Roundabouts are actually way more efficient than junctions (and a lot safer) because of the low speed. I can imagine it must have been a big shock coming from the US tho.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4PW66_g6XA&t=507s
> Third thing is housing. Bad quality, and land controlled by a few leads to really high prices. Plus, low density and the aforementioned transport issues make it really hard to buy in cheap places that are a bit far away.
I mean the UK is a small place and supply/demand tells us the land is going to be expensive.
Grade separated junctions also take up a lot of space and divide communities, so I'm not 100% in favour.
Dual carriageways sometimes adopt a motorway approach, with traffic light controlled slips, but are mainly roundabouts for junctions. It's been a while, but even on the A1, outside the A1M bits.
A common quip in the UK is that the solution to any traffic problem is to build a roundabout. I agree they are terrible in congested areas, but I think Brits have a certain fondness (or stubbornness) for them.
> Lastly, education is expensive and there is a lot of elitism. In the US, I think it's not so difficult to get into e.g. Stanford
Stanford is far more elite than Oxbridge - I don't know how you could think otherwise. The price of admission makes it so, plus extreme competition. It's a poor comparison.
Anecdotally, I know several people unable to crack Oxbridge that walked into Standford.
That being said, both are elite and I don’t think a sane case can be made for either being “far more elite” than the other.
Stanford, like most first-tier US universities, is both need-blind admission and full-demonstrated-need financial aid (for US students).
I am an expat that has been living in Oxford & Cambridge for many years, after living in many other countries.
Upon arrival, I was shocked at how bad the public transport was in Cambridge. Different bus companies, incompatible tickets, unreliable schedules and extortionate prices. Trains are a bit better, but nothing to be proud of.
Second shock comes from car commutes. South & East England is pretty flat. But the road network really needs an upgrade. For example, highway interchanges are often roundabouts (!) leading to absolutely massive jams.
Thus, what would be a regular commute to work in mainland Europe by either public transport or car (say Buckingham to Oxford) is a bit of a nightmare and thus something nobody does.
Third thing is housing. Bad quality, and land controlled by a few leads to really high prices. Plus, low density and the aforementioned transport issues make it really hard to buy in cheap places that are a bit far away.
Lastly, education is expensive and there is a lot of elitism. In the US, I think it's not so difficult to get into e.g. Stanford if you come from a poor background as long as you work hard and get really nice SAT scores. However, in Oxbridge admissions are heavily biased towards high end schools. The only students from poor backgrounds I have personally met had exceptional achievements in their CV (e.g. IMO medals).