It didn’t seem great to me when I lived in DC. Having the “right of way” doesn’t mean that cars, eager to grab their turn, will respect it, or even see you. Plus, most of these are not 4-way stop signs. And, DC has plenty of roundabouts as well (streets were laid out in the 18th c. by a French dude). And that’s even worse, as a driver or a pedestrian, because US drivers have no idea what to do in a traffic circle.
It's a one way road that you are joining. Nothing more complicated than that.