Magic Roundabout ranked as one of UK's most stressful junctions
The Magic Roundabout in Swindon has been ranked as one of the UK's most 'stressful' junctions.
A new survey of 1,000 drivers found that the iconic landmark placed second, just below the Hanger Lane Gyratory in London.
For more than 50 years, the unusual layout - which arranges five mini-roundabouts in circle around a central island - has fascinated and confused people who are unfamiliar with Swindon's roads network, particularly as it is possible to navigate that central island in an anti-clockwise direction.
The survey, by the Scrap Car Comparison website, is based on how drivers felt when shown one street view perspective and one satellite image of various junctions and roundabouts.
These motorists were then asked to rate from on a scale of one to 10 how much confusion, fear, anxiety and confidence they felt at the thought of driving through it.
The Magic Roundabout scored 42, which placed it above Norwich's Cromer Road & Boundary Road Junction, The Crooked Billet Interchange in Waltham Forest, and Ynysforgan Roundabout in Swansea.
Recommended reading:
Eager shoppers queue up as new Designer Outlet store opens
Town centre Poundland closed and boarded up
Health warning made more severe as Wiltshire hit with 30C heat
Customer service manager Matt Clamp said: 'Driving through unfamiliar junctions can rattle even the most experienced motorists.
'Our advice? Start by planning ahead, tools such as Street View or route planners can help you visualise the road before you set off.
'Try to get into the correct lane early by watching for signs and markings.
'Don't let other road users rush you - it's perfectly okay to go at your own pace.
'Always signal clearly and confidently to show your intentions, especially if you need to change lanes.
'Consider driving at quieter times of day when the roads are less busy. A little preparation can go a long way in turning a potentially stressful drive into a safe and confident journey.'
The Magic Roundabout may seem bewildering at first glance but it is easier to navigate than it looks.
It recently won the honour of Roundabout of the Year, with the awards body describing it as a 'terrific traffic-island system'.
Cllr Chris Watts, Swindon Borough Council's Cabinet member for transport, said: 'The Magic Roundabout is a proud part of Swindon's history and we wouldn't have it any other way.
'We know it can be intimidating for some, but if drivers take it slow and steady then it can be easily navigated.
'While accidents might happen, this isn't inherently to do with the roundabout itself and it is very safe.
'If drivers are still nervous, there's always the tried and tested method of just driving round the outside.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Car and Driver
2 hours ago
- Car and Driver
Land Rover Reveals Defender 110 Trophy Edition and a Competition for It to Conquer
Land Rover has announced a special-edition 2026 Defender 110 Trophy Edition, which features expedition gear and callback Trophy design elements. The Defender 110 Trophy Edition features a deployable roof ladder, a large roof rack, a raised air intake, and 20-inch wheels fitted with all-terrain tires. To challenge the new model, Land Rover has created a rigorous off-road Defender Trophy competition that will be shared online to promote African wildlife conservation efforts. One of Car and Driver's own having narrowly avoided death from all angles behind the wheel of a Land Rover Discovery TDi during the 1993 Camel Trophy in Borneo, we can attest that the British marque and its vehicles know how to take adventure to the ragged edge. While the notoriously rigorous Camel Trophy and subsequent G4 Challenge are no more, Land Rover is introducing a new Defender Trophy international adventure series for 2026 and a special Defender 110 Trophy Edition model to go with it. Land Rover The new Defender 110 Trophy Edition will serve as the competition's off-road weapon of choice, fitted with celebratory styling elements and expedition-ready parts. The special-edition model is offered in two colors: Deep Sandglow Yellow or Kenswick Green, with the former recalling a staple hue on historic Camel Trophy vehicles and the latter celebrating the U.K.'s lush greenery. Exclusive Trophy decals also adorn its gloss black hood, C-pillars, and rear tailgate. On the inside, Ebony Windsor Leather seats preserve some luxury in the cabin. Land Rover Apart from the unique colors and decals, most of the Trophy Edition's external modifications are already available on the standard four-door Defender via the $5400 Explorer Pack, but they'll be put to good use during the Defender Trophy. To reduce underbody threats, it comes with a front undershield, a rear scuff plate, and wheel arch protection. Gloss black 20-inch wheels fitted with all-terrain tires should also make quick work of iffy topography, and a raised air intake is meant to filter out any airborne dust clouds. Since gear storage is aways a critical aspect of lengthy safaris, the Trophy Edition features a large roof rack, a side-mounted gear carrier, and a deployable roof ladder to reach objects stowed overhead. The Trophy Edition is available to order now, priced at the equivalent of about $121,000. Final Will Be in Africa in 2026 Ultimately, the Discovery Trophy is meant to put the new special-edition model to the test, but contestants from more than 50 countries will initially duke it out on the regional level before moving on to a rigorous global final in Africa. Land Rover hasn't said what the exact hurdles will be, only that the contestants will face "driving challenges, ingenuity challenges, and physical challenges" along the way. The African final will be hosted in the fall of 2026 by Tusk, an African wildlife conservation group, with the teams' progress to be shared online. After completing the adventure, Land Rover says, the winner