The Greenstead roundabout is a large
roundabout
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...
junction in
Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian.
Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...
,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, England.
It is a "
magic roundabout", where traffic travels both directions around a central island. It is a ring junction comprising five mini roundabouts, with two lanes in each direction, joining each to its neighbour. It is known for its complexity, and the resulting confusion it causes for some motorists. The nickname "magic roundabout" comes from the television programme, ''
The Magic Roundabout
''The Magic Roundabout'' is an English-language children's television programme that ran from 1965 to 1977. It used the footage of the French stop motion animation show ''Le Manège enchanté'' but with completely different scripts and characte ...
'', which was popular in the 1970s, when this novel layout was devised.
It is located between the Hythe and Greenstead areas of the town, with the
A133 (St Andrew's Avenue); Avon Way; Greenstead Road and the
A134 (Elmstead Road).
The Colchester roundabout lacks the intermediate traffic islands found on the
similar roundabout in Swindon, but nonetheless it is possible to traverse around the large inner roundabout in a clockwise or an anti/counter-clockwise direction as desired.
The creation of the roundabout stirred much controversy among the local community, as large amounts of the nearby Greenstead cemetery were destroyed to make way for the project. Since that time, many houses have been built between the roundabout and the cemetery, diminishing the size and use of the cemetery significantly, with the majority of housing now being let to students.
See also
*
Magic Roundabout (Hemel Hempstead)
"The Magic Roundabout" in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, is the familiar name given to the Plough Roundabout. The familiar name comes from the children's television programme, and is also used for a similar junction in Swindon and the ...
*
Magic Roundabout (High Wycombe)
The Magic Roundabout in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, is similar to the roundabouts with the same name in Hemel Hempstead and other places. It is located on the junction of the A40 and A404 roads. The junction is the second meeting ...
*
Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
The Magic Roundabout in Swindon, England, is a ring junction constructed in 1972 consisting of five mini-roundabouts arranged in a circle. Located near the County Ground, home of Swindon Town F.C., its name comes from the popular children's t ...
*
Denham Roundabout
Denham Roundabout, alt=Denham Roundabout, with a blue one-way road sign
The Denham Roundabout is a road junction in Denham, Buckinghamshire. The westbound A40, flows into the M40 motorway at this point. The roundabout below facilitates junctio ...
References
External links
Google Maps satellite image view
C
Transport in Colchester
Road junctions in England
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