Are Traffic Circles a Good Idea?

Georgetown plans on installing a traffic circle at the intersection of the Rivery Blvd extension and Northwest Blvd. The City's traffic engineers may want to rethink that! Check out this photo from China:

I have personally experienced these traffic circles in Washington D.C. and they are a nightmare when there is any appreciable traffic.

They also have traffic circles in the Northeast in places like New Jersey and Massachusetts that are similar nightmares. It was reported several years ago that some Northeastern states were going to eliminate their traffic circles.

These circles are a source of confusion for older drivers and to people who do not regularly traverse them. They have trouble entering and positioning themselves for the exit on their desired street when traffic is heavy. There are a couple of circles in Cedar Park that are difficult to traverse at night because of poor lighting for those unfamiliar with them.

Traffic circles may be appropriate for lightly traveled intersections, but, I seriously doubt their efficiency for heavily traveled intersections.

I am sure they cost more than a standard intersection with smart traffic lights as they require more land, which must be taken from private landowners.

The City traffic engineers need to survey cities that have these circles and see how they are working when traffic increases. Regular citizens should be surveyed in addition to city officials.