Villager suggests class on correct roundabout usage

[The Gazette]

Letter to editor: The “Frogs” vs. The “Snowbirds”. The roundabouts are very contentious this time of year. There are those who have decided that because there are 2 lanes in the roundabouts it is OK to forego yielding and to proceed in the right lane if there is only a vehicle in the left lane.

More... (https://www.gazettenewsthevillages.com/villager-suggests-class-on-correct-roundabout-usage/)

[Two Bills]

Letter to editor: The “Frogs” vs. The “Snowbirds”. The roundabouts are very contentious this time of year. There are those who have decided that because there are 2 lanes in the roundabouts it is OK to forego yielding and to proceed in the right lane if there is only a vehicle in the left lane.

More... (https://www.gazettenewsthevillages.com/villager-suggests-class-on-correct-roundabout-usage/)

Which one of the 743 methods of navigating a roundabout recommended by TOTV posters, are they going to teach?:confused:

[JohnN]

Which one of the 743 methods of navigating a roundabout recommended by TOTV posters, are they going to teach?:confused:

Bingo

[Kelevision]

Which one of the 743 methods of navigating a roundabout recommended by TOTV posters, are they going to teach?:confused:

I wish they’d teach not to change lanes while going “round” the “abouts”

[GpaVader]

How about just teaching the difference between a Yield Sign and a Stop Sign...

[JRcorvette]

the Round A Bouts should have been One Single Lane ! Problem solved!!!

[golfing eagles]

the Round A Bouts should have been One Single Lane ! Problem solved!!!

Or.......people should learn how to drive. I'd plant a LEO at a RB and hand out $1,000 tickets to those that can't handle it. They'll learn in a hurry.

Along those lines, I'm glad I didn't have to stop to be a witness of a MVA that almost happened the other day. Morse and Pinellas RB, the eastbound Pinellas exit has 2 lanes. Two cars took both lanes, side by side, and the car on the right pulled the classic suicide move. He went 270 around in the outer lane while the inner lane car proceeded straight onto Moyer. Not only did they miss each other by 2-3 feet, but based on their reaction (meaning lack thereof), I don't think either of them saw the other.

Best vehicle to navigate RBs----M1A1 Abrams tank:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

[Bogie Shooter]

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:…….please no!

[Marathon Man]

the Round A Bouts should have been One Single Lane ! Problem solved!!!

How does "problem solved" apply when the suggested change will never happen? Try this - learn to drive in a two-lane roundabout, problem solved.

[billethkid]

:1rotfl::1rotfl:
:icon_bored:
____________________________________________

:censored:

[asianthree]

Where does the driver in July come into the mix, coming to a full stop at each section? Or drive their golf cart on BV, because they only know their destination on the road, not cart path.

Now that’s the article that should be written, not Frogs vs Snowbirds. Those
who live here full time, and still have no idea what a roundabout is. Or, can’t remember what a roundabout is.

[golfing eagles]

Where does the driver in July come into the mix, coming to a full stop at each section? Or drive their golf cart on BV, because they only know their destination on the road, not cart path.

Now that’s the article that should be written, not Frogs vs Snowbirds. Those
who live here full time, and still have no idea what a roundabout is. Or, can’t remember what a roundabout is.

And then don't forget the woman who posted she goes LEFT (clockwise) in a RB if she is going to the "third" exit (270 for the rest of us), since it is shorter and believes that less time in a RB means less chance of an accident:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

[fdpaq0580]

Or.......people should learn how to drive. I'd plant a LEO at a RB and hand out $1,000 tickets to those that can't handle it. They'll learn in a hurry.

Along those lines, I'm glad I didn't have to stop to be a witness of a MVA that almost happened the other day. Morse and Pinellas RB, the eastbound Pinellas exit has 2 lanes. Two cars took both lanes, side by side, and the car on the right pulled the classic suicide move. He went 270 around in the outer lane while the inner lane car proceeded straight onto Moyer. Not only did they miss each other by 2-3 feet, but based on their reaction (meaning lack thereof), I don't think either of them saw the other.

Best vehicle to navigate RBs----M1A1 Abrams tank:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

LEO. Yes. Lots and lots of tickets.

Best vehicle when faced with RBs is a helicopter. RBs are for demolition derby.

