One of the most hated places in Britain has become a very unlikely tourist attraction
A HEAD-scratchingly complicated junction dubbed The Magic Roundabout has become a tourist attraction.
Swindon's ring junction was constructed in 1972 consisting of five mini-roundabouts arranged in a circle.
Now people are coming from far and wide to ride the road system - with 190 reviews on Tripadvisor and 114 motorists rating it ‘excellent’.
One fan said: “Best roundabout in the world - fun to sit back and watch the crashes.”
An Aussie tourist said: “I checked out how it worked on YouTube just to be sure, I'm guessing it's easy for the locals anyway and love how it's called "magic roundabout" :) adds a bit of a laugh to the whole quagmire - love how the Brits think!”
And one person drove to Wiltshire from roundabout-choked Milton Keynes in Bedfordshire and gushed: “I grew up and learnt to drive in Milton Keynes, so I like to think I know a little bit about roundabouts...and...this is absolutely brilliant!!!
“Yes, it can be a bit daunting the first time you approach it, but on the whole other motorists are pretty forgiving if you get yourself into a lane you don't want to be in, of course, there are always the dicks that won't yield etc.”
The “attraction” is located near the County Ground, home of Swindon Town FC and its name comes from the popular children's television series The Magic Roundabout.
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In 2009, it was voted the fourth-scariest junction in Britain.
The first roundabout appeared in Columbus Circle, New York, in 1904 but the experiment was quickly abandoned in favour of traffic lights.
The first British roundabout appeared at Sollershot Circle, in Letchworth Garden City, Herts, in 1926.
They became most popular in Britain in the 1960s, when civil engineers saw them as a way to solve increasing traffic congestion.
France has the most roundabouts in the world while the city of Griffith in New South Wales, Australia, with a population 25,000, contains no traffic lights and only roundabouts.
Motorists in the UK have blasted a “bizarre” roundabout which is made up of three circles but have been told “you’ll get used to it”.
The first ever Dutch-style roundabout has opened in Cambridge which will prioritise cyclists and pedestrians - but has been called a "killing zone."
