Galway drivers, worst in Ireland?

kinetic

I drive over a thousand miles a week all over and can safely say Galway drivers are the most ignorant,dangerous,stupid and careless missinformed users on the roads!

I was in Dublin all day driving all around town, on the M50 and not a problem.

But as soon as i get onto the dual carriage way at Oranmore and head for Salthill,its fxxxing bedlam.They cant use roundabouts, red lights dont seem to count for the first 5 seconds of going red in Galway.Indicators are a luxury must not use item, and general bad behaviour and aggression is the norm.

I would go asfar as to say that they would not last a week in London ,New York or any other town or city.

Why are they so bad here?

galwayguy22

Galway definitely does have a lot of people who don't know how to use a roundabout, how to indicate properly at a roundabout, what lane to use on a multiple lane roundabout.

Study the following animation very carefully all you roundabout idiots.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/UK_Roundabout_8_Cars.gif

I've only been living up here for 2 months or so but I've nearly crashed twice at roundabouts. When I see someone indicating to take the next exit off the roundabout, I assume I can then enter the roundabout because there's no oncoming traffic.

But assuming is wrong. I should have realized that the idiot was indicating one way but going the other. Evidently I'm the stupid one for placing to much faith in his/her indicating abilities.

JohnCleary

Sometimes I wish I was a cop just so I could pull people over for some of the terrible driving I see - I'm no saint myself, but I do like to use the oul indicators, use roundabouts correctly etc.

cornbb

This goes out to the asshat in the 4x4 that drove behind me yesterday for several miles with full beams on despite the fact that s/he was flashed by pretty much all oncoming traffic.

smackbunnybaby

Galway Drivers = Clueless
Dublin Drivers = Ignorant and Dangerous

i find Dublin drivers more infuriating because they know all the tricks, like tearing up bus lanes and swerving in front of you to get back into lane. they also never thank you for letting them into a lane etc

galwayrush

I dread seeing a MO reg car at one of the roundabouts.:rolleyes:

Blakfingernail

as bad as the driving standards go in galway,the road systems also need to be taken into account,that roundabout at tescos is a disaster,i have heard of,witnessed and been the victim to many a prang while trying to traverse that monster.

BrokenArrows

i agree that far too many people dont know how to use the roundabouts.

On my way to work in parkmore beside the briar hill dunnes the roundabout there only has 3 exits.
because of this people always seem to believe that they can drive the whole way around the roundabout on the outside lane just because there is no exit which would usually cause them to crash.

What they dont realise is that this ****s up people who are already on the roundabout and trying to get off it.

Every morning i have to almost race to get ahead of some guy who fails to take the turn he was lined up for and continues on around on the outside lane.

galwayguy22

Blakfingernail wrote: »

as bad as the driving standards go in galway,the road systems also need to be taken into account,that roundabout at tescos is a disaster,i have heard of,witnessed and been the victim to many a prang while trying to traverse that monster.

The Bodkin roundabout? Yeah three lane roundabouts are hard enough to get your head around but when 2 out of the 4 roads that go onto the roundabout are only 2 lane, with the the other two 3 lane, it actually makes no sense.

Your forced to change lanes mid roundabout, and it doesn't seem to follow the conventions of a normal roundabout.

I actually never know if I'm "doing" that roundabout correctly, I follow the markings/arrows on the road and in the end up on the correct road I want to get on without incident, but it just feels wrong for some reason.

fish fingers

galwayrush wrote: »

I dread seeing a MO reg car at one of the roundabouts.:rolleyes:

RN is another one:mad:

Hotwheels

Galway Roundabout's are a big tourist attraction...Thrill seekers from all over the Globe flock to Galway for a chance to Ride the Tesco Roundabout

Fighting Irish

The more into the country you get the worse the drivers get

Tech3

Yeah people dont seem to indicate going into roundabout around the city. I find driving up the N18 to galway really annoying cause no one seems to do the speed limit or everyone seems to think its 80 kph, same goes for fogy mayo drivers whenever I head to westport or castlebar.

Wishbone Ash

galwayguy22 wrote: »

Evidently I'm the stupid one for placing to much faith in his/her indicating abilities.

You should never proceed on the strength of another's indicator!

leninbenjamin

i take it no one here has driven in Donegal then.