[fdpaq0580]

And then don't forget the woman who posted she goes LEFT (clockwise) in a RB if she is going to the "third" exit (270 for the rest of us), since it is shorter and believes that less time in a RB means less chance of an accident:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

I seem to recall that. I thought she was joking. Now, I'm not so sure.

[Raywatkins]

Coming from the UK, we have very few problems at roundabouts, because we are taught the procedure before our test. In the US there were very few roundabouts that we encountered in many years of road tripping. One observation I would make is that the marking on the roundabouts in The Villages do not have a consistent pattern. Therefore a lack of experience of using roundabouts and inconsistent marking will lead many to be confused. We also observe that the problems are all year round, so it’s not just a snowbird problem. Two comments earlier in this string, are interesting. The first, is that “…of the 743 ways…” indicates a lack of consistent understanding of how to use the roundabouts correctly. I’m not sure there are that many ways but figuratively it makes the point. The second is, that perhaps the simplest way to solve this problem (if it is one) is to make them all single lane. But then how many accidents will there be with two lanes going into one!! The “best” incorrect use I have observed this year was a woman going the wrong way round one. (Not in snowbird season). Had Texas tag, so not a Brit. We at least have the excuse that we go the other way round. (No we haven’t done that but have had other interesting incidents in the early days of driving on the other side of the road).

[golfing eagles]

Coming from the UK, we have very few problems at roundabouts, because we are taught the procedure before our test. In the US there were very few roundabouts that we encountered in many years of road tripping. One observation I would make is that the marking on the roundabouts in The Villages do not have a consistent pattern. Therefore a lack of experience of using roundabouts and inconsistent marking will lead many to be confused. We also observe that the problems are all year round, so it’s not just a snowbird problem. Two comments earlier in this string, are interesting. The first, is that “…of the 743 ways…” indicates a lack of consistent understanding of how to use the roundabouts correctly. I’m not sure there are that many ways but figuratively it makes the point. The second is, that perhaps the simplest way to solve this problem (if it is one) is to make them all single lane. But then how many accidents will there be with two lanes going into one!! The “best” incorrect use I have observed this year was a woman going the wrong way round one. (Not in snowbird season). Had Texas tag, so not a Brit. We at least have the excuse that we go the other way round. (No we haven’t done that but have had other interesting incidents in the early days of driving on the other side of the road).

Are we to understand that no one from Great Britain (or India, Australia, South Africa, Bermuda or 50+ other countries that drive on the left), could be driving a car with Texas tags???? Doesn't live 5 months in Texas with a car registered there? Not possibly a rental????

After all, someone who went right in a RB in London with British plates couldn't possibly be an American, right?

PS: I wonder how many visiting or snowbird "Brits" transport their vehicle with British plates to the US? Personally, never seen one on US roads.

[Love2Swim]

In previous years there have been postings about driving in roundabouts. And you basically had people say they didn't care about the rules, they were going to drive the way they wanted to.. Yes, there are some people who just don't understand the rules of the road, and need to be educated. But there are others that are stubborn and self-entitled, who don't care and want to do their own thing, and those people are the big problem in roundabouts. If you get one person not following the rules of the road, it screws it up for everyone else. But it would certainly help if all new buyers in The Villages were educated in some way, about how to navigate the traffic circles.It would at least cut down on the problems.

[thevillagernie]

the Round A Bouts should have been One Single Lane ! Problem solved!!!
yes if it's one lane there are no problems..

[ithos]

By far the biggest problem is drivers destined for the third exit who do not move to the inside lane before the second exit.

[golfing eagles]

By far the biggest problem is drivers destined for the third exit who do not move to the inside lane before the second exit.

They should not "move" to the inside lane while in the RB, they should choose the inside lane when they enter the RB. This means they should move to the left lane before reaching the RB in anticipation of going to the third exit. (But not too soon if they are a slug driving at 25 mph)

[Davonu]

the Round A Bouts should have been One Single Lane ! Problem solved!!!
yes if it's one lane there are no problems..
That would only be true if the approaching roads were a single lane also.

[RICH1]

Install a traffic light and the ignorant will become vacuous!

[Wombatdi]

The big green signs ahead of every roundabout tell you how to use them. Enter the roundabout from the right lane if you are turning right at the first exit or going straight ahead, enter from the left lane if going straight ahead or turning into the third exit. Cars already in the roundabout always have right of way. FOLLOW THE GREEN SIGNS! There are also Drivers Ed classes offered by AARP and AAA which include roundabout and golf cart rules.

