Goonhammer report from Historicon 2025

[Imperial Dave]

Goonhammer Historicals: HistoriCon 2025 Event Report | Goonhammer https://share.google/qyYrr5b4Qy5bYkZFi

Hopefully of interest

[Jim Webster]

Goonhammer Historicals: HistoriCon 2025 Event Report | Goonhammer https://share.google/qyYrr5b4Qy5bYkZFi

Hopefully of interest

different worlds, parallel parking for the sixth time in his life!

[Imperial Dave]

  o

[Nick Harbud]

different worlds, parallel parking for the sixth time in his life!

...amd he even found negotiating the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial as something remarkable.  One wonders how he might cope with the Swindon Magic Roundabout?

 

[Imperial Dave]

The horror...

[Ian61]

One American comic referred to Britain's 'Mario cart roads' on the other hand I had to look up the EZpass, tolls are such an oddity in Britain bar one section of motorway and a few bridges that I know of.

[John GL]

The horror...

I worked in Swindon for most of the 1990s.  The roundabout is OK once you get used to it.

[Nick Harbud]

...I had to look up the EZpass, tolls are such an oddity in Britain bar one section of motorway and a few bridges that I know of.

Well, quite so.  I mean, I remember in the 1980s visiting Atlantic City from where I was living on the western side of greater New York, a trip of approximately 2 hours along the Garden State Parkway with multiple stops for tossing coins in the bucket at toll booths.  Upon arrival I discovered I had insufficient funds for the return trip tolls and that my ATM card did not produce anything from the local cash machines.  The prospect of making the journey on minor roads did not appeal.  I therefore entered the nearest casino and successfully participated at various blackjack tables until I had over $50 in my pocket.

[Imperial Dave]

Reprobate....

[Chuck the Grey]

Notes from the Provinces:

Parallel Parking: This was the most dreaded part of the driving test in California for years. Hit one of the poles used to represent other vehicles and you failed the entire test. Hit the curb with your tires and you failed the entire test. Finish to far from the curb and you failed the entire test. Parallel parking was finally eliminated from the road test and remains only horrible memory for those of a certain age.

Tolls: I can relate to Nick's problem with tolls. When I was stationed in Virginia. I kept loose change in my car for the bucket toss at the toll booths. when I returned to California, I celebrated my freedom from toll roads. Then California started using tolls on certain roads and it's back to square one.

Roundabouts: These are also starting to appear in California touted as a traffic safety device. I can't see how that's going to help. I doubt that the same drivers that can't safely navigate a well marked intersection won't be able to navigate the roundabout.

I'm done. (He successfully steps off the soapbox without tripping over his feet)

[Imperial Dave]

Roundabouts we're designed by sadists....

[Nick Harbud]

I remember watching one of thesde programmes by James May (former Top Gear presenter) where he tried to drive from one side of Milton Keynes to the other without stopping at any of the 30 or so roundabouts he encountered.  He managed it on the second attempt.

Yeah, I know, Chuck will tell us that this would have been so much easier with a few flyovers and 6 lanes of black top.

[Imperial Dave]

 

[Erpingham]

It is hard from a UK perspective to think of roads without roundabouts. If they find full-sized roundabouts tricky, I wonder what US friends would think of mini-roundabouts or that devilishly complicated creation, the double mini-roundabout?

[Imperial Dave]

the double mini is a real doozie...