RandomAccess

galwayguy22 wrote: »

Galway definitely does have a lot of people who don't know how to use a roundabout, how to indicate properly at a roundabout, what lane to use on a multiple lane roundabout.

Study the following animation very carefully all you roundabout idiots.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/UK_Roundabout_8_Cars.gif

I've only been living up here for 2 months or so but I've nearly crashed twice at roundabouts. When I see someone indicating to take the next exit off the roundabout, I assume I can then enter the roundabout because there's no oncoming traffic.

But assuming is wrong. I should have realized that the idiot was indicating one way but going the other. Evidently I'm the stupid one for placing to much faith in his/her indicating abilities.

I don't trust indicators on a roundabout.
In the animation you supplied I winced when I saw the yellow car moving off as the red car signals.. watch it yourself and see why.

ScumLord

kinetic wrote: »

I drive over a thousand miles a week all over and can safely say Galway drivers are the most ignorant,dangerous,stupid and careless missinformed users on the roads!

I was in Dublin all day driving all around town, on the M50 and not a problem.

But as soon as i get onto the dual carriage way at Oranmore and head for Salthill,its fxxxing bedlam.They cant use roundabouts, red lights dont seem to count for the first 5 seconds of going red in Galway.Indicators are a luxury must not use item, and general bad behaviour and aggression is the norm.

I would go asfar as to say that they would not last a week in London ,New York or any other town or city.

Why are they so bad here?

Muhahahahahahahah!!!

No clue?!!

Blakfingernail

another thing that annoys me about galway traffic is when the traffic is heaviest,say between 4 to 6 on any given weekday,people never leave gaps so others can accesses turn offs,(sugar!,thunder and hail stones outside)which then compounds the problem.

hello by the way,im new around these parts.

galwaygirleen

NO NO NO Clare drivers are so bad... Particularly Ennis my gawd... grrr

kippy

Id have to agree with a lot of what is being said here.
I've seen a larger number of small accidents on countless roundabouts around the city, a large number of people believe its okay not to use indicators at all and have absolutely no concept of what lanes to be in on roundabouts and en even larger amount of people pay absolutely no regard to signage on roads (no turning left/right etc).
I have no issues with people driving slow (within reason) or leaving gaps to let others out (this is part of why I like Galway, less rushing around the place and a more relaxed, friendlier atmosphere).
There should possibly be a few campaigns run to educate the populace about proper roundabout technique and a bit more enforcement of the laws governing roundabouts by the powers that be, apart from that there isnt a whole lot that can be done to improve the situation.

In fairness, to quantify the situation, there may and probably are just as many bad drivers in other cities, its just that I have opportunity to go on the roundabouts around Galway on a daily basis, there were far less roundabouts I passed through in Dublin (only on the way out of the place really) so I didnt see as much bad driving on them....
Kippy

mrsdewinter

Aw, it's not just roundabouts. There's just no courtesy to fellow drivers. There's no concept of letting people out of side roads or waving people on or thanking other motorists for rare gestures of sanity.
It always makes me laugh when Dubs tell me how relaxed the buzz is in Galway. It is - until you have to drive somewhere. Simply sit into a car in the city of the tribes and watch your blood pressure soar.

poolfan

I agree,
I do a good bit of cycling and also drive around a bit. sometimes it feels like its a national day for no indicators. and some people then look at ya as if to say what the f**k are ya doing!! when you didnt know which way they were turning!

cacio

I'm just wondering, when you're soming out of town and reach the roundabout at Bohermore (beside the graveyard) and you want to go out the Tuam road, which lane to you take? The inside or the outside?
The reason I'm asking is because I've had arguments where people use the inside (left) lane because they are going straight on. They use the 'clock' system. And others use the outside (right) lane because it's the 3rd exit.

Back on topic, I've had so many near accidents at that roundabout. I head into work around 4pm and traffic is so bad coming out of town. That roundabout is usually blocked because the roads are all jammed. When I head in from the tuam rd and want to go onto the Sean Mulvoy rd, I've had to brake hard and stop dead on the roundabout so many times because people coming from Bohermore think it's ok to pull out when you're about to turn off. Twice a BUS has done this to me. The road is blocked and they still pull out when they see us coming!! And they then proceed to block up the exit because they're so f-ing long.

I hate driving during the day.

Sponge Bob

cacio wrote: »

Back on topic, I've had so many near accidents at that roundabout.

