As the number of traffic circles, also called roundabouts, around Pierce County grows, it is wise to brush up on the rules of the road on the topic.
Thanks for the idea Dan.
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They are always called Roundabouts. Do NOT stop before entering if there is no traffic in the roundabout. Use your directional signals. Do NOT stop before leaving the roundabout.
I see this all the time. Yikes!
The rules of roundabouts are straightforward enough, but too often in practice they are anything but easy or safe to use. Many arterial locations in our area are too constrained for circles to accommodate the speed of approaching vehicles, and too many people don’t slow down enough or early enough for anyone else to trust what they’re going to do. Speed up to beat someone to the space they’re entitled to in the circle? Speed up hoping to get there first only having to slow down at the last second because they missed the gap they need?
Engineers working from code manuals squeeze them in where they’re told to put them, assuming in the safety of their office that drivers will slow to speeds set by a theoretical “design radius.” And the lack of meaningful curbs, eliminated in confined areas to ramps to allow emergency vehicles and semi-trailers to maneuver past, lets too many drivers maintain speeds well over the designed speed of the circle.
Circles do have benefits and so we will all adjust because we have to and most people are courteous (or fearful). But everyone else just needs to slow down a bit and take a moment and thought to use their blinkers. Circles shouldn’t be just another arena to compete.
Due to all of the roundabouts in Lakewood, it seems like no one knows how to use a stop sign anymore. So many people treat it as a yield sign or a California stop.
It feels like we are on a speedway with everyone flying through them; roundabouts are not being properly used. It is how many cars we can get through the “Yield” sign before someone can sneak out from the side road.
I am not sure if this has helped or caused more problems. It sure has made life much harder dealing with all of the construction. I mean, do we really need 5 down one road?
Wonderful community contribution. The biggest problem I’ve experienced, which is also presented in the video, is the failure/inability of many drivers to anticipate and ‘zipper’ into the traffic circle. Stopping at a traffic circle should be a rare event. That is the whole point of traffic circles – eliminating stops at intersections.
P.S. The difficulty of ‘zippering’ also shows up at interstate on ramps.
Agreed w/all aforementioned comments, plus…..
Turn Signal usage……?
Hah!
In Washington?
Seems that a lot of vehicles must have broken, or non-existent, Turn Signal Devices, because…..I hardly see any used, especially in Roundabout exits, or, for that matter, any other place in WA.
I learned about Roundabouts in Europe (they are called Traffic Circles there).and let me tell you….you had BETTER use your Turn Signal there, because if a Cop sees you NOT doing that they will call in a unit to get your butt! And, if you are involved in an accident and failed to use your Turn Signal….you will have to pay LOTSA moola.
How do I know? I heard it from people who failed to follow Traffic Laws. Of course, they had police that enforced such laws….religiously (particularly in Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, France, & Austria…all places I experienced)
I remember when I was very young and lived near Washington DC. There is a notorious traffic circle there that has many lanes. Be grateful that there’s only one lane in most of our traffic roundabouts. The only problem I had with traffic circles here is when a driver on the other side of the circle entered the same time that I did on the opposite side. Essentially we both got in the circle at the same time. Another time, there was a small circle in the middle of a residential road. I saw a driver go the opposite way of the circle just to reach the nearest exit. Slowing down, and good manners are the best way to treat circles.