The five worst roundabouts in Basingstoke

For anyone who has lived in the town for a couple of years, it can be easy to forget the terror you probably experienced on the roads the first time you were behind the wheel.

But if you have just moved here or are learning to drive, then the roads can be confusing, fast-paced and a nightmare to get to grips with.

Whether it be the monstrosity of the ring road roundabouts or some of the smaller ones, Basingstoke's road network can be a pain at the best of times.

The Gazette has compiled a list of what we think are the worst roundabouts in the town, but let's be honest, there are many, many more we could have made a case for.

That's why we want to know in the comments section what your least favourites are, and why.

Black Dam roundabout

Okay, any list of the worst roundabouts in Basingstoke that doesn't have this absolute horror on isn't worth looking at.

It is synonymous with Doughnut City and is probably the most feared of the roundabouts for new drivers.

Whilst it may well be a bit better since road works finished, it can still be confusing at the best of times, and marks the main entry and exit to the M3 for the majority of the town.

Even just looking at this photo of it during roadworks back in 2017 is enough to make you not want to drive that way again.

Binfields roundabout (aka the Tesco roundabout)

Aside from the fact that some arms are traffic-light controlled whilst others aren't, the main reason why this roundabout makes the list is that awful part if you're turning right from Basingstoke into the shopping centre or towards the Hampshire Court Hotel.

Once you go past twelve o'clock, the lane turns sharply and is quite short, meaning if there is any more than two or three cars waiting ahead of you, you're forced to straddle multiple lanes and just generally get in the way of other people.

Brighton Hill roundabout

Another classic Basingstoke roundabout nightmare, Brighton Hill roundabout is one of the busiest in the town.

The six exits and the unusual shape make it a unique challenge for people learning to drive.

As well as the usual complaints about the Western Way exit and drivers having little option but to pull across fast-moving traffic, all arms of the roundabout are reliant on drivers indicating to come off, something that doesn't happen all of the time.

Being located on the A30 corridor and serving many residential and business areas, the roundabout saw a drop in traffic during the Covid lockdown.

But with lockdown easing and the sun coming out, the traffic is already backing up in all directions during most of the day.

Victory roundabout

Perhaps not the first that might spring to mind, Victory roundabout is positioned in the town centre, close to the Anvil.

There are two things about this roundabout that make it particularly challenging, the first of which is the pace of the roads.

Churchill Way is 50 miles per hour in the direction of Thornycroft and 40 mph in the direction of Eastrop roundabout.

It is very easy for this roundabout to spring up on you without you realising.

The second point is the layout of the roads on Alencon Link and Timberlake Road. On Alencon Link, the right hand lane is right only whilst the left hand lane goes in all three directions. On Timberlake Road, the left lane goes left only, the middle straight ahead and right, whilst the right lane is right only.

However, this doesn't seem to be something that all drivers realise, as it is all too often that you get cut up by a driver oblivious of which lane goes where.

West Ham roundabout

With this roundabout, you can be forgiven for not having a clue where you're supposed to be.

Unlike other roundabouts, the lanes don't spiral off, there are no signs or much in the way of road markings guiding drivers where they should be; it's akin to taking a guess and hoping you're right.

Then there's the added interest of the unusual shape and the main Churchill Way running straight through past the Leisure Park exit.