Originally Posted by LndLocked (Post 890947)

This is without question the single most INCORRECT thing that can be done in a traffic circle! You are in effect, making a left hand turn - from the far outside lane - across all the other lanes of traffic.

Originally Posted by slipcovers (Post 890971)

The roundabouts should be 1 lane. All turns are right hand turns on a roundabout. HELLO

Originally Posted by Villageshooter (Post 890681)

I just split the lanes I try to stay right in the middle of both lanes that way I can go either way it keeps everybody behind me behind me kind of like being the pace car I know your frustration I sometimes worry does the light in the refrigerator really go out when you close the door!?

Originally Posted by mikestag (Post 891009)

The people who moved from South New Jersey can tell you how to drive in a circle and how to exit !!!! When you are going to a gate-stay on the right lane, Oh Ya ! If you have TURN SIGNLES in your Car, Motorcycle or Golf cart PLEASE USE--USE THEM.

Originally Posted by xkeowner (Post 890865)

I have lived overseas in countries with roundabouts for ten years of my life and they are a significantly more effective method to keep traffic moving versus stop lights/signs.

Originally Posted by ajbrown (Post 890934)

Your description makes perfect sense. You are describing someone entering the roundabout at 12:00 in a dangerous fashion maybe? They must give you room to pass the enter point knowing you may turn right.

I have not experienced that often (if at all). I look at it this way, if I have room to safely exit the round about from the left lane, no one will get to my blind spot. They cannot be that close or I could not safely exit for fear of right hooking them.

I merge to the right lane as soon as I am out of the roundabout. Truth be told I make my intentions pretty clear on my way OUT of the roundabout which is bending the "best practice", but IMO safer :throwtomatoes:.

Originally Posted by rdhdleo (Post 890930)

Excellent! I totally agree! I always use turn signals also so others that may not be paying attention know what my intentions are! Alas turn signal use around here is almost none existent!, but that's another subject ;)

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist (Post 891028)

I have a question about turn signals. If you are entering the circle and wanting to turn left at the third exit, do you turn on your left turn signal when entering the circle?

Originally Posted by CFrance (Post 891033)

SEE?????????? How freaking confusing these roundabouts are! :duck:

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist (Post 891036)

LOL. You're the dearest, CF. You've got your dander up as we Southerners say.

Originally Posted by CFrance (Post 890735)

I'll tell ya who's at fault--the idiots who decided on roundabouts! I'm with Bonanza. I don't care what the studies show, this is not a safe area (elderly drivers, people not used to roundabouts who can't figure out the signs, crowded streets in the winter) to have roundabouts, much less two-lane roundabouts. A stop sign or traffic light every so often on BV and Morse would suffice.

Originally Posted by slipcovers (Post 890971)

The roundabouts should be 1 lane. All turns are right hand turns on a roundabout. HELLO

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist (Post 890675)

So you are in the proper lane, the inside lane. As you approach the 3rd exit, you see that the inside lane carries you to the visitor gate. But you are a resident. How can you change lanes against traffic that may be merging behind you?

Originally Posted by Skybo (Post 891062)

You don't have to change lanes, residents can use either gate, that's why there is a card reader on both sides of an unmanned gate. If you are exiting from the inside lane you should enter through the left gate, even if you are a resident. The visitor/resident signage is to encourage contractors and other visitors to enter through the left gate so that both lanes aren't backed up with "button pushers" .

I don't understand all of the over-thinking that goes on in roundabout threads. I find them very easy to safely maneuver. Even when you encounter someone who isn't doing it right, if you go slow, use your blinkers and drive defensively, there's little chance of an accident. And even if there is an accident, it's usually a low speed fender bender.

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist (Post 891077)

Sky, why did Socrates ask questions to which he knew the answer? If you read to the end of the OP, you'll find that I said exactly what you did: USE THE VISITOR GATE!

Originally Posted by LndLocked (Post 890746)

I shutter at the thought of the unmitigated horror that would be stop signs on BVB or Morse

Originally Posted by CFrance (Post 890868)

Yes. And the roundabout lovers, of course, win. They're not going away (that would be the roundabouts, not the lovers). But can we agree that us roundabout haters who lose get to b**** ad nauseum? Because we will, every time the subject comes up.

Right, Bonanza?

