Roundabouts - again

[Love2cruise]

Since I almost got creamed last night by a car in the wrong lane in a roundabout at LSL I thought it might be a good time for new people to review driving rules in the roundabouts .

http://www.districtgov.org/community/Roundabout-02-08-12.pdf

[Bogie Shooter]

Big assumption that new people need the review.:wave:
BTW the other numerous threads with hundreds of posts, on roundabouts, have not helped in the past.

[njbchbum]

Big assumption that new people need the review.:wave:
BTW the other numerous threads with hundreds of posts, on roundabouts, have not helped in the past.

:agree: As a person who cut their driving teeth on using traffic circles, I couldn't agree with you more!

[Ooper]

There will always be those that are either ignorant of the proper way to negotiate a traffic circle or feel they are above the law and do what they will. Best course of action is to just drive defensively and safely.

[Phanatic Luvr]

And ALWAYS remember, if you are approaching a circle, those already IN the circle have the right of way. Those approaching need to YIELD!!!!!!

[JoMar]

And then there is the issue of turn signals....or lack of.

[Topspinmo]

OK, but some roundabouts have single lane in the middle (marked with yellow diagonal marking). So with two lanes coming in and half way around the thru portion of the RB it narrows to one lane on opposite sides. This IMO confusing and why the narrowing 180 degree through the RB when within 4 lane RB? Which the example don't cover.

I try not to be beside someone in the RB, ahead or behind cars in the inside lane. I notice blinkers would help entering RB from cars exiting. But IMO lot going on in the RB so reaching for the turn signal may not be good option for some.

[tomwed]

If you almost got creamed by a white car in Florida plates it was probably a rental over Thanksgiving.

It's easy to get panicky in a circle if other passengers are giving the audibles during the play.

The circle laws here are the same in New Jersey. Are they different elsewhere?

[Kahuna32162]

As long as we're gonna talk about roundabouts, how stopping at stop signs!

[rosebudandbuddy]

BEST ADVICE I KNOW ALSO IS TO NOT GO IN WITH ANOTHER CAR. :mmmm:

[Topspinmo]

OK might as well throw 4 way stops in the mix also. Like yield to the right or I'm not in line till I stop ( and that stop should be behind the stop sign or white line and not out in the intersection) or turning left and not signaling.

[tomwed]

The problem is the younger generation and their Nintendo Games.

Where I come from we used to play "1,2,3 Redlight". This was a game where you would try to trick the others into moving by mistake. It was a start and stop running game with the participants trying to get to the other end by the call maker. Kinda like musical chairs.

I didn't know 55 years ago I was training for The Villages.

[Bogie Shooter]

I think this thread is on its way. Anybody want to bet on the number of posts?
:popcorn::popcorn:

[dbussone]

My favorite rotary is in Revere MA. It has 4-5 lanes and probably 6-7 times the diameter of the ones we have here.

[rubicon]

Just avoid round abouts:D

[dbussone]

Just avoid round abouts:D


I do here in TV. These look good but are poorly engineered IMO.

[TNLAKEPANDA]

You really need to pay attention when in a round-a-bout. Never know what the car next to you will do. A lot of people are clueless. I wish they were single lane and not double but they are what they are. Good luck.

[annaconner]

As has been said before - left lane for left turn, right lane right turn and both lanes straight on unless otherwise shown.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

My favorite rotary is in Revere MA. It has 4-5 lanes and probably 6-7 times the diameter of the ones we have here.

It's called Bell Circle. It now has a road going straight through from one direction and traffic lights. It didn't have that when I was a kid growing in Revere.

I always thought that was the most difficult one until I moved to Manila and had to navigate the Quezon City Circle. You simply cannot fathom it unless you have been there.

[CFrance]

And ALWAYS remember, if you are approaching a circle, those already IN the circle have the right of way. Those approaching need to YIELD!!!!!!
To both lanes of the roundabout!

[CFrance]

It's called Bell Circle. It now has a road going straight through from one direction and traffic lights. It didn't have that when I was a kid growing in Revere.

