Dundee’s many circles can be a real pain for motorists travelling across and through the city.
Dundonians prefer to use the term circles – while those passing through the city may opt for roundabouts – but that doesn’t make them any of them easier to drive around.
Some prove difficult to navigate with their multitude of different lanes, roads and exits shooting off in different directions.
Others can prove tricky to join as a steady flow of traffic whizzes around the centre circle at speed.
Keeping this in mind, we have compiled a list of the six trickiest circles in Dundee.
Buckle in. It’s going to be a white knuckle ride.
6. Clepington Road
This roundabout is the only one on our list that doesn’t have an A-road going through it.
It is still a busy spot though, connecting the well-used Clepington Road with Old Glamis Road and seeing congested football traffic on weekends.
And it makes the list because of two junctions located nearby, making it difficult to get onto the roundabout.
Traffic from Caird Avenue and Provost Road has to navigate turning onto Clepington Road and then entering the roundabout mere metres later.
The centre circle is small as well, with only a single lane around the roundabout.
There are nearby traffic lights, but two traffic islands at the intersection also means pedestrians sometimes try their luck, adding an additional hazard for motorists.
5. Swallow
It is fitting that a city with so many circles welcomes visitors with…a circle.
The Swallow Roundabout is the first junction visitors to the city come across when travelling eastbound on the A90 from Perth.
It is not inherently dangerous or poorly designed, but has made our list because of the sheer amount of traffic it handles.
Much of the traffic heading into Dundee from the east enters here and travels along Riverside Drive.
This makes it a busy roundabout for inter-city coaches and HGV lorries.
And rush hour traffic sometimes brings proceedings to a standstill.
However, a major upgrade to the roundabout is underway.
4. Ladywell
There are no known improvements in the pipeline for this next circle, which is located on the outer edges of the city centre.
However, the newly enforced Low Emission Zone could have an impact on the amount of traffic using this one, seeing as non-compliant vehicles can no longer use Meadowside to access the city centre.
Nevertheless, the Ladywell has a technically tricky layout.
North Marketgait (A991) traffic divides into four lanes on both approaches, with traffic heading directly across the roundabout and two others.
This makes lane discipline crucial.
Traffic can also come rushing out of the Marketgait tunnel, meaning merging motorists need to have their wits about them.
3. East Port
The East Port Roundabout sits less than 400 metres south-west of the Ladywell circle.
Its layout is less complicated and it operates on a simpler double-lane basis.
But congestion can be a serious issue here, with the busy Seagate meeting the busy Inner Ring Road.
This isn’t helped by its proximity to the often congested junction with East Dock Street, which can be busy with commuters and shoppers alike.
Traffic can often be seen backing up on the roundabout, resulting in bottlenecks.
Many buses also use this roundabout when exiting the nearby bus station, meaning space can be an issue.
2. Pitkerro
Circles are synonymous with the Kingsway and the Pitkerro one makes the list because it has so many exits to navigate.
Pitkerro Road is one of three named streets that meets the East Kingsway here and it is often used a rat run by commuters.
A yellow no-entry box just before the junction also makes for a difficult approach for traffic from Pitkerro.
Old Craigie Road and Pitkerro Drive are the other two roads, while the Kingsway usually sees a steady flow of inter-city traffic and motorists bound for the Tay Road Bridge.
One silver lining is a nearby flyover bridge for pedestrians to use.
1. Scott Fyffe
This last one in Craigie is a clear outlier on any Dundee tricky circle shortlist.
Only the best drivers seem to be able to figure out which lane they should be as they make their way through this junction.
It has several exits and sees city bound traffic from Arbroath combine with the busy Kingsway as two trunk roads collide.
Approaching the roundabout from the north, city centre bound motorists are urged to keep in the right lane.
But then suddenly this changes mid-circle, with two lanes seeming to temporarily become three and then two again.
Unlike the other roundabouts on our list, this one has by the far most complex and messy layout.
Let us know what your least favourite Dundee circles by commenting below.
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