Currently the osm node highway=mini_roundabout is being handled as a normal junction instead of a roundabout during routing with osm maps in Germany. But this is confusing since the instruction given, e.g. "turn left", is somewhat wrong and should be e.g. "enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit".
Note that a "mini_roundabout" is not necessary small; in fact it can be quite large. See the osm wiki page for more details.
Oh god, 53 pages on mini roundabouts. Some countries will bearly understand, that this may constitute a "problem". Let's be happy that we have the time to discuss such problems and not the need to look for sufficient food, clean water, paved roads etc. etc.
a mini-roundabout is often enough more than a painted circle, but it is never very big.
I think though that they should be treated as roundabouts.
When going straight on you can traverse the inner (painted) circle. Standard "going straight on" commands shouldn't be an issue.
However, a mini-roundabout is definitely not intended to drive up onto the (painted) circle, stop there (for upcoming traffic), and go left or right (depending on the country). In those cases you should not "turn left" or "turn right", but you should use it as a roundabout and "enter the roundabout and take the X th exit".
The current instruction set is in this case indeed confusing and I don't think that "non-roundabound commands are fine".
Of course the driver is always responsible but I can't imagine that a navigation app maker will deliberately give wrong commands.
Whatever the kind of roundabout is it: For me the spoken information "Roundabout. Take ... exit." is usefull. So I know, what's coming up forward and how to drive there. Adviced "turn..." I expect a normal junction like a cross or T-junction.
I agree. The document @Tomas attached makes that even more clear where they draw how a car "should" use the roundabout.
The example image @Tomas attached is indeed so small that it almost asks you to go straight on. However, those specific examples are also described in the document where they discuss mini roundabouts designed with not enough space and in which risks and complications that results.
Also the last question in the "questions-answers" section of the document
"Are vehicles allowed to drive over the central island?"
gets the following answer
"Yes, but only vehicles that are physically incapable of manoeuvring around the central island. See Highway Code, RTA 1988 Sect 36 & TSRGD 16(1). Drivers of vehicles that can manoeuvre around the central island are in danger of being prosecuted if they drive across it"
For me that makes it even more clear that mini roundabouts should be treated as roundabout and not as junction.
To my mind, a mini roundabout needs the simple directions already available in the config files, "Roundabout. Turn right" (or similar). The key difference is that you don't drive around a large island counting exits but identify where you are going before you approach the mini roundabout. At the same time, it is helpful to know that you are not approaching a standard junction.
@daneel That would indeed be great - there is a largeish mini roundabout just a few hundred metres from my home; it's certainly big enough to feel like the „real thing” - just without grass/bushes/artwork/whatever, and I find it rather annoying that it is treated as if the intersection it replaced [so that a set of traffic lights could be removed] were still there.
Currently the osm node highway=mini_roundabout is being handled as a normal junction instead of a roundabout during routing with osm maps in Germany. But this is confusing since the instruction given, e.g. "turn
left", is somewhat wrong and should be e.g. "enter the roundabout and
take the 2nd exit".
Note that a "mini_roundabout" is not necessary small; in fact it can be quite large. See the osm wiki page for more details.