No more lines!

They've almost completed building a traffic circle at one of the main intersections in our neighbourhood.  I am quite happy about it as it will mean less time idling at red lights and better flow.  My main concern  regarding the circle was that North Americans are not used to them and that, as a result, mayhem would reign at the intersection.  I could imagine people not yielding before entering the circles.  No signaling from drivers letting others know they are remaining in or exiting the circle.  Last second braking to avoid smash-ups.  Arms and hands being waved out of windows and sunroofs, fists clenched or various fingers raised (depending on your upbringing).

Well, I have been pleasantly surprised.  The circle has been in place for a few months and drivers have been orderly.  Us humans figured it out...unaided!

The issue now seems to be with the final touches on the circle.  Just like the last thing you do when building a house is paint it the last step of building a road is painting the traffic lines.....and boy...are they painting lines.  In addition the authorities are adding signs to help people navigate the circle.  We had been doing so well until they interfered.

Now people are getting confused.  The sign tells me that I need to be in the right lane to exit and the left lane to remain in the circle.  Logical.  We were doing that before.  That sign is placed a few metres before I enter the circle.  Problem is that once I have driven 3/4 of the circle I have forgotten it....was it the right lane?  Better add one every 1/4 to let me know.  To get to the right lane I need to drive over a series of dotted white lines, some thinner than others.  Oh yes, the thin ones are for the bike lanes, the wide ones separate the cars from the bikes.  Logically the bike lanes sometimes appear to be between the car lanes!  I am confused!  The perfect circle has also been given a growth on one side.  For whatever reason a yellow grid has been painted on the road on the west side of the circle......forcing a law-abiding driver to take a sharper turn around the west side.

Message to those responsible:  We were driving fine prior to the multitude of lines, the signs, etc.  I am a law abiding citizen (well I do speed sometimes) but I can tell you that I will ignore the lines, drive in and out of the circles as I have been and will definitely ignore that yellow grid on the west side.  In Europe where traffic circles are the norm they have zero lines (yes, there are exceptions in circles that are three or more lanes wide) and the only sign is an upside-down red triangle meaning yield.  No step-by-step instructions, no arrows on the asphalt.

This is another example of the legal system causing the bureaucrats in government to go over the top with ridiculous aids for us drivers.

Caution....this playground may cause injuries to the children; we are not responsible.  No kidding.  The child is.