I always thought that was the most difficult one until I moved to Manila and had to navigate the Quezon City Circle. You simply cannot fathom it unless you have been there.
Or La Place de l'Etoile in Paris. Those entering the roundabout have the right of way, and everyone else has to stop or give way. There are multiple lanes, multiple roads leading into it, and it's hideous. I imagine the drivers are a little bit more accommodating, perhaps, than they are in the Manila circle.

[CFrance]

I do here in TV. These look good but are poorly engineered IMO.
One more for the anti-roundabout club. Welcome!

[dbussone]

It's called Bell Circle. It now has a road going straight through from one direction and traffic lights. It didn't have that when I was a kid growing in Revere.

I always thought that was the most difficult one until I moved to Manila and had to navigate the Quezon City Circle. You simply cannot fathom it unless you have been there.

Thanks Boogie. Never knew the name. And am sure glad I never had to use the one in Manila.

[Serenoa]

Big assumption that new people need the review.:wave:
BTW the other numerous threads with hundreds of posts, on roundabouts, have not helped in the past.

Sorry, but you're absolutely wrong in saying that no one has been helped by the numerous, repetitive roundabout threads.

I started reading TOTV several months before our first visit to TV in 2012, and I felt very comfortable navigating the roundabouts after reading the many threads & studying the info offered up by the good folks here. I knew what to do in the roundabouts, and also knew what to look out for from the drivers that may not.

In contrast, our Villages sales rep who said he'd lived in TV over ten years ( and also said he'd never read TOTV) was ALL OVER the roundabouts, totally ignoring the signage & markings on the road. I thought he was going to get us killed. It was all I could do to not say something, or report him to the sales dept.

That being said, we all know you're never going to see the day when every driver drives by the rules, in the roundabouts or anywhere else. Some folks just can't be bothered will silly rules of the road.

But if a roundabout thread pops up every so often & helps even one driver, then it's well worth it.

[rubicon]

My favorite is the guy in a black golf cart (not street legal) who parked in the left lane halfway around the round about got out apparently because something flew from his cart. Lucky for him --er lucky for me I was in the right lane. I can still see the guy who appeared to be unaware of the danger he placed himself in. Probably one of those bad drivers from Boston that the "Ten worse states for drivers" thread spoke of

[CFrance]

Sorry, but you're absolutely wrong in saying that no one has been helped by the numerous, repetitive roundabout threads.

I started reading TOTV several months before our first visit to TV in 2012, and I felt very comfortable navigating the roundabouts after reading the many threads & studying the info offered up by the good folks here. I knew what to do in the roundabouts, and also knew what to look out for from the drivers that may not.

In contrast, our Villages sales rep who said he'd lived in TV over ten years ( and also said he'd never read TOTV) was ALL OVER the roundabouts, totally ignoring the signage & markings on the road. I thought he was going to get us killed. It was all I could do to not say something, or report him to the sales dept.

That being said, we all know you're never going to see the day when every driver drives by the rules, in the roundabouts or anywhere else. Some folks just can't be bothered will silly rules of the road.

But if a roundabout thread pops up every so often & helps even one driver, then it's well worth it.
In one of the roundabout threads I read when we were new, someone suggested thinking of a roundabout as an intersection of two two-lane roads. It was my aha moment of understanding.

[pbkmaine]

The threads on the roundabouts helped me understand those signs with the arrows. It did not sink in until I read the explanations here. Have not had a problem with them since. Yes, some people are confused, but it's so much better here than New Jersey. It seemed like every time I drove the Garden State Parkway, someone with a death wish did something crazy.

[jojo]

One of the most serious misconceptions is that drivers think that if they are in the outer lane, they have have safe passage all the way around. I think it would help if this mistaken idea was emphasized more.

[MikeV]

I've posted it before. Just read the signs.

[CFrance]

I've posted it before. Just read the signs.
It's not just the signs. It's the yielding to both lanes, it's the use of turn signals, it's not entering the roundabout together with another car, it's the inconsistent markings on the street surface of some roundabouts...

[MikeV]

It's not just the signs. It's the yielding to both lanes, it's the use of turn signals, it's not entering the roundabout together with another car, it's the inconsistent markings on the street surface of some roundabouts...


I agree the markings are not consistent and even contribute to the confusion. With all the negative comments about roundabouts one would think something would be done about the lane markings especially the dotted lines on the outer lane which make it seem OK to go all the way around in that lane.

