Island
In Birmingham and the West Midlands, an island is a roundabout; "go straight over the island" is an ordinary direction. Elsewhere in Britain a traffic island is the small refuge in the middle of a road, so the local use can confuse visitors.
In practice
Birmingham's post-war road building gave it many large roundabouts, some with subways and gardens in the middle, and locals still use names such as "the Five Ways island". Satnavs say roundabout; people giving directions, taxi drivers and older road signs locally may say island. The word is used across the West Midlands, including Coventry and the Black Country.
Why it matters to newcomers
If you are driving, cycling or walking to a meeting and someone says "second exit at the island", they mean the roundabout. Birmingham has a reputation as a car-built city: its ring roads and junctions take some learning, and public transport or the canal towpaths are often quicker across the centre.
Related
- Spaghetti Junction - the city's most famous road junction
- Brummie - who gives the directions
- Bostin' - more local vocabulary
Source: Wiktionary: island.