What’s the most confusing roundabout in Milton Keynes that still makes you hesitate every time?
Posted by 1ChanceChipmunk1@reddit | miltonkeynes | View on Reddit | 50 comments
Milton Keynes is famous for its grid roads and roundabouts, but some of them still feel like a small puzzle every time you approach them. Even after living here for a while I still have that moment of hesitation where I’m trying to remember which lane I should actually be in. Is there one particular roundabout in MK that always throws you off, even if you’ve driven it dozens of times?
AdministrationHour93@reddit
Roman roundabout maybe? There's a fucking island in the middle of a double roundabout!
LargeCabbage@reddit
But IS it even a double roundabout? That's part of the confusion! The circular one is marked as a roundabout, but the massive peanut-shaped one is not - it has no white-on-blue arrows, and the entrance from the NW side of Watling Street doesn't even have a give way line, suggesting they perhaps have priority equal to traffic that is - in your interpretation - already "on the roundabout". Ridiculously confusing for no good reason.
Routine_Map2832@reddit
Child’s way with overgate. The fake roundabout
carquestionno34565@reddit
So many people get confused here I don’t even blame anyone when they don’t give way when they should
Notagelding@reddit
Failed my first driving test leading up to this roundabout
Left-Dig-4295@reddit
Failed mine on the roundabout, totally lost my lane.
Notagelding@reddit
Yeah it's a shitter for someone not familiar with it😂
kool_kats_rule@reddit
I used to drive through here twice a day. It's generally not that bad, as it's all pretty low speed. I dimly remember that it used to have a different layout a very long time ago.
Fanolian@reddit
Once I ignored the cut-through (only used by Saxon Street northbound to Tesco) in my mind, this becomes a standard roundabout with all lane markings adhere to common expectation.
zcapr17@reddit
ah yes, Pikachu roundabout.
carquestionno34565@reddit
If you squint it becomes the oo ee a e a cat
sw4gz@reddit
Came here to suggest this one. 100% the most ridiculous roundabout in the city
Dem0nC1eaner@reddit
This roundabout still gives me the terror and flashbacks to my test.
Nimble_Natu177@reddit
Doing this roundabout solo for the first time after passing feels so good though!
Expensive_Ant_6405@reddit
This.. This is the stuff of nightmares.. It's a miracle I never hit (or got hit) every time I have to pass it..
Always busy, cars everywhere... Horrible!
wiewiorowicz@reddit
it's complicated and difficult but at the same time it CLEARLY IS so people are extra careful there. The ones that look chill but you hop out on to the wrong lane are more annoying to me.
LeonardBetts88@reddit
I used to fear this one until I had to use it daily, no one knows what they’re doing here! Accidents every week!
oalfonso@reddit
Is this in Bletchley near the Marshall factory ? I hate that one
dragonb2992@reddit
There's one that keeps coming up on Facebook groups where because of the placement of give way lines they think the rules are reversed and you give way to the left. That's not actually correct and the rules are the same as any other roundabout but a lot of people seem to think it is.
Halfcelestialelf@reddit
Is that the mini roundabout on whaddon way by the co-op? If so, the comments are always daft.
dragonb2992@reddit
Yes Whaddon Way although I thought it was the roundabout further up near Watling Street. That roundabout has given way markings on two of the three joining roads which I think was making people think the road without it had priority.
carquestionno34565@reddit
This one is problematic and I did have some close calls here. It's because coming from Denbigh Hall Dr you have very bad visibility of Whaddon Way and cars going north on WW don't slow down at all thinking they already have the right of way (no one ever comes southward here).
Turbulent_Middle5676@reddit
It’s the one on Waddon Way. It’s so bizarre because there are thousands of roundabouts with the same markings around the country. That roundabout has become an urban myth.
Gidge18@reddit
H6 Childs Way by the Shell Garage. The lanes aren't lined up properly from the junction.
People in the yellow lane always cut across and drift into the amber lane. I have had so many near misses with people completely oblivious... who then start road raging when I have had to use my horn or make an evasive manoeuvre to avoid an accident? Taxis are particularly bad.
cankennykencan@reddit
Kellys kitchen roundabout.
People coming from newton keys direction get into the left lane when they want to go down brickhill street.
Always end up cutting in instead of going down the a5
kool_kats_rule@reddit
The signs do tell you what lane to be in, and those are correct. You can also be in other lanes for a lot of combinations, but if you follow the sign you'll be fine.
cankennykencan@reddit
I know they do. It's not me that gets it wrong. It's everyone else
Reasonable-Horse1552@reddit
Because the direction arrows painted on the road are all wrong. It seems no matter what lane you get in to go that way someone else will cut you up or you end up cutting up another car. It's really crap. I hate that roundabout so much!
Halfcelestialelf@reddit
Agreed, part of the problem is that the signs to say which land you need to be in don't start far enough back as I find you have to get on the correct lane as you come off the previous roundabout before the entrance to the housing estate.
Another problem with that roundabout is that when it was redone at some point in the past, the lane markings were completely botched. And they are. Missing half the markings for spiral lanes which means you need to move over early.
