What is Rotary?
1.
An Internal Combustion engine, popularised my Mazda in its earlier days. Makes distinctive buzzing noise, which can usually be heard from a distance. Uses a chamber with a spinning rotar inside to create driving force, and creats more power than a conventional piston engine for its size. Rotaries also have an annoying tendancy to have very poor fuel economy.
<cool guy> Man, my RX-3 has a 13B Rotary in it out of a series 6 RX-7!!
<nooblet> sweet!! start it!!
<cool guy> HELL NO it will cost me too much in gas :@
2.
An circular intersection, known in other parts of the world as a roundabout or traffic circle. By far the best form of intersection, as traffic is seldom required to stop, however the advantages of rotaries are often negated by drivers who are too stupid to properly navigate them.
There are a few rules to rotaries.
#1. Traffic already inside the rotary has right of way.
#2. The outside lane is for taking the first or second exits only. You may not go all the way around the rotary in the outside lane.
#3. The inside lane may be used for going beyond the first two exits.
#4. Once inside the rotary, do not stop. Rotaries are designed so that traffic inside the rotary does not have to stop, if you stop, drivers behind you will not be expecting it, causing the risk of a rear-end collision. If you cannot get to your exit, simply drive around the rotary again.
Ever since they installed that new rotary, traffic has moved much more smoothly.
or
Some dumbass in an SUV talking on a cell nearly sideswiped me when he/she couldn't stay in his/her own lane in the rotary!
See
3.
A traffic circle. One of Massachusetts' two main contributions to the art of traffic regulation (the other being the red-and-yellow pedestrian-crossing light).
Note: Proper rotaries ah big, typically where several roads (two main roads) come together. They are not to be confused with roundabouts, which are cute, dainty little things used to "calm" traffic in subdivisions.
I just learned this was a New England thing, who knew.
Usually there are a lot of stores all around it, and like a little "green" in the center with some memorial.
becareful going through the rotary, you have to pay attention to right-of-way.
