Originally Posted by The Villages Guy (Post 1325834)

OFFICIAL ROUNDABOUT RULES, WITH LINK:

Choose your lane:
Approaching a two lane roundabout, make a lane choice according to the following rules:
• If you intend to exit the roundabout more than halfway around, use the LEFT-HAND lane.
• If you intend to exit the roundabout less than halfway around, use the RIGHT-HAND lane.
• If you intend to continue straight through, use either lane unless signs or markings indicate otherwise.

Originally Posted by Topspinmo (Post 1325884)

I add my opinion, some can disagree ICCL. :beer3:

* use your blinker light, even it you exit the first exit, so the cars waiting to enter the roundabout know your intensions. Plus cart path golf carts/bikers/walkers know your intentions.
* yield to traffic in the roundabout. if Clear DON"T STOP THERE is NO STOP SIGN ENTERING ROUNDABOUT, its a yield sign. which means if coast clear you don't have to stop, Now 4 way stop requires you to stop behind/at the stop sign before your inline.
* Don't enter the right lane switch to left lane and exit in the right going straight through just because its short and you don't have to turn your steering wheel as far. there may be some in you blind spot
* Best not to have car beside you in the left lane while going through roundabout, not all cars exit at the first exit. car or truck ahead in roundabout has the right way, that's why you don't want to be beside them.
* use your blinker, USE YOUR BLINKER, can't say this enough.

Originally Posted by The Villages Guy (Post 1325834)

OFFICIAL ROUNDABOUT RULES, WITH LINK:

Choose your lane:

Approaching a two lane roundabout, make a lane choice according to the following rules:

• If you intend to exit the roundabout more than halfway around, use the LEFT-HAND lane.

• If you intend to exit the roundabout less than halfway around, use the RIGHT-HAND lane.

• If you intend to continue straight through, use either lane unless signs or markings indicate otherwise.

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

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore (Post 1325986)

While I applaud your intent, most of the ones who need to know this will either never see it...or ignore it. :(

Originally Posted by l2ridehd (Post 1325970)

Roundabouts are nothing but a traffic light replacement and work EXACTLY the same way.

Exactly. If you wanted to turn right at a traffic light, you would make that lane choice before getting there and come at it from the right hand lane. You would also yield to anyone already in the traffic flow.

If you wanted to turn left at a traffic light you would make that lane choice before getting there and come at it from the left hand lane.

If you were planning to go straight through you would use either lane.

Traffic light and roundabout work the same.

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson (Post 1325960)

...The damn circles should have never been built!

...The stop signs work perfectly...

Originally Posted by vorage (Post 1326010)

Why is this so hard to understand? At a traffic light, would you turn left from the right lane? No. Would you turn right from the left lane? Of course not. Would you pull out in front of cross traffic? Again, no. A roundabout changes nothing. Nothing. And yet, there are many who insist it is "safer" to navigate in the outside lane, no matter what. Sigh. Just do it right and remain very observant of cars around you. Always assume the car next to you is oblivious.

Originally Posted by suesiegel (Post 1326036)

...I will not allow anyone to drive through the traffic circle next to me...

Originally Posted by suesiegel (Post 1326036)

You can actually LEGALLY make a right hand turn from the left hand lane. However, LEGAL does not mean it is safe to do so.

Originally Posted by Putt4Dough (Post 1326200)

My rule for roundabouts

do not enter when other cars are present

then drive like hell to my exit

so far it's working good

Originally Posted by justjim (Post 1326084)

They are now installing roundabouts in other towns and cities across the country. Why? They are safer and move the traffic more efficiently.

Originally Posted by Polar Bear (Post 1326027)

...and far less efficiently than the roundabouts.

Originally Posted by justjim (Post 1326084)

They are now installing roundabouts in other towns and cities across the country. Why? They are safer and move the traffic more efficiently.

Originally Posted by Polar Bear (Post 1326222)

That's a fact.

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson (Post 1326300)

Define "less effective."

In this case, less effective also means fewer accidents.

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson (Post 1326301)

Originally Posted by Polar Bear (Post 1326401)

By the way, just for the record, during my career I spent roughly thirty years in the field of traffic and transportation. I am a Professional Engineer in the State of Florida and have a Masters Degree in Transportation Engineering from the University of Florida.

Originally Posted by golfing eagles (Post 1326221)

For what, 2 months???? Give it time, and somebody will do something so idiotic that there is no defense that can be planned in advance. My personal favorite---encountering a car driving clockwise in a RB.

Originally Posted by Barefoot (Post 1326085)

I know two people who've had accidents making a right hand turn from the left lane (when the turn is the third exit).
You are right Sue, legal doesn't mean it is safe to do so.
In both cases, the drivers in the right lane that broadsided them were not charged by the police.

Originally Posted by tedquick (Post 1326555)

Whenever I am in a round about I assume that anyone anywhere near me is a potential accident waiting to happen so I watch them all very carefully.

Originally Posted by Barefoot (Post 1326437)

Originally Posted by Polar Bear (Post 1326401)

Efficient (the word I used) means handles a greater volume of traffic and is also safer. The roundabouts in TV are an appropriate size for the traffic they are asked to handle and are still far more efficient than either stop signs or traffic signals would be at the locations they are implemented.