Formerly called Cemetary Cross it is best known in Galway as the "Suicide Cross" roundabout .

Zzippy

leninbenjamin wrote: »

i take it no one here has driven in Donegal then.

I lived there for several years and its not half as bad as Galway. Fewer cars + quieter roads + no rush hour traffic jams + v. few roundabouts = much more pleasant driving experience. Granted there are a lot of boy racers, but unless you want a race you can ignore them...

The one place I really hate in Galway is the Dock Road - those fcukers who drive up the RH lane and skip past all the traffic then barge their way back in just before the traffic lights - I'd love to have a rocket launcher on my car to take them out. Grrrr!

Blakfingernail

Zzippy wrote: »

The one place I really hate in Galway is the Dock Road - those fcukers who drive up the RH lane and skip past all the traffic then barge their way back in just before the traffic lights - I'd love to have a rocket launcher on my car to take them out. Grrrr!

people do that at the roundabouts at oranmore,pisses me off too!!

Bass Cadet

kinetic wrote: »

I drive over a thousand miles a week all over and can safely say Galway drivers are the most ignorant,dangerous,stupid and careless missinformed users on the roads!

I was in Dublin all day driving all around town, on the M50 and not a problem.

But as soon as i get onto the dual carriage way at Oranmore and head for Salthill,its fxxxing bedlam.They cant use roundabouts, red lights dont seem to count for the first 5 seconds of going red in Galway.Indicators are a luxury must not use item, and general bad behaviour and aggression is the norm.

I would go asfar as to say that they would not last a week in London ,New York or any other town or city.

Why are they so bad here?

Agreed. I have driven alot with work over the last few years and can safely say I've driven extensively in almost all counties. Galway drivers are shocking and probably the worst as regards urban areas that I've encountered. I almost feel like a geek for using an indicator when entering a roundabout and feel like I should get a round of applause for actually using a dual carriageway correctly...driving lane - left lane...PASSING OUT lane - right lane. Alot of galway drivers seem to think you can drive 60km/h in the fast/passing out lane of a dual carriageway. It's f**king lethal

ZorbaTehZ

cacio wrote: »

I'm just wondering, when you're soming out of town and reach the roundabout at Bohermore (beside the graveyard) and you want to go out the Tuam road, which lane to you take? The inside or the outside?
The reason I'm asking is because I've had arguments where people use the inside (left) lane because they are going straight on. They use the 'clock' system. And others use the outside (right) lane because it's the 3rd exit.

You take the left lane/outside lane. Numbering the exits doesn't even logically make sense anyways since it doesnt take into account where the exits are actually located around the roundabout, unlike the 'clock' system.

Wompa1

People not using their indicators really grinds my gears

rain on

I've been driving in Galway for just over a month now and I'm finding it a mixture of good and bad. On the bad side there's roundabout behaviour -- lanes and indicating seem to be foreign concepts around here. On the plus side I find people to be very courteous when it comes to letting other people in and out of junctions. My drive to work every day involves turning right onto the major road at two T-junctions -- i.e. crossing two lanes of heavy traffic -- and I never get held up at all; as soon as I get to the junction someone stops and lets me across. I try to repay the favour as much as possible.

big b

mrsdewinter wrote: »

Aw, it's not just roundabouts. There's just no courtesy to fellow drivers. There's no concept of letting people out of side roads or waving people on or thanking other motorists for rare gestures of sanity.

poolfan wrote: »

I agree,

I disagree.
I actually think letting people out at junctions/boreens etc is one of the few things Galway drivers are reasonably good at. Fecking annoying when they stop on a roundabout to do it though.
But erratic use of indicators, no maintenance of head, tail & brake light bulbs, going where you want to oblivious of others, forcing in to lanes rather than waiting to be allowed in, lack of knowledge of rules of the road etc etc. It's really surprising that there aren't a lot more road rage incidents.

cL0h

big b wrote: »

I disagree.
I actually think letting people out at junctions/boreens etc is one of the few things Galway drivers are reasonably good at. Fecking annoying when they stop on a roundabout to do it though.
But erratic use of indicators, no maintenance of head, tail & brake light bulbs, going where you want to oblivious of others, forcing in to lanes rather than waiting to be allowed in, lack of knowledge of rules of the road etc etc. It's really surprising that there aren't a lot more road rage incidents.