[pqrstar]

When entering a round-about, ALWAYS YIELD to BOTH lanes inside the circle.

Never change lanes inside a round-about.

Enter using the outside lane, if you plan to exit either 1/4 or 1/2 way round.
Exit from the outside lane.

Enter using the inside lane, if you plan to exit either 1/2 or 3/4 way round.
Exit from the inside lane.

Use your signals to exit.

[Bonanza]

My favorite rotary is in Revere MA. It has 4-5 lanes and probably 6-7 times the diameter of the ones we have here.

That is exactly why they work there and don't work here!
Size matters!!!

[njbchbum]

That is exactly why they work there and don't work here!
Size matters!!!

For the number of vehicles that travel thru Villages roundabouts vs accidents in roundabouts, I would venture to guess that the roundabouts work very well for all but a few folks!

I'd hate to see the whining and complaining that would result from having intersections with traffic lights with the resulting lines of traffic rather than the roundabouts [especially in 'season']! And where we do have traffic lights - there are STILL accidents!

[Bonanza]

As has been said before - left lane for left turn, right lane right turn and both lanes straight on unless otherwise shown.

One of the problems is:

As you go around the circles there is a dotted line
which means you can go from one lane to the other.
So the guy in the right lane, according to the road markings, can go left!

Sorry, but between the road markings,
the signs as you approach the circles and the drivers here,
we're all lucky to still be alive.

[Bonanza]

I do here in TV. These look good but are poorly engineered IMO.

Ditto times 10!

They are too small for the amount of vehicle flow they supposedly were designed to control.

[Bonanza]

For the number of vehicles that travel thru Villages roundabouts vs accidents in roundabouts, I would venture to guess that the roundabouts work very well for all but a few folks!

I'd hate to see the whining and complaining that would result from having intersections with traffic lights with the resulting lines of traffic rather than the roundabouts [especially in 'season']! And where we do have traffic lights - there are STILL accidents!

I don't see any mention whatsoever of anyone whining and complaining about traffic lights.
In addition, most accidents at traffic lights have nothing to do with the circles,
so why throw a monkey wrench into the thread?

[dbussone]

That is exactly why they work there and don't work here!
Size matters!!!

Correct. The biggest flaw of our rotaries is that the entrance and exit points are too close together. Vehicles do not have enough space to properly travel and allow sufficient spacing for others.

[CFrance]

When entering a round-about, ALWAYS YIELD to BOTH lanes inside the circle.

Never change lanes inside a round-about.

Enter using the outside lane, if you plan to exit either 1/4 or 1/2 way round.
Exit from the outside lane.

Enter using the inside lane, if you plan to exit either 1/2 or 3/4 way round.
Exit from the inside lane.

Use your signals to exit.
Your last sentence contradicts your first sentence. If you are in the inside lane in order to go 3/4 the way around, there's no way you can exit without crossing over the outside lane. Therefore, you have to change lanes while in the roundabout.

[CFrance]

Correct. The biggest flaw of our rotaries is that the entrance and exit points are too close together. Vehicles do not have enough space to properly travel and allow sufficient spacing for others.
This is an excellent point. Also, you can't properly see in your mirrors if someone is on your rear bumper because the roundabouts are so small they are always in your blind spot.

And trying to watch for cars not yielding when you are trying to exit legally from the inside lane makes you take your eyes off the road.

[NotFromAroundHere]

Your last sentence contradicts your first sentence. If you are in the inside lane in order to go 3/4 the way around, there's no way you can exit without crossing over the outside lane. Therefore, you have to change lanes while in the roundabout.

No contradiction. You cross over the outside lane, you don't change lanes.

[l2ridehd]

The round-abouts in The Villages are engineered correctly and the lanes are marked correctly. They improve traffic flow dramatically over traffic lights.

A round-about is nothing more than a traffic light replacement. Think of it as the light at Morse and 466 with no turn lanes, just the main lanes.

You would ALWAYS yield if someone was in the intersection. And you always yield when someone is already in the circle.

If you wanted to turn left, you would always be in the left lane.
If you wanted to right you would always be in the right lane.
If you wanted to go straight across, you could do so from either lane.