[waterflower]

Remove the round-about. Traffic lights are safer.

[Whitley]

How about just teaching the difference between a Yield Sign and a Stop Sign...

To some the roundabout can be a frightening thing. I woke up alive again, have a roof and food, I try not to get worked up over it. Life can be hard, we should try and make it easier for each other. "Try".

[golfing eagles]

Remove the round-about. Traffic lights are safer.

First of all, it's not the RB that's unsafe, it's the idiot drivers.

Secondly, I wonder if anyone would advocate traffic lights once they sit through 5 cycles of the light at a busy intersection.

[Whitley]

In Miami I have seen cars (numerous times) just drive straight across them.

[MidWestIA]

will always have tourists that don't take the course take the course for locals on how not to get hit

[rsmurano]

Not consistent? EVERY roundabout has the exact same signs before each 1, no inconsistencies here. They are so easy to follow but these drivers can’t comprehend directions. Every villager driver needs to do a test on navigating roundabouts before renewing their drivers license. This will take care of 2 things: smarter people will be on the roads and 2: the roads won’t have any traffic because 1/2 the people won’t have a license.
The snowbirds are not the problem, it’s everyone including all the subs working in here. You can tell the snowbirds are back because there is more traffic and the average speed on the roads is 10 mph slower, and there are more people that can’t navigate the roundabouts

[jimjamuser]

By far the biggest problem is drivers destined for the third exit who do not move to the inside lane before the second exit.
So, basically, you have a merge inside the circle. How is that better than a merge BEFORE the whole circle and a single lane inside the circle? I think that roundabouts were designed for low-traffic areas to save on putting up a red light. The whole Villages is NOT a low-traffic area today, maybe in 1970.

[Two Bills]

By far the biggest problem is drivers destined for the third exit who do not move to the inside lane before the second exit.

.............and there is a classic example of the problem!

[Altavia]

It helped one of my visitors explaining to treat the roundabout like a two lane street.

Yield to traffic in the roundabout.

No left turn from the right lane.

No right turn from the left lane.

Expect the unexpected...

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

the Round A Bouts should have been One Single Lane ! Problem solved!!!

And how do the two cars entering from two lanes proceed?

[shut the front door]

Good grief. With all the hand wringing and pear clutching, one would think that there's an accident every day in the roundabouts. Fact is, there are more accidents at traffic lights in TV, 2 deadly ones within the last few months.

[Keefelane66]

With a little help GOOGLE
While roundabouts may have more fans in Europe, they're actually rooted in the United States. The basic shape goes all the way back to the 1790s, when architect and engineer Pierre L'Enfant proposed a number of circular intersections in Washington, D.C.'s street layout, including the famous Dupont Circle [source: Waddell]. American businessman William Eno revived the form in 1905 for New York City's Columbus Circle, widely considered the country's first circular intersection designed for the automobile era [source: FHWA, "Roundabouts: An Informational Guide"].

[wisbad1]

Or.......people should learn how to drive. I'd plant a LEO at a RB and hand out $1,000 tickets to those that can't handle it. They'll learn in a hurry.

Along those lines, I'm glad I didn't have to stop to be a witness of a MVA that almost happened the other day. Morse and Pinellas RB, the eastbound Pinellas exit has 2 lanes. Two cars took both lanes, side by side, and the car on the right pulled the classic suicide move. He went 270 around in the outer lane while the inner lane car proceeded straight onto Moyer. Not only did they miss each other by 2-3 feet, but based on their reaction (meaning lack thereof), I don't think either of them saw the other.

Best vehicle to navigate RBs----M1A1 Abrams tank:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:
They don’t know either, have lawn service guy a ticket when lady turned right into his truck. She was making a turn into a gate from left lane. She must have been somebody, cop said she had right to turn right from left lane. Thinking Leo needs a class

[Altavia]

With a little help GOOGLE
While roundabouts may have more fans in Europe, they're actually rooted in the United States. The basic shape goes all the way back to the 1790s, when architect and engineer Pierre L'Enfant proposed a number of circular intersections in Washington, D.C.'s street layout, including the famous Dupont Circle [source: Waddell]. American businessman William Eno revived the form in 1905 for New York City's Columbus Circle, widely considered the country's first circular intersection designed for the automobile era [source: FHWA, "Roundabouts: An Informational Guide"].

