Rotary

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide, who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. The Rotary 4-Way Test was created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932 when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy. The 4-Way Test became the guide for sales, production, advertising and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy: "Of the things we think, say or do: 1. Is it the Truth?; 2. Is it Fair to all concerned?; 3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?; and 4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?"

A rotary is an interesting circular traffic formation that not many people will ever run into. From what I hear it is native to the greater New England / eastern seaboard area (I think extending down into New Jersey), which is infamous for their overuse. Rotaries are also known as Traffic Circles (as my New Hampshire geek girl informs me).

Rotaries are a circle of road from which many exits are possible at different locations of the clock. Traffic flows in these rotaries counter-clockwise, until the people reach their designated exit. There are usually two lanes to a rotary: the inner "drive around" lane, and the outer "I'm going to get off soon" lane. You can maximize the choices in a road by creating several different outlets to one rotary.

By law, these rotaries are always well marked, and you need to yield to traffic that is already in the rotary. This setup, by nature, is a situation where only the aggressive survive. If you are not aggressive enough to change lanes at the right time, or get in at a high speed, then you will either be stuck waiting, or stuck in the middle ring of the rotary. New England Drivers usually are fairly adept at these "go for it"-type intersections, but the rotary holds a special place in many people's hearts, especially the non-native drivers, who have trouble wrapping their brains around this odd traffic control device.

Ro"ta*ry (?), a. [L. rota a wheel. See Roll, v., and cf. barouche, Rodomontade, Rou'e, Round, a., Rowel.]

Turning, as a wheel on its axis; pertaining to, or resembling, the motion of a wheel on its axis; rotatory; as, rotary motion.

Rotary engine, steam engine in which the continuous rotation of the shaft is produced by the direct action of the steam upon rotating devices which serve as pistons, instead of being derived from a reciprocating motion, as in the ordinary engine; a steam turbine; -- called also rotatory engine. -- Rotary pump, a pump in which the fluid is impelled by rotating devices which take the place of reciprocating buckets or pistons. -- Rotary shears, shears, as for cloth, metal, etc., in which revolving sharp-edged or sharp-cornered wheels do the cutting. -- Rotary valve, a valve acting by continuous or partial rotation, as in the four-way cock.

 

© Webster 1913.