A couple of week ago (or maybe months . . . time flies by fast around here), Becky Levick called with a complaint in the guise of a story idea. I get this a lot. But she wasn't asking us to write about her rotten landlord or, as my grandmother often suggests, “the people living under the bridge.” This was something I wanted to investigate using guerrilla journalism techniques. It was the moment I had been waiting months for.
Becky lives close to the Liberty/Centre/School Street roundabout, and her very politically correct observation was this: “Everyone has their own way of navigating the roundabout.”
Translation: People are committing traffic violations every time they enter the traffic circle, because it's been 20-plus years since they've taken a driver education course.
Becky asked us to find out the correct protocol for roundabouts. The Revelator is SO on it.
After donning camouflage gear and smearing black face paint under my eyes, I sat at my desk and e-mailed City Manager Tom Aspell. He's pretty much our starting place for just about any city-related question, our light in times of darkness.
He directed me to the city website, where there were several links to the state Department of Transportation and even a video produced by Concord TV and City Engineer Ed Roberge on how to navigate the roundabout.
Basically, I could either watch an educational video or check out the DOT links. Given that I was already feeling a little sleepy, I opted for DOT.
Unfortunately, the DOT links were not working, so I had the brilliant idea of going to the DOT site myself. I entered “roundabout” in the search box and was rewarded with a wealth of information – seven pages worth, to be exact. As an added bonus, there were PowerPoint slides. Seriously – there's nothing like a good PowerPoint presentation to get The Revelator excited about a topic.
Okay, readers . . . get ready for this . . . I am now going to detail everything I learned from the PowerPoint slides. Yes, this is an overview of an overview, and it's going to be awesome.
First: What's the difference between a roundabout and a traffic circle? I was curious about this, because I always default to calling these things traffic circles, sort of like I call all dogs “puppies.” According to the DOT presentation, roundabouts are smaller than traffic circles and are navigated at slower speeds, usually 15-20 mph. They also take up less physical space than a traffic circle and have narrow entry, exit and circulating lanes. Finally, traffic must yield when entering a roundabout. Traffic circles generally do not follow that rule.
You're just aching for more roundabout information, aren't you? Well good, because now I'm going to discuss the benefits of roundabouts, in case some of you are wondering why this thing got installed in the first place. DOT outlines fives benefits: safety, capacity, aesthetics, less pollution and U-turns. Roundabouts offer fewer contact points than a four-way intersection, resulting in fewer accidents. They also allow more vehicles to pass through, accommodating about 30 percent more traffic, according to what I'm sure was a very exciting study. Add in the opportunities for landscaping the center island, less pollution due to slower traffic and the ability to U-turn easily, and you've got a pretty good way to manage heavy traffic.
Moving right along. . . . Can roundabouts accommodate all types of vehicles? “Heck, yes!” says NH DOT. Buses, large trucks, motorcycles and passenger vehicles can navigate the roundabout. There was something about a truck apron for use by large trucks, but I'm pretty much done with this topic and am going to ignore that.
All right, Becky, after making you read through lots of information that didn't answer your question, I'm now going to get to the main point. “How do you drive safely through a single-lane roundabout?” Here's the step-by-step, courtesy of a DOT pamphlet:
1. Slow down when approaching and yield before you enter. Be prepared to stop – circulating traffic has the right of way.
2. Wait for a gap in traffic and enter the roundabout. Do not stop and do no overtake vehicles ahead of you as they may be exiting. (Read: patience, please.) Oh, and don't forget to watch for pedestrians when you approach and enter.
3. Once you've entered the roundabout, proceed counterclockwise to your exit point. You now have the right of way.
4. As you approach your exit, use your right turn signal. Again, watch for pedestrians.
5. Exit the roundabout. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
Simple, right? Sure! But let's throw in a few monkeywrenches:
Emergency vehicles: If an ambulance is approaching, do not enter the roundabout – pull to the side. If you're already in the roundabout, take the first available exit and pull to the side. Never stop in the roundabout.
Bicyclists: If you're on a bike, you can choose to function as a vehicle or pedestrian. When acting as a vehicle, follow the same rules as motorists. Cars are not to overtake a bicyclist in a roundabout.
Pedestrians: Cars must yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks at each entrance to the roundabout. There's usually a “splitter island” between lanes, which allows pedestrians to safely wait for traffic to clear in the next lane.
Whew. That was a lot of work. And a lot of words. Sorry, Becky, for not giving you a more succinct answers. I wanted this to be educational. If everyone isn't asleep already, I recommend checking out the how-to video on the city website. From onconcord.com, hover your mouse over “Departments,” then “City Development” and then “Engineering.” Under “Department Highlights,” click “Roundabout Information.” The video is the last link in the list.
The Revelator