This is particularly noticeable when going from the Newton Leys direction towards the A5 south. You have to go righthand Lane before the roundabout, join to the inside lane, then move to the middle lane, and then from there you can either stay in that middle lane that stays middle lane or move to the outside /left lane. If you stay in the inside lane the road marking says that you can go to the A5 south, but doesn't spiral out, and instead the lane takes you round towards the mcdonald's / farm shop exit.
a_sphinctersays_what@reddit
M1 J13. I cross this every day and there's at least one bad accident a week somehow. Needs a serious rethink for when they build Universal
AdRoutine7309@reddit
Belvedere heading east on Portway (red) - I know there's no give way line, I know I can just go left, but people flying over from Marlborough St north, especially when it's raining and they can't see the paint will just cut over and act vocally outraged via horn you're there, so always a bit wtf am I supposed to actually do...
RadicalDog@reddit
https://images2.imgbox.com/1b/8f/ftvIn7qK_o.jpg
Which lane is the only lane that can take the 3rd exit right on to Watling Street?
It's the middle lane with an arrow pointing straight ahead, of course.
Fanolian@reddit
3rd exit's at 2 o'clock on the roundabout layout road sign (intuitively choosing the right lane). At the entrance however left lane splits into lane 1 and 2 while right lane becomes lane 3, which means drivers need to use left lane and stay at lane 2.
I guess that's the most confusing part.
RadicalDog@reddit
It's more the fear that someone will use the right lane and go 2nd/3rd exit, not realising the labelled road on it is almost a complete U turn. I've both been caught out by it, and also suffered someone else being caught out by it.
Reasonable-Horse1552@reddit
I hate that roundabout so much.
iamthedon@reddit
Brinklow roundabout approaching Kingston. The lanes / markings make no sense and put you in completely the wrong place.
Ye_olde_oak_store@reddit
I disagree. Brinklow is a spiral and works because it is a spiral, Monkston is worse for lanes as it's a spiral that doesn't spiral well from the H7 direaction going tight.
Reasonable-Horse1552@reddit
Yes especially coming from Broughton and going down the H9 past the Vauxhall garage.
RadicalDog@reddit
I dislike its Eastern neighbour "Kingston roundabout" because it feels like a complete mystery which lanes will be allowed to exit North, since two lanes leave there separated by a divider. Then people in the outside lane queue at the lights even 3 cars deep and it blocks the West exit. So lots of people changing in and out of that lane depending if they want to go North or dodge the queue forming. Really messy. Meanwhile, coming from the North, you should be in the left lane even if you're taking the 3rd exit, leading to more surprise lane changes. It would all work fine in a simulation where people know which lane to use in advance, but in the real world they don't.
HwD83@reddit
It’s got to be the one in Bletchley; by Tescos. Three roundabouts all mixing and merging…🤯
BillPayers@reddit
This one just seems to confuse a lot of people and they end up all over the place!
o-neill@reddit
This one doesn't help with having conflicting lane markings as you approach from MK1 on Grafton Street
Fanolian@reddit
https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/5012345 https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/3495219
They've been living in my bookmark for a long time.
Ye_olde_oak_store@reddit
Getting on Grovesway from the A5 northbound (westbound in this image?) can also be hellish
Western_Manager_9592@reddit
The new beefed up roundabout near Newport Pagnell. How the hell do you turn right?!
tubbyrutter@reddit
Seemingly Fox Milne roundabout, all directions are awful for it, but even with 4 lanes, left hand lane is left only then the rightmost 3 lanes all go straight on, with just the right most lane for right turns. I often see lorries and all sorts turning right from the 3rd lane, those that go straight on from the 2nd lane will always cut over to the 3rd or even 4th lane on the roundabout in an effort to straight line it.
Coming from the opposite direction its 3 lanes for straight on, but those in the left lane will always get cut up by the middle lane drifting over to lane 1 on exit.
Coming from the M1 by the petrol station its 4 lanes and the 2 left most lanes can turn left which does actually make sense but hardly anyomne uses it and you often get road rage from those that didnt see the signs.
Lastly coming from CMK because of the bus lane and the right hand lane being right turn only traffic queues up and causes issues when the lights are on, its just a terrible roundabout and the lights compound the issue.
-DoctorSpaceman-@reddit
I can’t remember exactly but there is one by Bletchley that goes onto the A5. As to approach the road shows the left lane is both left and straight on, but when you get closer it changes to left turn only! I don’t go there often so it gets me almost every time when I do 😭
Nimble_Natu177@reddit
Kelly's Kitchen and the one at the other end of the A5 where Little Chef used to be. During rush hour, both are total clusterfucks - get a lane wrong for just a second and you'll be at the mercy of someone being nice enough to let you correct yourself after the next set of lights go green.
Hot_Blueberry578@reddit
None of them, I just put my foot down and hope for the best 😂
mrgonuts@reddit
The one on the a5 near funny Stratford coming where there is a McDonald’s coming from Dunstable as you take the exit off to Denny it surly goes from 2 lanes to 1 with loads of room no to have to