Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
Encyclopedia
The Magic Roundabout in Swindon
, England
was constructed in 1972 and consists of five mini-roundabouts arranged in a circle. It is located near the County Ground
, home of Swindon Town F.C.
Its name comes from the popular children's television series
The Magic Roundabout
. In 2009 it was voted the fourth scariest junction in Britain, in a poll by Britannia Rescue.
, of the British Transport and Road Research Laboratory
, under the control of Highways engineer Jeff Maycock of Swindon Council. Traffic flow around the smaller, inner roundabout is counter-clockwise, and traffic flows in the usual clockwise manner around the five mini-roundabouts and the outer loop.
Local and regular users are proficient at traversing the complex junction, which offers multiple paths between feeder roads. Virtually the same overall configuration has been in place for over 30 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 and 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 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 and 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 utilise 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.
A calendar is produced each year by the UK Roundabout Appreciation Society
depicting the town's finest examples.
The official name of the roundabout used to be County Islands, but it was changed in the late 1980s to match its popular name. It inspired the song "English Roundabout", a pop song by the Swindon band XTC
, which was recorded for their 1982 album English Settlement
.
In 2005, it was voted the worst roundabout in a survey by a UK insurance company. In September 2007, the Magic Roundabout was named as one of the World's Worst Junctions by a UK motoring magazine. In December 2007, BBC News reported a survey identifying The Magic Roundabout as one of the "10 Scariest Junctions in the United Kingdom". However the roundabout provides a better throughput of traffic than other designs and has an excellent safety record, since traffic moves too slowly to do serious damage in the event of a collision.
In December 2008, a Christmas tree was added to the centre of the roundabout.
In February 2009 artist/filmmaker Tom White completed the short experimental film, Swindon Roundabouts. The film consists of long hypnotic shots of the roundabout and its surrounding area collaged with interviews of local residents and an unsettling soundtrack. The film is intended as a homage to the late Frank Blackmore, inventor of the mini-roundabout. The film can be seen at the Swindon viewpoint online archive.
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
was constructed in 1972 and consists of five mini-roundabouts arranged in a circle. It is located near the County Ground
County Ground, Swindon
The County Ground is a stadium located near the town centre of Swindon, England. It is home to Swindon Town Football Club and has been for over a century.The current capacity is 15,728, all-seated...
, home of Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
Its name comes from the popular children's television series
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
The Magic Roundabout
The Magic Roundabout
The Magic Roundabout was a children's television programme created in France in 1963 by Serge Danot...
. In 2009 it was voted the fourth scariest junction in Britain, in a poll by Britannia Rescue.
History
The roundabout was constructed according to the design of Frank BlackmoreFrank Blackmore (traffic engineer)
Frank Blackmore, OBE, DFC was a British traffic engineer. Blackmore was also the inventor of the mini-roundabout....
, of the British Transport and Road Research Laboratory
Transport Research Laboratory
TRL is a British transport consultancy and research organisation based at Wokingham Berkshire with approximately 500 staff. TRL is owned by the Transport Research Foundation , which is overseen by 80 sector members from the transport industry. TRL also own small UK regional offices situated in...
, under the control of Highways engineer Jeff Maycock of Swindon Council. Traffic flow around the smaller, inner roundabout is counter-clockwise, and traffic flows in the usual clockwise manner around the five mini-roundabouts and the outer loop.
Local and regular users are proficient at traversing the complex junction, which offers multiple paths between feeder roads. Virtually the same overall configuration has been in place for over 30 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 and Berks Canal
Wilts and Berks Canal
The Wilts & Berks Canal is a canal in the historic counties of Wiltshire and Berkshire, England, linking the Kennet and Avon Canal at Semington, near Melksham, to the River Thames at Abingdon. The North Wilts Canal merged with it to become a branch to the Thames and Severn Canal at Latton near...
- Swindon wharf. A narrow, stone bridge built c. 1810, which is a grade II listed building, carried the old Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
way known as Drove Road over the canal half a mile 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 and 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 utilise 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.
Roundabout Appreciation Society
The Roundabout Appreciation Society is a group of people in the United Kingdom that discuss traffic roundabouts. The main topic of discussion is the architecture of the roundabouts, including their design and safety features...
depicting the town's finest examples.
The official name of the roundabout used to be County Islands, but it was changed in the late 1980s to match its popular name. It inspired the song "English Roundabout", a pop song by the Swindon band XTC
XTC
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
, which was recorded for their 1982 album English Settlement
English Settlement
English Settlement is the fifth studio album by British alternative rock band XTC, released on 12 February 1982. The album reached No. 5 on the UK Album Chart and No. 48 on the Billboard 200 album chart....
.
In 2005, it was voted the worst roundabout in a survey by a UK insurance company. In September 2007, the Magic Roundabout was named as one of the World's Worst Junctions by a UK motoring magazine. In December 2007, BBC News reported a survey identifying The Magic Roundabout as one of the "10 Scariest Junctions in the United Kingdom". However the roundabout provides a better throughput of traffic than other designs and has an excellent safety record, since traffic moves too slowly to do serious damage in the event of a collision.
In December 2008, a Christmas tree was added to the centre of the roundabout.
In February 2009 artist/filmmaker Tom White completed the short experimental film, Swindon Roundabouts. The film consists of long hypnotic shots of the roundabout and its surrounding area collaged with interviews of local residents and an unsettling soundtrack. The film is intended as a homage to the late Frank Blackmore, inventor of the mini-roundabout. The film can be seen at the Swindon viewpoint online archive.
See also
- Magic Roundabout (Colchester)Magic Roundabout (Colchester)The Magic Roundabout in Colchester, Essex, England, is similar to the roundabouts in Swindon and Hemel Hempstead with the same name. It is a large ring of road composed of five mini roundabouts, with 2 lanes in each direction joining each to its neighbour...
- Magic Roundabout (Hemel Hempstead)Magic Roundabout (Hemel Hempstead)The Magic Roundabout in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England is the familiar name given to a complex road junction also known as the Moor End or Plough roundabout. The familiar name comes from the children's television programme of the same name and is also used for a similar junction in Swindon...
- Denham RoundaboutDenham RoundaboutThe Denham Roundabout is a large road intersection to the west of London, at junction 1 on the M40 motorway.When Western Avenue was originally built, it ended at a point west of Uxbridge at the intersection of the road from Uxbridge towards Gerrards Cross and High Wycombe with the road from...
External links
- The Magic Roundabout at CBRD (Chris's British Road Directory)
- BBC Wiltshire Video: 1972 Points West TV report
- BBC Wiltshire History of the Magic Roundabout
- Magic Roundabout video on Swindon Viewpoint
- Driving over the Magic Roundabout video on YouTube
- Magic Roundabout, Swindon Web
- The Magic Roundabout at Swindon
- GPS Drawing tour around Magic Roundabout
- Google Maps satellite image view