# Decorated roundabouts in France..



## 88781 (May 9, 2005)

http://www.sens-giratoire.com/textesrp/pagetype.htm

Invented as a road-safety measure in France with the advent of the motor car at the start of the 20th century and then promptly forgotten, the roundabout has since been re-imported back from Britain in the past decades with stunning success.
Nobody knows exactly how many roundabouts now dot the French landscape, although experts estimate there are between 18,000 to 20,000.
A 1997 American study said the French were building roundabouts at the rate of 1,000 a year, and accounted for 50 percent of the world's 35,000 roundabouts

But that was before the Americans got roundabout rage and began constructing them everywhere.!

On this site there are over 750 images of these roundabouts, any visitor to France will surely have seen them!

From sculptures, to concrete cows and metal storks, to a plane wing on a roundabout near southern Toulouse, to a flying saucer at Nantes, urban planners in the suburbs of French cities have let their imaginations fly endowing roundabouts with all manner of art works, fountains and flower displays.

(click on les photos and browse )

Take a look M&D


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## 88781 (May 9, 2005)

Two of my favourites, what's yours? got any photos??

M&D


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

No decorated ones but we were told once that the French grade the "status" of a village or town by the number of roundabouts on the ring road or on the outskirts. This after going round a number of two-bit villages which seemed to have vast numbers of roundabouts with only the road in and the road out !

I guess if you are a sufficiently rich village you build roundabouts to impress. I don't know how true this is 

I always thought the Americans did not go in for roundabouts. We only saw two on a trans USA road trip and they were both in Vail, Colorado.

G


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## 89213 (May 16, 2005)

I was in France last month for the first time for over 12 years and I was gobsmacked by the proliferation of 'giratoires' there never used to be that many. Quite frankly I found them a pain in the bum as there are just too many, mind you it certainly tests how well packed your cupboards etc are.
John


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## Texas (May 9, 2005)

On our first visit to France we were stunned by the sculptures to be found on fly-overs, bridges etc,...and then we noticed the roundabouts, some of them are absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. 
One that sticks in my mind is one in St Maxims, it resembles an arid desert, all types of cacti and not one of them vandalised.

Texas


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## 89564 (May 28, 2005)

No problems with the charming roundabouts B U T if French science could develop a neuron path from the French brain to the French indicator flicking finger.....Oh how much easier life would be.

I think most French drivers use the indicator after they have left the roundabout just to remind themselves in which direction they are travelling.


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## nobbythehobby (May 9, 2005)

Must be more French people living in England than I thought.

Nobby


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