Replacing all the roundabouts in TV (it's not gonna happen by-the-way) would certainly result in far greater delays and almost as certainly fewer accidents. This claim is backed up by numerous traffic studies over the years as roundabouts have become more widespread.

Roundabouts are only good at intersections and in areas that meet certain criteria, and the locations in TV where roundabouts have been implemented meet those criteria.

From a more anecdotal perspective, I have been in TV for almost four years now, and I've never witnessed an accident in a roundabout. I've seen a few of the silly, potentially dangerous driver actions of course, but none that couldn't be avoided by adhering to the two most important roundabout driving principles... 1) when approaching a roundabout always yield to traffic in both lanes of the roundabout, and 2) never drive alongside another vehicle when within the roundabout. Obey those two "rules" and the only mistake that can hurt you in the roundabout is one of your own doing.

I will agree with you that many residents, and especially visitors, don't know how to drive the roundabouts. But if you drive according to the two rules listed above, even those drivers' mistakes will be easily avoidable.

By the way, just for the record, during my career I spent roughly thirty years in the field of traffic and transportation. I am a Professional Engineer in the State of Florida and have a Masters Degree in Transportation Engineering from the University of Florida.

Originally Posted by Polar Bear (Post 1326401)

By the way, just for the record, during my career I spent roughly thirty years in the field of traffic and transportation. I am a Professional Engineer in the State of Florida and have a Masters Degree in Transportation Engineering from the University of Florida.

Originally Posted by golfing eagles (Post 1326429)

Doesn't matter, people will argue with you anyway:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson (Post 1326626)

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson (Post 1326626)

Efficiency has nothing to do with safety. The two words are not synonymous...

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson (Post 1326626)

...When you are already driving within our circles, only two vehicles (maximum, per lane) can barely drive in between each of the four exit/entrances. That is not efficient. They are too small and with the increased population, they seem to be ever-shrinking...

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson (Post 1326626)

...And yes -- replacement would result in fewer accidents, as you said...

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson (Post 1326626)

Originally Posted by Polar Bear (Post 1326692)

I never said the two were synonymous. Those are your words. But no engineer or anybody else with any common sense would ever consider an intersection efficient if it resulted in lots of accidents.

The roundabouts in TV are plenty large enough to handle the traffic load they are designed to handle, which is the traffic along Buena Vista, Morse, and cross streets. How many vehicles fits in the roundabout at any given instant has little to do with the efficiency of the roundabout.

The efficiency of an intersection is measured more by how many vehicles can pass safely through the intersection in a given unit of time and...more importantly...how much delay there is for vehicles attempting to pass through the intersection. Overall vehicle delays on Buena Vista and Morse would increase dramatically if stop signs or traffic signals were implemented at current roundabout locations.

Big "WHOOPS!!" here. My original post did say (I've since edited it) replacing roundabouts would result in fewer accidents. That is NOT what I intended to say. Replacing the roundabouts with stop signs or signalized intersections would almost certainly INCREASE the number of accidents.

Sorry our one apparent point of agreement was really just a bit of careless writing on my part. :)

I particularly recommend the first link for a quick summary from the federal government, especially with respect to safety of roundabouts...

Intersection Safety - Safety | Federal Highway Administration
Intersection Safety - Safety | Federal Highway Administration
WSDOT - Roundabout Benefits
MythBusters Tackles Four-Way Stop V. Roundabout Traffic Throughput - nextSTL
The Case for More Traffic Roundabouts

Plenty more available, most easily found using typical searches.

Since you're going that route, actually it's "Professional Engineer", as I'm sure you're husband will confirm. And I didn't realized you were so interested in the gory details, so...my degree is Master of Engineering, Major in Civil Engineering, specializing in Transportation, University of Florida, 1976. Sorry I wasn't so verbose in my op.

I won't dignify that comment with a reply.

I know you were hanging on every word of this post, weren't you GE!!??!! :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson (Post 1327086)

Okay, Polar Bear. Truce! It's okay that we mostly, don't agree. :D

Just a couple of observations and points and then I'll quit. :thumbup:

Since Buena Vista and Morse are our main thoroughfares, in the spirit of reaching a destination within a reasonable amount of time with no aggravation, it would be so nice to be able to drive from one end of TV to the other without so many of the circles. Unfortunately, not possible.

I would guess that 98% of residents never dealt with circles in their previous home town. They had 2 to 4-way stop signs and traffic lights. They probably had a similar amount of accidents as here, give or take a few.

Morse, north of 466, has no circles. Egress from each Villages is via a stop sign. Morse is only one lane in each direction with no median. There are hardly any accidents. :shrug:

Okay. I'm done. Peace!
:Screen_of_Death:

Originally Posted by l2ridehd (Post 1325970)

Roundabouts are nothing but a traffic light replacement and work EXACTLY the same way.

If you wanted to turn right at a traffic light, you would make that lane choice before getting there and come at it from the right hand lane. You would also yield to anyone already in the traffic flow.

If you wanted to turn left at a traffic light you would make that lane choice before getting there and come at it from the left hand lane.

If you were planning to go straight through you would use either lane.

OK So:

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