Part of they problem here is they are designed to minimize pavement resulting in punish lment of anyone not staying in lane.

There is no shoulder space on either side and the curbs are vertical. Other places have shoulder pavement.



Off topic: How many people have been killed in golf carts that flip when hitting the vertical curbs?

[golfing eagles]

Part of they problem here is they are designed to minimize pavement resulting in punish lment of anyone not staying in lane.

There is no shoulder space on either side and the curbs are vertical. Other places have shoulder pavement.



Off topic: How many people have been killed in golf carts that flip when hitting the vertical curbs?

On topic: You're supposed to stay in your lane.

[jmpate]

Letter to editor: The “Frogs” vs. The “Snowbirds”. The roundabouts are very contentious this time of year. There are those who have decided that because there are 2 lanes in the roundabouts it is OK to forego yielding and to proceed in the right lane if there is only a vehicle in the left lane.

More... (https://www.gazettenewsthevillages.com/villager-suggests-class-on-correct-roundabout-usage/)

There's actually a "handout" on how to drive on the roundabouts given out during Village Orientation. Perhaps a class, webinar, flyer with rentals etc. could be initiated to help the periodic visitors, snowbirds or all birds to drive appropriately. Probably the greatest source of accidents on roundabouts, I guess. I know that the winter season brings a great deal of irritation for many, me included, when the rules of the road (here in Florida) are abused or not followed.

[Bogie Shooter]

There's actually a "handout" on how to drive on the roundabouts given out during Village Orientation. Perhaps a class, webinar, flyer with rentals etc. could be initiated to help the periodic visitors, snowbirds or all birds to drive appropriately. Probably the greatest source of accidents on roundabouts, I guess. I know that the winter season brings a great deal of irritation for many, me included, when the rules of the road (here in Florida) are abused or not followed.

Rules not followed by some………….year round.

BTW if you enjoy reading about round-a-bouts, do a search there are hundreds of posts by Village experts. Repeated over and over!

[Marathon Man]

They don’t know either, have lawn service guy a ticket when lady turned right into his truck. She was making a turn into a gate from left lane. She must have been somebody, cop said she had right to turn right from left lane. Thinking Leo needs a class

You might want to look into that. Exiting car has the right of way.

[BostonRich]

Not consistent? EVERY roundabout has the exact same signs before each 1, no inconsistencies here. They are so easy to follow but these drivers can’t comprehend directions.


Not true. The older signs in the more northern parts of the Villages have signs that don't show proper lane use but instead just show the street names.

[JMintzer]

So, basically, you have a merge inside the circle. How is that better than a merge BEFORE the whole circle and a single lane inside the circle? I think that roundabouts were designed for low-traffic areas to save on putting up a red light. The whole Villages is NOT a low-traffic area today, maybe in 1970.

Nope... They were designed to maximize traffic flow...

John Stossel did an interesting piece on them a few years back...

https://youtu.be/QQ0pnCx76Nk

[Nana2Teddy]

To some the roundabout can be a frightening thing. I woke up alive again, have a roof and food, I try not to get worked up over it. Life can be hard, we should try and make it easier for each other. "Try".
Amen to this! Thank you! 🤗

[rogerk]

Think of the problem when the two lane road becomes one lane as it enters the roundabout.

Treat the roundabouts like any two lane intersection. Do you ever turn right from the left lane?

[Marathon Man]

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

After reading some of these comments, I decided that maybe a class is needed.

Please take note of two things in the instructions:
1. The inside lane exits into the left exit lane (even if that is a gate marked "visitor").
2. Do not change lanes after entering the roundabout (they have it in red letters because it is important).

[Maker]

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

On the PDF, notice the travel path from entering to taking the first exit (90 degrees travel). It's a continuous smooth sweep to the right. That's the correct proper layout.
Roundabouts here are not built like that. It's a right turn, the sweep to the left, then another right turn. Bad design for cars. Worse possible design for golf cart only roundabouts.

[golfing eagles]

On the PDF, notice the travel path from entering to taking the first exit (90 degrees travel). It's a continuous smooth sweep to the right. That's the correct proper layout.
Roundabouts here are not built like that. It's a right turn, the sweep to the left, then another right turn. Bad design for cars. Worse possible design for golf cart only roundabouts.

One word-----HUH???????

Alternatively-----SAY WHAT??????