Stuck in a roundabout

The transportation infrastructure in Doha is desperate for some attention.  As the population has grown rapidly over the past ten years, the amount of traffic on the roads has surpassed what the roads can actually handle. There is a critical issue with Doha traffic that is the root of all traffic problems in the city- it’s called the Doha roundabout.  These roundabouts are spread throughout the city in a fashion that is in no way logical, but instead feels like the clouds opened up and rained roundabouts across Doha.  They each have their own name:  TV roundabout, Sports roundabout, Crazy roundabout, Rainbow roundabout, Oryx roundabout, Oyster roundabout,…I could go on for days.  These names are used instead of street names.  You are constantly given directions by landmarks and roundabouts, never ‘Turn right on Martin Luther King St and then take a left when you get to the second traffic light’.  No- traffic life is not that simple here.

There are driving rules for these roundabouts too!  I learned these in my driving classes.  Why is it that I feel I am the only one who knows and obeys these rules?  As you approach the roundabout, get in the far right lane if you are turning right, middle lane if you are going straight, or left lane if you are going left or doing a U-turn.

Sheet of rules that I was given in driving school:

90% of the time, these roundabout ‘rules’ are not obeyed.  People in the far left lane merge across all lanes to exit whenever they feel like it and people in the far right lane do not always exit.  Please imagine what this looks like.  Do you see it?  Now imagine me getting stuck in one of these roundabouts…

This weekend as I approached one of the major roundabouts calmly and assertively, following the rules- I got stuck!  I wanted to turn left so I got into the far left, inside lane.  When I started to signal to exit, no one would let me out.  I angrily circled around, saying a few choice words during the process. Nope, same thing.  Circle again!  And again!  I had to go around THREE times before I could get out.  I seriously felt like I was in an episode of Seinfeld.  No exit for you!  Hilarious to an outsider, but detrimental to my inner driver-self. 

Moral of the story- buy a monster truck.