will "get the opportunity to leave a positive legacy with the people and places touched by Defender Trophy." If you're in a participating country, at least 23 years old, can swim 50 meters, can drive internationally, and speak fluent English, your chance to get dirty is coming. Austin Parsons Associate Editor Austin's car fixation began at a young age and at 1:64 scale. Eventually, Hot Wheels weren't cutting it anymore, so he developed an obsession with his father's full-sized 1965 Ford Mustang instead. Desperate to break into the automotive industry, he bartered his way into a job at a local BMW dealership by promising to stop hurling nerdy technical facts at the salesmen who came into the neighboring coffee shop where he worked. That was also around the time when he started writing automotive reviews, news articles, and technical guides for a number of local and international publications. Now at Car and Driver, Austin brings more than 10 years of experience in the automotive industry and an all-so-common love-hate relationship with German engineering to the table. Read full bio
Washington Post
4 hours ago
- Washington Post
Sunrise at Stonehenge draws druids, pagans and revelers to celebrate the summer solstice
LONDON — As the sun rose Saturday on the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, a crowd erupted in cheers at Stonehenge where the ancient monument in southern England has clocked the summer solstice over thousands of years. The orange ball crested the northeast horizon behind the Heel Stone, the entrance to the stone circle, and shone its beam of light into the center of one of the world's most famous prehistoric monuments. The solstice is one of the few occasions each year when visitors are allowed to walk among the stones, which are otherwise fenced off.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
YouTuber Tavarish and Frank Stephenson Team Up To Build Wild McLaren P1
YouTuber Tavarish and Frank Stephenson Team Up To Build Wild McLaren P1 originally appeared on Autoblog. When the Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and Porsche 918 Spyder hypercar holy trinity descended on the earth, nobody could have foreseen that one day, a heathen with a YouTube channel would be rewriting the theology of one of them with a completely new design and much more power. But that's what the YouTuber known as Tavarish is now setting out to do with one of 375 P1 hypercars ever made, and he's doing it with the help of the man who was in charge of McLaren design back then: Frank Stephenson. Together, they want to create a one-off they're calling the P1 Evo, but it'll be fundamentally different from the hybrid hypercar on which it's based, particularly when it comes to total output. On the surface, Tavarish might seem like a villainous devil, but he's saving a damned soul that was halfway to hell already. View the 3 images of this gallery on the original article The original P1 powertrain comprised the M838TQ 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 (the descendant of which swelled to 4.0 liters and became the M840T) and a single electric motor to produce a combined 903 horsepower. But with such an extreme exterior makeover for the P1 Evo, Tavarish intends to do some surgery beneath the skin, too, ensuring the bite matches the bark. He's fitting the bigger and more easily attainable M840T, likely salvaging it from a wrecked 720S or 750S. The turbochargers will retain their original frames, but larger wheels will help develop much more power, despite the loss of the electric motor. Tavarish is aiming for 1,400 hp, an increase of more than 50% over the original hypercar being channeled here. The idea is to make it faster than the 217-mph P1 or even the super slippery Speedtail, which has achieved 250 mph, and local resident Tavarish will prove it at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The design of the project has not yet been finalized, and it won't be the last such project by Stephenson, who says more custom car and motorcycle projects will be revealed later this year. frankstephenson Design (that's how it's stylized) has come up with several takes on a reimagined and much more hardcore P1, several of which have wings that appear as if they may hinder straight-line speed, but we don't know which will be settled upon. If all goes according to plan, the finished product will be revealed in November to the sound of angels singing in the church of tuners, the SEMA Show, before the record attempt sometime in 2026. However, things have not gone smoothly so far, and Tavarish has almost been brought to his knees many "Tavarish" Hernandez has been working on this P1 for years now, and understandably hasn't made much progress. He bought it on the cheap (if a price of a little over half a million dollars can be considered a bargain) after McLaren P1 #348 was caught in the corrosive waters carried inland by Hurricane Ian in early 2022. This is why the hybrid powertrain has finally been given up on, along with any hopes of trying to restore this flooded hypercar to its former value (between $1.35 million and $2 million). On the one hand, pious purists will preach that such a rare technological marvel being repurposed into something that will keep company with Liberty Walk Lambos is blasphemous, but on the other, Tavarish is keeping this P1 alive when others would have pulled the plug long ago, and with the original designer's blessing, no less. Moreover, he's setting real performance goals that will exceed (some of) those of the original car, so he's doing it as authentically as anyone could expect. Mad Mike certainly wasn't quite so faithful to the brand with his P1 drift demon, and McLaren didn't denounce his unholy hypercar, did it? YouTuber Tavarish and Frank Stephenson Team Up To Build Wild McLaren P1 first appeared on Autoblog on Jun 20, 2025 This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
