Roundabout at Pinellas and Morse
 

Up until recently, Morse has been blocked off at the Pinellas Gate and cars got used to using both lanes to exit onto Pinellas because no one could go straight. I have studied the roundabout flyer and unless I am reading it wrong, only the right lane can turn right. Now that Morse is open past Pinellas, cars are turning right from both lanes. When I pointed this problem out to the two people manning the booth at the Pinellas
exit tonight, they both assured me that there are indeed two lanes (visitor and resident) and so both lanes from Morse can turn right into the Pinellas Gate. Am I reading the roundabout flyer incorrectly? My understanding is that if you are turning right or going straight, you must be in the right lane. If you are going straight, third turn or basically making a U turn, you must be in the left lane. When I told them that even the signs before the roundabout turns direct traffic this way, they told me I was incorrect. Their reasoning is that because there are two lanes entering the gate, therefore both lanes may turn right. Am I wrong? If I am correct, it's troublesome that even the folks in the manned booth have it wrong. Someone is going to get hurt in this roundabout!

Sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

You are correct. The gate attendants are wrong. A car in the right lane has the option to continue south on Morse. If a car tries to enter Pinellas at the same time, CRASH. A car in the left lane must continue south on Morse or continue around to the driving range or fire station or back north.

I would suggest contacting the District with the info on when and where so that they can educate those gate attendants.

Will someone post the simple illustration?

Sorry but you are wrong. Both lanes can turn. The painted road markings show that. I'm not saying I agree or like it but it is what it is.

This disagrees.


http://thevillagesideas.com/wp-conte...roundabout.png

Then they'd need to repaint the road markings. I got cutoff the other day when I was in the right lane and someone in the left lane exited the roundabout from the inside lane

John

John - same thing happened to us and had there been an accident we would have been wrong. We just thought we were correct!

Look at the painted "stripes/lane" markings on the road. If there is a SOLID white line, you are NOT supposed to change lanes at that point. If the lane markings are "dashed" you CAN change lanes. In some states it is a moving violation if you cross a solid white line. On 2 lane roads and some 3 lane roads the center line is yellow. When the line on your side is solid yellow you cannot pass, if the line on your side is dashed you can pass with caution yielding to oncoming traffic.
This also means if you are not changing lanes you need to be aware of the lane markings because the OTHER driver can change lanes. And some will change no matter what the markings are, we all know about defensive driving.

It depends on exactly what everyone is talking about. I think that we have to start using different terminology when talking about round abouts. "Making a right hand turn" is a confusing phrase. We are making a right hand turn every time we exit a round about.

We should be talking about entering and exiting the round about.

In a four way round about it is possible for two lanes to exit at any point.

Think of the round about as a clock and you are entering at 6:00. You should stay in the right hand lane if you want to exit at 3:00. If a car has entered at 12:00 or 9:00 they could be exiting that same exit from the left hand lane.

There are several possible scenarios where a car can be LEGALLY crossing in front of another car in a round about. It is the responsibility of every driver to be aware of this and anticipate what other cars in the round about may possibly do. Personally, I try to make sure that I am never directly beside a car in a round about and always expect other cars to change lanes in front of me especially if I am in the left hand lane while exiting the round about but also if I am in the right hand lane and going around to the next exit. I try to assume that a car in the right hand lane will be going around. It is important that we use our directionals when exiting or changing lanes.

Most of the time cars are entering round abouts at different times so as not to be side by side in the round about.

Gracie, take a look at your picture. If a car enters the round about from Buena Vista in the left lane and a car enters from O'Dell Circle in the right hand lane, they can both either exit at Buena Vista at the top of the diagram. In that case the car entering from O'Dell would be what jkomoros calls making a right hand turn, but the car that entered at Buena Vista could also be making that turn.

Use this sign....
 

This is the first sign you should see, when starting into the roundabouts. It will alleviate all other problems....




http://caseybombacie.com/wp-content/...2/04/yield.jpg

The guidance brochure that is available on the VCDD website:
http://www.districtgov.org/community...t-02-08-12.pdf

The brochure could more clearly emphasize that:

once entering a roundabout in the right lane, a right-lane car MUST EXIT the roundabout within TWO OR LESS exits.

once entering a roundabout in the left lane, and because a left-lane vehicle may pass by two or more exits before exiting a roundabout, vehicles should avoid traveling side by side through a roundabout

because a left-lane vehicle may exit a roundabout from the left, all drivers should use turn signal even in the roundabout AND right-lane vehicles should always be prepared to yield to a left-lane vehicle.

Just came off the round-a-bout on Morse and O'Dell and the arrows definitely allow for the car in the left to go straight thru or exit right. I think we get into trouble when those in the right lane attempt to proceed thru when there is a car coming in the left lane that intends to exit right. If people would just wait for the car in the left lane to pass before they enter the round-a-bout it wouldn't be so treacherous.

NO you are not wrong.....there will be a terrible crash at that roundabout soon if someone wants to go straight (while in the right lane) and someone else decides to turn right from the inside lane!