It's OK for two cars to enter the circle side by side as long as there is no one already in the circle. Even where they force you to move right if you are going 3/4 the way around. Because the car beside you on your right should NEVER be going 3/4 the way around.

And so far I have never seen a dotted white line painted wrong in any circle. If you think about the rules and understand them, the dotted lines are painted correctly.

I just wish I could ask some of the fools that go 3/4 they way around in the outside lane, if they would go to a traffic light in the right lane to make a left hand turn. Everyone would say "of course not, that would be stupid"

Look at the green signs just before entering a circle and follow that logic.

[CFrance]

Crossing over the outside lane is the same thing as changing lanes, in my opinion. You are still having to watch for someone in another lane because you are entering that lane to exit the roundabout. So "not changing lanes in the roundabout" is impossible if you're going 3/4 around.

[CFrance]

The round-abouts in The Villages are engineered correctly and the lanes are marked correctly. They improve traffic flow dramatically over traffic lights.

A round-about is nothing more than a traffic light replacement. Think of it as the light at Morse and 466 with no turn lanes, just the main lanes.

You would ALWAYS yield if someone was in the intersection. And you always yield when someone is already in the circle.

If you wanted to turn left, you would always be in the left lane.
If you wanted to right you would always be in the right lane.
If you wanted to go straight across, you could do so from either lane.

It's OK for two cars to enter the circle side by side as long as there is no one already in the circle. Even where they force you to move right if you are going 3/4 the way around. Because the car beside you on your right should NEVER be going 3/4 the way around.

And so far I have never seen a dotted white line painted wrong in any circle. If you think about the rules and understand them, the dotted lines are painted correctly.

I just wish I could ask some of the fools that go 3/4 they way around in the outside lane, if they would go to a traffic light in the right lane to make a left hand turn. Everyone would say "of course not, that would be stupid"

Look at the green signs just before entering a circle and follow that logic.
Only in a perfect circle! Because see your last paragraph. There are always fools.

[njbchbum]

I don't see any mention whatsoever of anyone whining and complaining about traffic lights.
In addition, most accidents at traffic lights have nothing to do with the circles,
so why throw a monkey wrench into the thread?

Perhaps if you re-read my post, you will understand. If not, please PM me for an additional explanation should you need it.

[graciegirl]

///

[graciegirl]

Up to the same discussions.

I have missed you. (all y'all)[/QUOTE]

[biker1]

The only issue I have with the roundabouts is when I am cycling. Several of the Villages have a large monument sign that partially blocks the view of cars about to enter the roundabout. On more than one occasion, I have been in the roundabout (right most lane) and someone comes zipping out of a Village and doesn't see me because of the monument sign blocked there view of me at just the right moment (and they were also driving to fast). The monument signs should be relocated so they don't block the view of cyclists/cars in the roundabout.

Since I almost got creamed last night by a car in the wrong lane in a roundabout at LSL I thought it might be a good time for new people to review driving rules in the roundabouts .

http://www.districtgov.org/community/Roundabout-02-08-12.pdf

[Bogie Shooter]

I've posted it before. Just read the signs.

This is the only advice that makes any sense!
I didn't realize these signs where so hard to understand.

[Bogie Shooter]

Your last sentence contradicts your first sentence. If you are in the inside lane in order to go 3/4 the way around, there's no way you can exit without crossing over the outside lane. Therefore, you have to change lanes while in the roundabout.

Say what?

[JoMar]

Wow....didn't realize the roundabouts were so complicated. I must be doing something wrong since I find them easy to navigate......there are only two lanes and even I can remember the rules for two lanes. On a serious note, there is a town in WI, Oshkosh, that gets up to 500,000 visitors in one week in the summer. They had traffic lights. As the town expanded they removed a bunch of the lights and installed roundabouts. Traffic moves where gridlock had existed. Not having traffic move reasonably quickly is not an option for me.

[jblum315]

My son was driving us through Edinburgh (Scotland) First day driving on the left and first roundabout: He noticed a woman with a baby carriage in the street on the far side of the roundabout and quickly yelled out the window "Watch out, I'm American!" He navigated the roundabout OK but the woman scurried away

[tomwed]

Whenever this topic turns up I have this song in my head that I would like to pass off to someone else. click here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tdu4uKSZ3M)

[they were fun times, weren't they?]