortunately I forgot the LH vs RH thing and ended up driving head-on into AT LEAST 4 lanes of motorists who did not appreciate my error. The motor vehicle inspection standards in CA must be very strict, because I can tell you that the horns on ALL of those vehicles worked. Still haven't gotten over it.