Traffic Circles, Rotaries, and Roundabouts

[nq:1]An off-topic thread in alt.folklore.computers brought it to my attention that many Americans are calling traffic circles "roundabouts" these days. ... are, or at least used to be, called "rotaries". It's been my impression that "roundabout" was a British usage. Comments?[/nq]
Ah, what goes around comes around. As I passed under the flyover at the Hanger Lane Gyratory System again today,

John wrote on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:40:59 -0500:
[nq:1]I have always called them "traffic circles". In Massachusetts they are, or at least used to be, called "rotaries". It's been my impression that "roundabout" was a British usage. Comments?[/nq]
I haven't heard anything but "traffic circles" around here and they are not very common except as devices to slow down traffic at suburban interse

[nq:1]An off-topic thread in alt.folklore.computers brought it to my attention that many Americans are calling traffic circles "roundabouts" these days. ... are, or at least used to be, called "rotaries". It's been my impression that "roundabout" was a British usage. Comments?[/nq]
I can't comment on the needs of AmE usage, but in general terms I suspect that "roundabout" is less closely tied

[nq:1]An off-topic thread in alt.folklore.computers brought it to my attention that many Americans are calling traffic circles "roundabouts" these days. ... are, or at least used to be, called "rotaries". It's been my impression that "roundabout" was a British usage. Comments?[/nq]
Interesting.
It seems that Roundabouts are being introduced in the US. "Roundabout" is not an alternative nam

[nq:2]An off-topic thread in alt.folklore.computers brought it to my=20 attention ... impression that "roundabout" was a British usage. =20 Comments? =20[/nq]
[nq:1]Ah, what goes around comes around. As I passed under the flyover at the=20 Hanger Lane Gyratory System again today, it made me think, as it always=20 does, of Robin and a long-ago thread on this topic.[/nq]
And now I'm thinking

[nq:2]Ah, what goes around comes around. As I passed under ... does, of Robin and a long-ago thread on this topic.[/nq]
[nq:1]And now I'm thinking of Phil C. I wonder if he's roundabout.[/nq]
Posting in ucle only yesterday, it appears.
(ucle added, just for fun)

Laura
(emulate St. George for email)

[nq:1]* Definition of a roundabout and what distinguishes roundabouts from traffic circles;=20 .. An overview of the document is at: http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/00068.pdf The full document as a Self-Extracting Zip File (4,330KB) is at:

[nq:1]An off-topic thread in alt.folklore.computers brought it to my attention that many Americans are calling traffic circles "roundabouts" these days. ... are, or at least used to be, called "rotaries". It's been my impression that "roundabout" was a British usage. Comments?[/nq]
True here. In some of the posher, older residential neighborhoods they're building these and calling them "rounda

[nq:2]* Definition of a roundabout and what distinguishes roundabouts from ... document as a Self-Extracting Zip File (4,330KB) is at: http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/roundabouts.zip[/nq]
[nq:1]I've looked at both of those and still am not clear as to the difference between roundabo

[nq:1]True here. In some of the posher, older residential neighborhoods they're building these and calling them "roundabouts". The Boston rotaries seem to be on major, high-traffic streets. Here, they are built in residential neighborhoods. Preferable to sleeping policemen.[/nq]
if they're like the traffic calming circles being installed around these parts, they aren't true roundabouts.