Originally published at: Man surreptitiously camps in roundabout | Boing Boing
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Interesting. In my area, they keep plants and grass cut low, so that drivers can see across the circle. There are smaller ones in residential communities with more elaborate landscaping, but the size would make this impossible.
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It looks like they keep it full of growth and whatnot to discourage people from cutting straight through, which would be bad for Steve, so that’s all for the good.
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If that were California, there would already be three people with no homes sleeping in there. 
I haven’t watched the video, but I hope he talks at least a little about homelessness in general, because poverty tourism is a really bad look.
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Heh. It’s already on Google Maps…
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Hopefully Niantic won’t import that one as a Pokemon gym. That would get messy.
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I’ve seen some of his other videos, and he has an actual home, so I get the impression that this kind of thing is partly a personal challenge for him, but he does also seem to be looking for the types of spots that might be safe-ish for camping if you have no other choice, and gives some tips for those in vulnerable circumstances on the how-to’s; carry a briefcase if you’re walking around to look like you have business in the area, etc., so you’re less likely to be challenged.
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I’d worry about someone not paying attention, or drunk, and then plowing through the roundabout.
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As a former homeless person…LAY DOWN, MAN. Pack your shit in after dark, and leave before the morning traffic.
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In my county, every time a new roundabout gets installed, there is a week with 700 posts on the local Facebook group by people who have no idea how to use them complaining that all we need is a traffic light.
Within a couple months there will always be tire tracks from people who protest by driving right through them.
Did I mention there are still last guy flags flying everywhere in my county?
I’ve never seen roundaboouts with that much growth though.
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It’s always monster truck tire tracks, too. My theory is those people are constantly angry because they bought a ridiculous-sized, gas guzzling truck that most people have for work, and now they can’t park anywhere or cut people off in traffic like they used to. Their power fantasy wasn’t well thought out and they’re trying to take it out on the rest of us, but they’re too large to be able to even do that effectively. They get their kicks in where they can, I guess.
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SIWIs. (see-wees) Self identifying willful ignorance.
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I’ve considered roundabouts but realized getting in and out is the real problem. Highway medians would be better. You can get in and out via local road underpasses without crossing traffic or even being seen (walk up the road under the highway, when no cars are near scoot up the bank into the median.) The ideal spots are well outside the city though, where north/south lanes are split by forested sections. At that point you may as well just stealth camp in a state forest. And the closer you get to the city the more chance somebodys already camped there.
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For an assignment at architecture school we had to survey part of the canal near Camden Town, and were surprised to find a very well-hidden goth living in the bushes on an embankment. It has enhanced my subsequent enjoyment of the urban fabric to know that any interstitial space might contain a secret goth.
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As I was traveling from Austin to Tijuana by bicycle, I spoke to some highway patrolmen who said that if I was ever in a place where I could not make the next town by sunset, camping by the side of the highway as far off to the side as possible without encroaching on private property was just fine. I did this several times across Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona (who have renovated many of their rest stops in recent years).
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I don’t know what the ratio is, but there are a lot more homeless people than just visible homeless people
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Good choice. Never, ever, has any vehicle crashed into a roundabout.
Never. 
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This one has boulders in place. It’s Alberta, they expect that people large trucks will try it.
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Also if you haven’t read Neverwhere, go do that
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