Roundabouts
 

Even though we all received brochures on how to navigate the roundabouts, there is still much confusion. I spoke with a very nice gentleman at our postal box today who, I observed, proceeded to go 3/4 of the way around a roundabout, however was in the right, outside lane when he entered the gate. According to all the literature, brochures, You Tube videos, he should have been in the left, inside lane.

The posted diagrams and yield signs do not seem to be sufficient for many drivers. Now that the snowbirds are back, the problem seems to be getting worse.

I believe that one solution would be to have worded signs along with the diagrams. One sign should say, "Vehicles in the roundabouts have the Right Of Way". Another sign should say, "Vehicles making a left hand turn (going 3/4 around) MUST be in the left hand lane and vehicles making a right hand turn MUST be in the right hand lane".

I have no idea what it would cost to do this or even who is responsible for doing it. However, I certainly feel that the cost would be worth it if there were fewer accidents.

By the time most of the drivers would have read the signs, they would already be past their turn-off point, and knowing how these snowbirds and renters drive, they would most likely try backing up to their proper exit! :beer3:

What about having only 1 lane? It's called a Modern Roundabout

What is a Modern Roundabout?

http://www.ci.lacey.wa.us/Portals/0/...roundabout.gif

Simply stated, a modern roundabout is a transportation management tool that moves traffic through an intersection without the aid of traffic signals. More specifically, a modern roundabout is an intersection with one-way circulation around a central island where entering traffic must yield the right-of-way to the traffic circulating within the roundabout.

A modern roundabout should not be confused with traffic rotaries or circles, which are much larger, with higher speeds and multiple lanes for entering and exiting. As traffic volumes increase, collisions and traffic jams can occur because vehicles are not required to yield to traffic before entering.

Traffic engineers recognized the deficiencies associated with traffic rotaries and circles, and incorporated slower speeds and "yield on entry" into modern roundabouts. for more click here

I agree with tomwed one lane in the roundabouts. That would solve all of the problems

Yes, let's go for the modern roundabout! Pls no snowbird bashing, we're keeping this economy going! And the locals, the way they drive?? I always drive in the outer lane of the roundabout, since I'm afraid of those who quickly dart right and exit!!

I don't think posting two signs at each roundabout would help to avoid accidents.
People would be taking their attention off the road to read the signs at a time when they should be paying full attention to their driving.
We've never had a roundabout thread where everyone agreed on proper procedures.
If we all drive defensively, driving as if anyone, at any time, could do something unexpected and dangerous, we will all probably be OK.

There are signs at the entrances to all roundabouts...............Read them!
:popcorn::popcorn:

Maybe a better idea is for someone to contact the Daily Sun and request they run a HUGE good driving campaign on the front page. This would also need to be re-run around March 1st or 2nd when the new wave of seasonals come in. And, continue to run it on occasion, throughout the year for newbies and some of the residents who still don't get the round-abouts. Just my thoughts ...

I agree with the concept of the modern roundabout as that is what we have around our square in Urbana, Ohio. The two main roads through Urbana meet at this intersection.

If I am proceeding south along Buena Vista and then enter the left most turn lane for Hillsborough, I always have to look behind and to the right for a car that is also turning left onto Hillsborough. There are two lanes yet I now need to get into the right lane to access the residents gate and not the visitors gate which is on the left. Look at the Google Earth view of this situation which is probably duplicated many times over in the Villages. I am just more familiar with this turn as it's the turn for home for me.

"Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind

Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?"

5 Man Electrical Band - 1971

More signs aren't needed; heck, people don't even see the stop signs in TV.:cus:

Simple roundabouts would be a lot easier to navigate, but, those in TV will never be changed.

On Morse and Buena Vista, this would just move the accidents upstream, where the two-lane road necks down to one lane for the roundabout.

It's been discussed at length on TOTV about the fact that the county highway engineers required the 2-lane roundabouts, because of the high volume of traffic that needs to keep moving.

As for trying to turn left and then scramble to get into the Resident's lane for the gate coming up, that, too has been discussed at length:

Forget about the Resident's lane at that type of entrance, and use the Visitor lane so you can safely stay in the same lane in which you came 3/4 of the way around the circle. Both Visitor and Resident lanes have the gate card readers and the red button to raise the gate.

Roundabouts
 

What sunny said.

Perfect.

Roundabouts
 

Not at all, most especially the ones created by halving the capacity (or worse) trying to funnel all traffic into a single lane.

By the way, TV roundabouts...even with two lanes...meet the definition of a Modern Roundabout. From the Transportation Research Board:

DEFINITION OF THE MODERN ROUNDABOUT:
The term modern roundabout is used in the United States to differentiate it from the nonconforming traffic circles or rotaries that have been in use for many years, primarily in the Northeast. Modern roundabouts are defined by two basic operational and design principles:
1. Yield-at-Entry: Also known as off-side priority or yield to-left rule, yield-at-entry requires that vehicles in the circulatory roadway have the right-of-way and all entering vehicles on the approaches have to wait for a gap in the circulating flow. To maintain fluidity and high capacity, the entry control is a YIELD sign. As opposed to nonconforming traffic circles, modern roundabouts are not designed for weaving movements, thus allowing smaller diameters. Even for multi-lane roundabouts weaving movements are not considered a design or capacity criterion.
2. Deflection for Entering Traffic: No tangential entries are permitted, and no traffic stream gets a straight movement through the intersection. Entering traffic points toward the central island, which deflects vehicles to the right, thus causing low entry speeds.

http://www.ci.lacey.wa.us/Portals/0/...roundabout.gif

Multi-lane Roundabout
I found it on the same site. click here

Is this what we have?
Modern is not my definition. And maybe this also would be considered modern.

