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"Traffic circles are ubiquitous in France, accepted as safer than traditional intersections. But they have also become an emblem of the country's ailments, from urban sprawl to inequality. France loves its roundabouts. They are ubiquitous throughout the country, including in Abbeville, a city of about 25,000. Credit...Aurelien Breeden/The New York Times By Aurelien Breeden Dec. 25, 2019 ABBEVILLE, France - Every day, about 65,000 vehicles cruise through the center of Abbeville, passing by its Gothic church, City Hall and rows of red brick houses, with many drivers on their way to the English Channel about a dozen miles away. But they never stop for a red light. None exist in this town of about 25,000 people. Instead, drivers bank, swerve and loop their way through traffic circle after traffic circle. Their ubiquity in Abbeville is an extreme example of France's unabashed embrace of the roundabout, found in abundance throughout the country and widely credited for making roads safer and less clogged. Even in Abbeville, on a recent morning, workers in fluorescent orange vests and hard hats were breaking ground on yet another traffic circle, as cars were backed up by the construction. Roundabouts played a central role in the Yellow Vests protests, when demonstrators occupied hundreds of the nation's roundabouts, blocking traffic as a way to demonstrate against a despised fuel tax increase in particular and a growing sense of inequality in general. But France's relationship with them has in some ways soured, their very pervasiveness making them a convenient scapegoat for many of France's ills, real or perceived. Pierre Vermeren, a French historian writing in Le Figaro last year, said roundabouts were a "symbol of ugly France" and the "emblem of French malaise." There are no official statistics, but estimates of the total number of traffic circles in France range from 20,000 to 50,000. In the United States - about 18 times bigger and five

"La majorité des appels à bloquer le trafic routier mentionne comme lieu de rassemblement un équipement de voirie, un type de lieu ou une forme urbaine qui fait partie de l'écosystème de l'étalement urbain: une station-service, un parking de centre commercial, un péage, une bretelle d'accès à l'autoroute ou un rond-point. Beaucoup de ronds-points."

"Seat cover designs, we believe, need to consider four things: Memorability. They need to be striking enough to create an instant impression. Freshness. Moquette needs to be bright enough in color to appear new(ish) after years of wear, but not so pale as to make stains or fade evident. Intricacy. Large empty monochrome spaces show wear more quickly, and provide too tempting a canvas for vandals. Anti-Dazzle. Moquette shouldn't be so bright and busy that it turns stomachs."