Your point on Galway drivers Giving way to pedestrians
I give +1

Your subsequent point on Galway drivers total lack of knowledge of how to use a roundabout I also give +1

And what's the story with all the cars in the city with only one headlight. I've even seen taxis like this (and mistaken them for motorbikes until the last second. Phew!!)

kayos

cL0h wrote: »

And what's the story with all the cars in the city with only one headlight. I've even seen taxis like this (and mistaken them for motorbikes until the last second. Phew!!)

Heck I've been stopped by the guards and they checked my lights, tyres etc just to see them drive off with one head light...

Mrs OBumble

ZorbaTehZ wrote: »

You take the left lane/outside lane. Numbering the exits doesn't even logically make sense anyways since it doesnt take into account where the exits are actually located around the roundabout, unlike the 'clock' system.

We've had this argument in another thread recently.

The legally correct answer is exits 1 and 2 take the left lane, exits 3+ take the right-hand lane, unless indicated otherwise by road-markings.

Agreed it's particularly silly at Cemetery Cross, where there is literally no roadway between exits 2 and 3. But still it's the official answer.

ZorbaTehZ

Do you have a link for that? Because I did my test in February and that was the way I learned from my instructor and how I completed the test...

galwayguy22

http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/rules-for-driving/junctions-roundabouts/roundabouts.html

ZorbaTehZ

galwayguy22 wrote: »

http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/rules-for-driving/junctions-roundabouts/roundabouts.html

That makes no reference to what JustMary said, in fact the diagrams and text mirror what I said already. Not wanting to drag this thread offtopic any further, if you have that link JustMary can you pm me please.

kayos

JustMary wrote: »

The legally correct answer is exits 1 and 2 take the left lane, exits 3+ take the right-hand lane, unless indicated otherwise by road-markings.

/facepalm

Honestly show me where in the rules of the road it mentions 1st exit or 2nd exit in that manner. Its based on exits that are straight ahead or before that you take the left lane, anything past straight ahead take the right. The exception being where road markings or signs say other wise.

The way the rules of the road is written dont really help this but every decent driving instructor show know this.

tippytom

I am from Dublin but living in Galway the last 5 years. I thought I was being petty so I never really vented my frustration but people down here simply do not drive on roundabouts correctly.at ffrench roundabout yesterday at 1730 there were 2 cars already stationary from a minor tip so I was being extra cautious. I entered the roundabout and I indicated to go straight ahead . Just at that moment a woman shot out in front of me from my left.I broke in time. I beeped and as I did so she beeped and pulled a face at me in a joking way to wind me up or something cos she knew she was in the wrong.I was so infuriated. If it had been safe to do so I would have followed her and unleash verbal fury and ensure she regretted that face pull

04KY

tippytom wrote: »

and I indicated to go straight ahead

You shouldn't indicate to go straight ahead.

Bass Cadet

tippytom wrote: »

If it had been safe to do so I would have followed her and unleash verbal fury and ensure she regretted that face pull

'Face pull' Now what you've described above would be classed as road rage. You're better off keeping a hurl in the passenger seat and shaking it out the window at people who cut ya up on the road, that's universal language for 'ya b0llocks!'

galwayguy22

ZorbaTehZ wrote: »

That makes no reference to what JustMary said, in fact the diagrams and text mirror what I said already. Not wanting to drag this thread offtopic any further, if you have that link JustMary can you pm me please.

Well which are you going to trust, the actual rules of the road or what some misinformed randoms said on a boards thread?

Mr E

You indicate after passing the first exit.

?Cee?view

JustMary wrote: »

We've had this argument in another thread recently.

The legally correct answer is exits 1 and 2 take the left lane, exits 3+ take the right-hand lane, unless indicated otherwise by road-markings.

Agreed it's particularly silly at Cemetery Cross, where there is literally no roadway between exits 2 and 3. But still it's the official answer.

Just Mary,

I don't mean to be insulting about this, but it's people with your level of ignorance that are killing people and causing accidents. Rather than making statements like the one quoted above, why don't you research the position. Using roundabouts is quite simple. The problem appears to be that people such as yourself decide what the rule is based on supposition and then pontificate to other. The Rules of the Road can be downloaded from the RSA website. You should have a look at them.

