rotaries.
Intersections that are called traffic circles or roundabouts in the rest of the US are referred to as “rotaries” in Massachusetts, as well as other parts of New England including parts of Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine & Vermont.
What is a traffic circle called in Massachusetts?
Rotaries
Rotaries are large circular intersections with wide sweeping lanes that allow vehicles to drive at much higher speeds. Roundabouts always require the entering traffic to yield to vehicles in the intersection.
What do they call traffic circles in New England?
rotaries
In New England, they’re called rotaries; in New Jersey, traffic circles; and in much of the rest of the English-speaking world, roundabouts.
What are roundabouts called in Maine?
They are more common in Europe and Australia. Gorham, which Landry calls Maine’s “guinea pig” for roundabouts because it got the first one, now has five.
What is the difference between rotary and roundabout?
A rotary consists of a set of merges and diverges with a circular road. Entry is similar to entering a freeway from a ramp. A roundabout is a pair of one-way roads that cross each other, with a circular island between the two pairs of roadways.
What do Bostonians call a rotary?
Some other interesting words are “bubbler”, “wicked pissah”, “clicker”, “packie” and “rotary”. Now a rotary its not like the phone. Most people call this a roundabout but for some weird reason we call it a rotary. Now a bubbler or how some people with a Boston accent pronounce it “bubblah”.
What else is a roundabout called?
In U.S. dictionaries the terms roundabout, traffic circle, road circle and rotary are synonyms.
What is the American English for roundabout?
The American word is traffic circle or rotary.
What do different states call roundabouts?
Most of the western part of the country calls them “roundabouts,” while in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, they’re “traffic circles.” In New England, pockets of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire call them “rotaries.”
Why is a roundabout called a rotary?
Many people don’t understand the differences between a rotary and a modern day roundabout. If you try to google “rotary” or “roundabout” most sites say the terms are interchangeable. In Massachusetts, this confusion is extremely evident. Rotaries were the old way of designing circular traffic movement.
Where do they say rotary?
“Rotary” You call it a traffic circle or a roundabout; New Englanders call it a “rotary.” We get it. And with all the rotaries in New England, locals have earned the right to make up their own name.
How many roundabouts are in Massachusetts?
100 rotaries
First some facts: Did you know that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has more rotaries than any other state in the nation? We do. According to the Boston Globe, Massachusetts now has over 100 rotaries (and roundabouts) — far more, and at a far higher density, than anybody else.
What is a freeway called in British English?
British vs American Vocabulary
| British English ↕ | American English ↕ |
|---|---|
| motorway | freeway, expressway |
| motorway | highway, freeway, expressway, interstate highway, interstate |
| nappy | diaper |
| naughts and crosses | tic-tack-toe |
What city in the United States has the most roundabouts?
Carmel
With 140 roundabouts — and counting — Carmel has more roundabouts than any city in the United States. CARMEL, Ind.
How many rotaries are in Massachusetts?
There are 118 rotaries in Massachusetts, and they’re not easy to handle.
Is a rotary a traffic circle?
Knodler explains that there are key differences between the two types of familiar circular roadways. Rotaries are much larger and allow traffic to move at a higher rate of speed, while roundabouts are smaller in diameter with traffic moving much slower.
What is some Boston slang?
Packie (n.): a liquor store; short for “package store.” The Pike (n.): the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90), which runs between the city and Western Mass. Pissa (adj.): awesome. Pockabook (n.): a purse; just how we happen to pronounce “pocketbook.”
What do Bostonians call a shopping cart?
Most people know that thing in which you put your groceries as a “shopping cart” or just a cart (unless you’re from England, then it’s a “trolley”), but some New Englanders refer to it as a “carriage” instead.
What is a big roundabout called?
Turbo roundabouts
Typically, on a turbo roundabout, you’ll see one lane for drivers taking the first exit to the left, and one for drivers taking all exits further to the right.
In which city is the famous roundabout?
The Magic Roundabout in Swindon, England, is a ring junction constructed in 1972 consisting of five mini-roundabouts arranged in a circle.
Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
| Magic Roundabout | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°33′46.2″N 01°46′17.3″W |
| Roads at junction | A4259 (County Road / Queen’s Drive) Fleming Way Drove Road Shrivenham Road |
| Construction | |
| Type | Roundabout |
Why are there no roundabouts in America?
Americans’ aversion to rotaries started with the introduction of an old type of traffic circle in the 1910s. This type of intersection largely failed in the United States due to one terrible error: Instead of traffic already in the circle having the right-of-way, the cars entering the roundabout had the right-of-way.