I really haven't studied it the way someone who does this for a living would. It just seems to me that one lane may slow traffic down and be less confusing. This would make it safer.

Another thought

I guess I only took into consideration car drivers. Emergency vehicles and business people have different needs and faster instead of slower my save someone's life or at least keep the trucks moving.

So I guess I just went around the Modern Circle of thought. whew

There are arrows on the pavement that seem pretty clear to me......and pretty universal.....I still don't understand why people make them so difficult.....treat it like a 4 way intersection....aside from the occasional collision most navigate the intersections at BV and Morse and 466A pretty well....wait, they have arrows telling you which way to go......so do the RABS

Thanks and I will try that upon my return next weekend although I hate to have the nice gate guard get up from their seat every time I go through using the visitor gate.

Many (most?) visitor gates have card readers to activate the gate. If not though, it is still safer to stay in the left lane like your instincts tell you. I don't think your gate guard will mind at all. :)

There is no way to exit the roundabout from the inside lane without crossing over the outside lane. Going in the visitor's gate still necessitates you to cross over the outside lane.

Ditto

Of course that's true. But that does not constitute a lane change. Going from the inside lane in the roundabout to the left (visitor) lane is a simple continuation of your lane to exit the circle as intended. If you head to the right (resident) lane, your are making a lane change and could conflict with a simple right turn from the outside lane. Any possible conflict with through traffic on the outside lane must be avoided in the same manner that is always required...caution and awareness.

Look over there!!

It's a snow bird, riding a bike while saving a seat and their dog poops!!

[QUOTE=Bogie Shooter;1004361]There are signs at the entrances to all roundabouts...............Read them!
QUOTE]

Reading the signs doesn't do any good. If anything, they make navigating the circles more confusing.

The painted lines belie what the signs say. According to the lines, you can change lanes within the circles.
The signs indicate you stay in either the inside or outside lane without a lane change.
In addition, not all painted lines are the same within all the circles.

It's no wonder no one drives them the same way!

Excellent advice.

But, that exercise helps keep him healthy!:laugh:

Bashing snow birds is no longer an intelligent activity................

How many deaths have there been in The Villages roundabouts?

At 20 mph? Even if someone goes around counter clock-wise, has a head on, my guess is none
How many fender benders? Do they keep those records?

I don't have any trouble navigating the circles. Circles are quite common where I am from but I don't want even a fender bender if they are confusing for others.

Since they seem to be a sore spot with this tiny per centage of the population my hunch is that it might be a problem with many others.

I like how something as trite as a circle, raking a trap, or why a scotch on the rocks cost more then a scotch straight up can be discussed at great length. To me, it's a sign that for most of us; Life is Good.

I have supported this concept since the first roundabout was constructed.
The most extreme cases are where the two lane roundabouts have exiting into a single lane. So what we have here is perhaps two cars side by side in a two lane roundabout with both trying to exit into a single lane street. If this isn't dangerous, nothing is. This can be viewed at the Morse/Rte 441 circle. The safest solution is for all vehicles to navigate the roundabouts is by staying in the roundabout outer lane.

The information that has been published on how to navigate a roundabout here in the Villages would be two feet tall. The Sheriff has published numerous diagrams.

Part of the problem and a big gripe for me is the failure of nearly 100% of drivers navigating a roundabout to ever use their turn signals to indicate their intention. Every Villager should take a few minutes to observe traffic in a roundabout, you will be shocked at how few drivers ever use a turn signal when making a right turn exiting from the roundabout. I have never viewed Law Enforcement stopping anyone for not using the required turn indicator.

How about we work on just one rule at a time?

My vote would be for ....if you are in the outside lane (the one next to the curb...) then you MUST leave the circle at the very next exit.....no continuing to the next exit in the outside lane.

Signs? Too many do not read or obey the ones that are crystal clear like stop and speed limits!!!

I would also vote for speed humps (yes not bumps) to slow the Indy 500 crowd.

Then there is also the opposite problem. I was waiting to enter a roundabout, looked to my left and saw only one car and it was in the outer lane. The driver of that car had the right turn signal on. I thought it was great that finally someone was using their turn signal. I anticipated that that car would be exiting to my left on the roundabout, thus allowing me to enter the roundabout without having to wait for that vehicle to pass by me. Fortunately, I was cautious and waited anyway because the driver did not exit the roundabout but continued on and exited at the following exit. :cus:

So, caution should be used even if a driver has the turn signal on because that is no guarantee that they will actually turn. Expect the unexpected.

LEO's would not have time to do anything else, LIKE DOING REAL POLICE WORK CATCHING BURGLARS AND DUI's, if they concentrated their valuable time writing turn signal infractions. Law enforcement gets bashed enough now on TOTV, just think of the hell raising that would occur if they started writing tickets to the "entitled" for not using a turn signal. It would not be pretty.

Back to the original OP, roundabouts are a way of life in TV. It keeps traffic moving better vs a normal intersection (which has stop signs that no one stops at anyway). Just drive defensively.

I know how my GPS has helped me.

In a new area that has many clovers and highways converging I no longer try to read the signs. I just make a left or merge right when the lady on the phone tells me.

I wonder if this has made more attentive of the other drivers around me since I no longer need to read signs or guess which side of the highway I should be in for the next exit.

Or has this dumbed me down and dulled my instincts.

I love the technology. I don't like the newest inventions. I don't think I could sit in the back seat of a car with no driver.

not me--if I'm in the back of any ambulance, please make it a smooth ride

ooooh----i reread. i never heard of a speed hump. how are they different?

Just watch the LEO's around the Villages and see how often they use their turn signals.... You might be surprised.