Then to further bring the point home, apply some logic. If (using your "legally correct" rule) the third exit is at a 150 degree angle from where you're entering i.e. to your left, why in the name of god would you use the right lane to access it when you would be crossing people going staight ahead (180 degrees) correctly using the left lane?

I'm fed up with this. Last Saturday afternoon, at the roundabout at the Galway Clinic, I witnessed a motorbike using the correct lane turning left (from Dublin direction to Merlin Park direction) being knocked down by a woman using the right lane off the dual carriageway to take the same left turn. The woman's excuse - "I didn't see him." When I said that she needed to learn to use roundabouts, her answer "Maybe I should".

Please learn Just Mary before you cause a similar accident. You may not be as lucky and in your case the motorcyclist/motorist/cyclist may not walk away.

ZorbaTehZ

galwayguy22 wrote: »

Well which are you going to trust, the actual rules of the road or what some misinformed randoms said on a boards thread?

Hence my asking for a link...

mark.leonard

My formula to the dock road problem is that if you are being annoyed by drivers barging in up near the lights after driving up in the right hand lane, you would probably be less annoyed if you drove up the right hand lane yourself, then barged in up at the top. If you swing in just before the lights then ther eis very little chance of someone pulling in in front of you

dafunk

In defence of Galway drivers they're very courteous. Having said this they are appaling drivers. They don't indicate. they drive painfully slowly at times, they can't use roundabouts, they think that the side roads have the right of way and they don't position their cars correctly when turning right.

It's a good thing I'm such a patient person or I'd have suffered road rage quite a few times!

People here are really nice about letting other cars out in front of them, that doesn't happen in Dublin and it's taken me a while to get out of the frame of mind of "It's me against them - **** you buddy, that's my piece of road!"

We need cycle lanes. And buses. And days when it doesn't rain so you can walk places. Wouldn't we all be much happier

Mrs OBumble

churchview wrote: »

Just Mary,

I don't mean to be insulting about this, but it's people with your level of ignorance that are killing people and causing accidents. Rather than making statements like the one quoted above, why don't you research the position. Using roundabouts is quite simple. The problem appears to be that people such as yourself decide what the rule is based on supposition and then pontificate to other. The Rules of the Road can be downloaded from the RSA website. You should have a look at them.

I sat and passed a test in October. My post is based on advice given by the instructor I took a couple of brush-up lessons with(*). That advice is backed up by http://www.lireland.com/theory/roundabouts.htm which says:

IF LEAVING BY THE FIRST EXIT approach and enter the roundabout in the left-hand lane signalling a left turn and proceed to leave the roundabout at that exit.
• IF LEAVING BY THE SECOND EXIT approach and enter the roundabout in the left-hand lane but do not signal until you have passed the first exit, then signal a left turn and leave at the next exit.
• IF LEAVING BY ANY SUBSEQUENT EXIT approach and enter the roundabout in the right hand lane signalling a right turn. Keep in the right hand lane (i.e. the lane next to the centre). As you pass the exit before the one you intend to leave by, signal a left turn and, when your way is clear, move to the other lane and leave at the desired exit.

Granted, there are other driving-instructor websites that quote the 1+straight vs subsequent rule. And agreed it would be better if they all told the same story.

I'm no lawyer, but having done some searching and browsing on http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1964/en/si/0294.html#zzsi294y1964a21 I'm concluding that Irish law is not specific on the rules for leaving roundabouts, and that is why the RSA's "Rules of the Road" publication which galwayguy22 linked to is so vague.

To put this into some practical context, the test route I was examined on included driving up Ballybane Rd, through the Morris Roundabout and taking the second exit. I used the left hand for entering the roundabout, and my action was marked "correct". This is even though the 2nd exit is a little (perhaps 5-degrees) past "straight ahead", as shown here:

http://www.multimap.com/maps/#map=53.28827,-9.01248|17|32&bd=useful_information&loc=IE:53.28827:-9.01248:17|ballybane%20road,%20galway|BALLYBAAN%20ROAD,%20GALWAY

Actually, this case is an excellent example of why the left+straight vs subsequent rule doesn't work in practice: it can be extremely difficult to determine what is "straight ahead". The 1+2 vs subsequent rule, on the other hand, is very easy to apply in any situation.

I rest my case, and frankly do find your post insulting.


