The lights will slow you down. Photo by Paul Stevenson. Feature photo by David Silverline.
Why is a traffic circle safer than a traffic light, and what does the answer mean for adventure travelers?
Yesterday I attended a workshop by Tom Leahy, a guru in the field of adventure training. A big part of Tom’s workshop was about the importance of choice, especially for people who want to grow through an adventure travel experience.
I took some insights from Tom’s discussion of choice and control, and I want to share them with you here.
Photo by Shikeroku.
First, consider the difference between traffic lights and traffic circles (round-a-bouts).
Traffic lights, like the ones used at countless American crossroads, impose strict controls on driver behavior:
Red = Stop. Green = Go. Yellow = Caution.
Traffic circles, on the other hand, do not require drivers to stop. Instead, a driver has to make a series of complicated observations, evaluations and decisions in order to safely merge with moving traffic.
Guess which type of intersection is safer?
The traffic circle.
The traffic circle is safer because it forces drivers to stay alert and think for themselves. Drivers are not externally controlled, and retain the ability to make lots of choices.
Traffic Lights and Travelers
One lesson for travelers who seek a life-changing experience is to avoid the metaphorical traffic lights.
Photo by laverrue.
Think of a traffic light as a firm external control over your travel experience.
For example, you might have a rigid itinerary imposed by a tour company.
Or you might have overly strong expectations of how the trip will be.
By limiting your options, you’ve given up the ability to make decisions and adjustments while you travel. You can’t go with the flow, and you probably won’t make any profound discoveries along the path.
A travel experience is safer, more empowering, and more rewarding when you retain the ability to adjust on the fly, to stay another day in a place that tugs your heartstrings, to seek out and follow whatever makes you feel most connected and alive.
What’s so sad to me is that the vast majority of Westerners travel as if there were traffic lights strung up all over the world. We plan too much. We expect too much. We book cruises.
Photo from the Mekong Semester.
We trade independence for comfort and reassurance.
So, travelers, I encourage you to protect your freedoms.
Be brave. Dream big. Take control of your own experience by choosing to travel independent of expectations and rigid itineraries.
Go abroad as if the world were full of possibility.
Community Connection
At Matador, we’re inspired by individuals who travel with open minds.
And embrace the simple joys of free travel.
About the Author
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19 Comments... join the discussion!
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Exactly.
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What’s a traffic circle? Do you mean a roundabout?
It’s not that complex. It’s just like a four-way stop sign in California except you don’t have to stop completely.
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Yes, a traffic circle is a roundabout. The point isn’t that the circle itself is complex, merely that drivers retain the ability to make their own choices / judgments / adjustments.
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Our little community put in a roundabout when faced with either that or replacing the expensive lights (circles are also cheaper!) and I LOVE it but it’s amazing after so many years how many people really don’t know how to negotiate it. I’ve often had thoughts similar to yours (although not so eloquently (or politely!) expressed), namely, that so many people seem to WANT to be told when to stop and go rather than making the decision based on the situation at the moment.
And of course they’re safer because you have to SLOW DOWN, instead of just speeding through a green light.
When I’m feeling really stressed, if I have to stop at a red light when no one’s coming from the other way I want to scream: PUT IN A ROUNDABOUT!
Thanks for giving me a chance to vent on this pet subject, and for nicely expanding this concept into a little life lesson.
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Thanks Kathy! I just moved to Boulder, Colorado, and am loving the little roundabouts on my street.
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This is entirely beside the point, but I gotta say, as a pedestrian in the UK I *hated* roundabouts. Cars never stopped and were too busy checking the circle for other cars to bother watching for us walkers – they’d just cruise right through. Give me a nice “walk” signal on a green light any day!
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I wonder if we can fit pedestrian-unfriendliness into the travel metaphor somehow?
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Gotta say though, that if you have limited time and experience a good guide can save a lot of wasted time and frustration. On a one-week trip to Ireland our guide introduced us to culture, politics, economics and folk tales. We wouldn’t have gotten any of that if we had simply rented a car and did it on our own.
Geocaching also turned out to be a great way to learn about the areas we visited. Geocaching is a little dorky, but it is a good way to see places that have been deemed by others as worth seeing.
Perhaps there is a formula here? More time, allow yourself more choices. Less time, fewer choices.
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Good point, Phil. I agree that a good guide is invaluable. The problem, I think, is when a guide is contracted to deliver an experience that is rigidly defined by a tour operator. When a guide is free to tailor a trip to fit her client’s needs, and adapt to situations on the fly, the overall experience is much better.
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I also agree with Phil, but think this is once again a lesson in something I’m always striving for – balance. Sometimes it’s good to have a guide, sometimes it’s good to be on your own. Sometimes, it’s good to travel with others, sometimes solo. I think the analogy of the roundabout can be extended to say that we must remain aware of our needs in the moment. Even if you can’t change a situation right then, you understand that there is a tug for awareness from a different angle.
No formulas other than living in the present!
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Some roundabouts are flippin’ hard, with branches flying out in all directions like mutant octopi. Which makes me wonder: how does this analogy handle said octopi? Are they like Tolkien’s Watcher in the water at Moria; best left alone? Or do multi-limbed aquatic creatures represent the ultimate off-the-beaten path travel? It matters, you know.
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I’ll take burning through a circle in 2nd gear over waiting at a stoplight any day…
Great metaphor, and it looks like you had a great trip.
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Lovely metaphor, Tim!
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It’s all about the flow!
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I’ll take the freedom to stay another day, week, month or year, or not over the guided tour. I know there’s some great tour guides out there who are hard-working, educated and honest folks, providing a great service. There are others, though…….
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Yup, nothing wrong with taking a tour, but when itineraries are rigid you lose a lot of potential for serendipity and genuine discovery.
Thanks for the comment, Mike!
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Good to see you writing again Tim. I appreciate the idea. Everyday I learn a little more about what frees me to enjoy the ride that is life. While I know that what frees you would reduce me to a quivering mess in 2 days, when one gets to the right place–you’ll know if you keep your senses open–it is intensely liberating to take a look around and say “I like it here, I think I’ll stay awhile”;even if I can’t do it very often.
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