But what if they combine the two and have traffic lights right before a roundabout? That makes for traffic jams, not fluidity. I know, because I experienced it first hand, and it made me rant. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good rant, love doing them regularly in the car whenever I am driving behind someone who stops at a roundabout, when a child can see there’s no traffic there and crossing it would be absolutely without risk, But no, they stop, full stop. Some say the Portuguese do that, but I think it’s rather the tourists or some of the expats. Or maybe old people (me excepted). They stand at a zebra, waiting when no cars are there. Then finally when a car is coming, they lift their hand and cross!

I’m digressing (love doing that), so let’s go on about the abominable roundabouts. The first of these abominations in my area came about a while ago at the second Lagoa roundabout on the N125. The one where you have the petrol stations and that leads to supermarkets of Pingo Doce, Apolonia, Aldi and Intermarché, and ultimately to Carvoeiro. It is a pretty busy roundabout, most of the day.

Whether you come from the direction of Portimão or from the other side, you very often get into a traffic jam. Even when the traffic light is green on your side, you might not be able to cross because the traffic light going right or straight on is red, so the whole roundabout is congested, and that takes a while to unclog. And if you’re really unlucky, just before you have crossed the whole roundabout the other traffic light at the exit of it turns red!

And I really don’t understand why they did this. Pedestrians were perfectly safe crossing the road on the zebra stripes. Cars would stop, and then drive again after the person had passed. A matter of a couple of seconds. Now the red light stays on forever, at least that is what it feels like.

If one of those lighted roundabouts in my area wasn’t bad enough, they have also recently created one in Alcantarilha. The one where you can go into town or turn in the direction of Armaꞔão de Pêra. One more bottleneck on the N125.

Traffic signs

It seems that some of them are meant to keep us guessing. Especially in the Gramacho area of Lagoa the signs can be very conflicting and confusing. One moment it is 30, because we are nearing a speed bump, then the 30 is crossed out, and 10 meters further on it is 30 again. Baffling to say the least.

The bumps, by the way, are getting worse, they’re not the fluid ones that you can sort of float over if you’re at the right speed, the ones they call chapeau de gendarme or gendarme couché in France. Imagine driving over a GNR agent!

These days they are more like a narrow threshold that will always rock your car whatever speed you’re driving at. Definitely not good for the undercarriage of your car.

A lot of speed bumps were eliminated when the roads in and around Lagoa were renovated last year, and haven’t been reinstalled…yet. But the signs are still there, so who knows.

I always think, use your common sense, in traffic and elsewhere. And those who don’t have any common sense, will ignore traffic signs anyway.

Credits: TPN; Author: Scarlett Verkuijlen;

Whoever came up with all this, certainly doesn’t deserve my nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Though I am considering the FIFA one, because I think all this is on a par with some of Donald Trump’s ideas!

Or let them do community service. How about directing traffic? My teeshirt shows you exactly how I think about it.