(*) I have a licence and 20 years accident-free driving experience from a country whose licences Ireland does not accept for trade in purposes. It rather irritates me that my country does accept Irish licences for trade-in purposes, so ignorant a**es from here can go there without a test, but I had to go through the entire process. But that is a whole different story.

fyi, in my country there is no rule either way. However "All road controlling authorities [are] required …. to mark lanes to direct the flow of traffic on roundabouts. This will require traffic entering and leaving any multi-laned roundabout to follow a clearly marked path, which will reduce the likelihood of a vehicle crossing another's path and causing a crash and will make roundabouts easier to use. " Perhaps we could recommend this approach to the Irish roading authorities.

churchview wrote: »

Then to further bring the point home, apply some logic. If (using your "legally correct" rule) the third exit is at a 150 degree angle from where you're entering i.e. to your left, why in the name of god would you use the right lane to access it when you would be crossing people going staight ahead (180 degrees) correctly using the left lane?

I said that you use the right lane to ENTER the roundabout. As is very clear in the quote I posted above, you do not LEAVE the roundabout from that lane. Rather:
"As you pass the exit before the one you intend to leave by, signal a left turn and, when your way is clear, move to the other lane and leave at the desired exit".

ZorbaTehZ

Sorry but if you're going to try and back up your case with information from a privately owned company(?), when the information already presented is from a government established national authority then there's no point arguing with you!

That example you give from your own test is ridiculous anyways - 5° beyond straight, I mean seriously are you taking the piss or what...

EDIT: Just noticed that that website you linked to, has here: http://www.lireland.com/theory/theory.htm

A full online version of the Rules of the Road, new updated rules of the road 2007, which are required in order to pass your theory test and driving test in Ireland.

... which links to this which is verbatim what is on the RSA website ie. the clock-system so what you linked to is outdated and it even states it there.

Mrs OBumble

ZorbaTehZ wrote: »

Sorry but if you're going to try and back up your case with information from a privately owned company(?), when the information already presented is from a government established national authority then there's no point arguing with you!

It's been well established on a number of threads that the information from the "government established national authority" is grossly inadequate to cater for the real road situations encountered in Ireland today.

For example, the Browne roundabout where Seamus Quirke Rd meets Thomas Hydes Rd.
http://www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=headford+road%2C+galway&countryCode=IE#map=53.27937,-9.06804|17|32&bd=useful_information&loc=IE:53.468:-9.10643:17|headford%20road,%20galway|HEADFORD%20ROAD,%20GALWAY

Imagine you're approaching from Thomas Hynes Road, and want to take the Newcastle Avenue exit, which is pretty much straight ahead. By the "clock" system, you should enter the roundabout in the left-hand lane. But this means driving past (and thus clogging up) two far-more-popular exits on the way there. Far more effective to enter in the right hand lane, and then as you're past the Seamus Quirke exit to check mirrors, indicate, check again including the blind-spot for hidden motorcyclists, move into the left lane and exit gracefully without having held up other traiffic.

NB I'm not overly familiar with the example - there may well be roadmarkings which indicate otherwise and of course these over-rule any rules-of-thumb that driving instructors etc have established to help their students cope with the vagueness of the actual legislation and the bye-laws based on it.

... The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that the real problem is not the skills, or otherwise, of Galway drivers. It's the abysmal state of road-engineering in Co Galway. If roundabouts where only used at intersections whose traffic volumes are low enough, and if lane markings and signage were always provided, they would be very effective. And this isn't a rant about the council either. I blame central government - it's quite ridiculous that in a country this tiny roading standards are managed by 26 different local authorities. There is no way that agencies this small can have enough critical mass to provide the full range of services that they are expected to and still make well-researched decisions.

ZorbaTehZ

JustMary wrote: »

It's been well established on a number of threads that the information from the "government established national authority" is grossly inadequate to cater for the real road situations encountered in Ireland today.

And what difference is that supposed to make? Threads with musings from random people on the internets should supersede RSA established driving code?

Pointing out specific roundabouts where the system doesn't work is moot tbh, I could spend all day finding examples for this that and the other with no actual significance to the debate overall.

At the end of the day any system will have its dificiencies, the point is a system that will work in the vast majority of cases. The 'clock system' is far superior to the numbering system because of the simple fact that it takes into account the actual location of the exits around the roundabout. If everyone followed the 'clock system' then I would argue that it would be as near as one could possibly get to a perfect driving code for roundabouts.