Swindon Magic Roundabout – Swindon, England - Atlas Obscura

Swindon Magic Roundabout

This hilarious English intersection is an automotive whirlpool. 

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Built at the crossroads of five large roadways, the Magic Roundabout in the borough of Swindon is a car sickness sufferer’s worst nightmare. 

Comprised of five small roundabouts set in an array around a larger central roundabout, the intersection allows drivers heading in one direction to spin around in a delicate ballet until they are spat back out in any other direction they choose. If navigating the circular roadways wasn’t enough, the smaller, outer circles flow in a standard clockwise pattern while the larger central lane directs cars in a counter-clockwise direction. Given the large amount of traffic that spins through the crossroads every day, it is a wonder that there are not more accidents, but there have only been 17 major accidents at the site since it opened in 1972. The lack of crashes within this dizzying roundabout truly is magic.   

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