Drivers are convinced they’ve found the “craziest” roundabout in the whole of the UK, based around 30 miles away from London. Standard roundabouts can be a bug bear for many people when driving, with confusion upon entering the roundabout, and high traffic making mistakes trickier to rectify, the possibility of missing an exit, and more all contributing to roundabouts’ unpopularity.
But a learner driver has shared one which has been branded a “nightmare” – and it’s on his test route, too. The Plough Roundabout, commonly dubbed the Magic Roundabout, is a tricky multiplex road junction found in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.
Constructed in 1973, it’s made up of a large central roundabout encircled by six mini-roundabouts, each serving one of the six converging roads.
It’s unusual because it allows for traffic to flow both clockwise, which is the standard flow of direction on UK roundabouts, as well as anticlockwise.
It’s supposed to be treated as six individual roundabouts, with right of way having to be given on the approach to each new mini roundabout.
This distinctive layout was designed to ease traffic flow by enabling motorists to select the most efficient path to their chosen exit.
The term “magic” is tongue-in-cheek, referring to the seemingly confusing and complex nature of the junction. Despite its appearance, it can be very efficient once drivers understand how to use it.
However, some drivers don’t want to attempt using it at all. On X, a learner driver, who posts online under the name Jayden, shared a photograph of the roadsign displaying the roundabout’s formation.
Accompanying the picture, he simply penned: “real roundabout around where I live [by the way]”.
Many social media users flocked to the comments section to share their thoughts. One person simply said: “I can’t work this out”.
Jayden replied: “The way I’ve seen people driving there, I don’t think anyone can lol”.
Someone else confessed: “Last time I drove on that I just floored it and hoped for the best.” In a further comment, Jayden said: “I’m pretty sure this is on my test route too”.
Another X user said: “There’s no world where this is more suitable than just having two roundabouts spaced apart.” And another recognised it and commented: “That’s the Hemel Roundabout right? It’s a nightmare”.
But some drivers disagreed with the general consensus, branding it “easier than it looks”.
One person said: “It’s not even hard to do lol. The sign makes it seem more confusing than it is. The Magic roundabout is easy when [you’ve] done it a couple times”.
Another added: “It’s easier than it looks. You stay on the inside of the roundabout until you want to turn off then you go round that corresponding roundabout. Also makes it easier if you go past your turning.”
A similar junction based in Swindon – the M40 junction in Denham – is also nicknamed the Magic Roundabout.