AUTONEWS

The craziest roundabout in the world - even experienced drivers get lost in it

If there was a title for the craziest roundabout, the winner would be declared without much thought.

The English city of Swindon is not known for anything in particular, but its roundabout has become a world traffic attraction, the so-called "Magic Roundabout". One large roundabout is located in a circle of five smaller ones, and in this chaos, everything supposedly works to some extent, reports Autonews.

For years, the Swindon roundabout, built in 1972, has been declared the worst in Great Britain by drivers, and it often happens that one of them ends up in the opposite direction - especially those who find themselves on it for the first time.

Take a look at how traffic works on the Swindon roundabout - the best part starts from the second minute.

From the ancient mystery of Stonehenge to the towering grandeur of Salisbury Cathedral's spire, Wiltshire is rich in iconic landmarks.

These attractions often top guidebooks to the region, but there is another landmark that inspires awe, amazement and sometimes even fear that has drawn visitors from around the globe.

Swindon's Magic Roundabout, five mini roundabouts encircling a central island, has just been announced winner of the coveted UK Roundabout of the Year award, honouring the "white knuckle ride" of infrastructure.

UK Roundabout Appreciation Society chairman Kevin Beresford said: "Something just amazing happens when you approach it. You're dazzled by all this choreography of cars."

Despite its mind-bending structure, former taxi driver Barry Cook, 49, from Swindon, said he had driven across it every week for 35 years and had "rarely" seen a crash on it.

The Roundabout...The complex junction offers multiple paths between feeder roads. The outer circle carries traffic in a clockwise direction, like a normal roundabout (in places where traffic drives on the left side of the road), and less proficient users may choose to use only the outer circle. The inner circle carries traffic in an anticlockwise direction, and more proficient users may choose to use the alternative paths.

Virtually the same overall configuration has been in place for 53 years.

When the roundabout complex was first opened, the mini-roundabouts were not permanently marked out and could be reconfigured while the layout was fine-tuned. A police officer was stationed at each mini roundabout during this pilot phase to oversee how drivers coped with the unique arrangement.

The roundabout is built over a section of the old Wilts & Berks Canal—Swindon wharf. A narrow, stone bridge built c. 1810, which is a Grade II listed building, carried the old Saxon way known as Drove Road over the canal half a mile (800 m) east of the town centre. Its site became covered by Drove Roundabout, which was later redeveloped as the Magic Roundabout. A wharf occupied one edge and the area was known as the Marsh. 

The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust are currently in negotiations with Swindon Council to include in the New Swindon Regeneration Framework plans to restore the canal through the town centre. The restoration would use the route of the North Wilts Canal and not the main West Vale route that the Magic Roundabout sits over. The North Wilts Canal was a separate branch which exited the town northwards through Moredon.

He told the BBC that during his time driving in the town during the 2000s, he had picked up a family from the railway station who had travelled from New York to London and on to Swindon so they could "experience the magic".

"They then paid me to drive across it eight times," he said. "I actually stopped in the middle on hazards to make their experience more memorable - the dad said it was more interesting than Times Square."

Mr Beresford, who is also self-proclaimed 'Lord of the Rings', said he had visited the landmark many times, had taken film crews from around the world across it and had even sold merchandise featuring it.

"But what we've never done is actually named it Roundabout of the Year," he said.

"It's the white-knuckle ride of all roundabouts, those islands packed with testosterone," he added.

Mr Beresford said some members of the appreciation society preferred what they call Titchmarshes - green roundabouts featuring wildflower and other verdant displays.

And while they may not find the Magic Roundabout particularly aesthetically pleasing, he said it was its "quirky" nature that drew him in.

The roundabout is widely praised in Swindon for moving thousands of cars every day through a busy part of town, but things do not always go smoothly.

Mary Woodman, 60, from Swindon, told the BBC how she had been involved in a crash on the roundabout in 1983 when a car failed to give way and collided with her.

"The accelerator stuck and I headed straight for the fire station, hitting their doors.

"The firemen came to our aid and they said at the time that they amused themselves on a daily basis just watching the confusion and many accidents but never had they had a car hit the station," she said.

Her car was "written off" but found a new life as a vehicle for firefighters to practise on in the yard.

"I had to go to work by bus then, and from the top of the double-decker bus would see the further demise of my car being cut up by the fireman," she added.

The roundabout, which opened in 1972, has always been known locally as the Magic Roundabout, in homage to the BBC children's programme of the same name.

But the local authority originally named it something quite different, and so it started life as County Islands.

The credit for its official christening as the Magic Roundabout lies with David Glaholm, now 77, who introduced a motion formalising the name in the early 1980s, during his time as a councillor in Swindon.

So what is it like to be responsible for setting the name of a local icon in stone? "I'm pretty chuffed, but I don't seek any plaudits for it," he said. "I'm just pleased that the name 'Magic Roundabout' has spread around the world, which means the name Swindon has travelled around the world too."

'Much-loved landmark'...Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for the environment and transport Chris Watts said those who live in the town "know it is a much-loved, iconic landmark which has put our town on the map across the globe".

He said: “I’m extremely proud it has been given the coveted ‘Roundabout of the Year’ award because Swindon wouldn’t be Swindon without its roundabouts.

"I’d like to thank Kevin and the UK Roundabout Appreciation Society for finally awarding the roundabout its top accolade as they have confirmed what we have known all along – the Magic Roundabout is number one.”