Originally Posted by Bonanza (Post 891161)

Originally Posted by Bonanza (Post 891171)

Originally Posted by Skybo (Post 891185)

Fewer accidents than what? How many accidents have you seen or heard about in roundabouts here? And of any roundabout accidents you know of (if any) how many have been serious? There have been many, many serious accidents caused by red light runners at lighted intersections on Buena Vista, Morse, 466 & 466A. And the traffic backups that would be caused by lights or stop signs all the way up Morse and Buena Vista would be crazy



What "never ending problems"? Large volumes of traffic have been successfully maneuvering through the roundabouts in The Villages for years, with very few incidents. I feel totally comfortable in roundabouts, as does everyone I know who have been here for awhile and are half-decent drivers. You're right about one thing, traffic lights are safe unless someone runs them...which happens much more frequently, and with much more serious results than the occasional fender bender in a roundabout.

The traffic engineers got it right.

And for all of the folks out there who are thinking about moving here, and might be worrying about roundabouts...don't worry. They work, and once you get the hang of them, they are easy and efficient.

Originally Posted by CFrance (Post 891187)

There are more accidents at the St. James gate roundabout than there are at BV and 466A or Morse and 466A. they happen a few times a week, as opposed to at those big intersections where they happen maybe once a month.

Originally Posted by buzzy (Post 890937)

I guess that some residents are too proud to be seen in a visitor lane.

Originally Posted by l2ridehd (Post 891232)

The deputy sheriff is wrong. There is a very legal way to do what you want. The rules of a round-about state that you must yield to anyone already in the circle. THIS MEANS BOTH LANES. If you follow the rule of law, you should never be side by side another vehicle in a round about unless you are both entering from the same entrance in which case you would be taking a different exit in the example used. So as you approach your exit if you look, the center white line becomes a dotted white line meaning it is legal to change lanes for your exit. The real problem is that people do not follow the law and do really stupid things in these circles. Like go around 270 degrees in the outside lane, or enter using the left lane and take the first exit, or a new one in this thread, straddle the lanes.

A round about is a traffic light replacement. Nothing more. Would you go a four lane traffic right and make a left turn from the right lane? Would you make a right turn from the left lane? I certainly hope not.

Originally Posted by SantaClaus (Post 891237)

We used to have a plain stop sign intersection at the end of our road, which teed into a more heavily travelled road. It would sometimes back up 20 cars deep because someone was trying to make a left and just couldn't get a break. They have since replaced it with a roundabout and traffic never backs up and I can't remember the last time I even had to come to a full stop before entering.my biggest problem is the folks who completely ignore the 15mph signs and barrel through at 35-40! But even with such dolts the roundabout is better since accidents are prone to be glancing blows instead of right angle impacts.

The best multi-lane roundabouts I've seen are at Hilton Head, they keep the right turn traffic completely isolated:
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...chmentid=36749

Originally Posted by dewilson58 (Post 891251)

But which one is the Visitor Lane and which is the Resident Lane???
:1rotfl::1rotfl:

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist (Post 891195)

The official brochure for navigating roundabouts specifically states "do not change lanes..as you exit"...therefore, if I change lanes to get in the RESIDENT lane, that is a violation of traffic law. (as in the OP, there is no legal way...)

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

What if we all just forget whether the gate says visitor or resident, and stay in the legally designated and safer lane: inside for a left turn, outside for a right turn?

Originally Posted by l2ridehd (Post 891232)

The deputy sheriff is wrong. There is a very legal way to do what you want. The rules of a round-about state that you must yield to anyone already in the circle. THIS MEANS BOTH LANES. If you follow the rule of law, you should never be side by side another vehicle in a round about unless you are both entering from the same entrance in which case you would be taking a different exit in the example used. So as you approach your exit if you look, the center white line becomes a dotted white line meaning it is legal to change lanes for your exit. The real problem is that people do not follow the law and do really stupid things in these circles. Like go around 270 degrees in the outside lane, or enter using the left lane and take the first exit, or a new one in this thread, straddle the lanes.

A round about is a traffic light replacement. Nothing more. Would you go a four lane traffic right and make a left turn from the right lane? Would you make a right turn from the left lane? I certainly hope not.

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist (Post 891271)

In my opinion, drivers acting on the belief, as stated in the last paragraph that one may change lanes while exiting, is precisely what causes chaos and accidents.

One may NOT change lanes across the dotted lines when exiting. The brochure states in the blue box.. Best Practices "Do not change lanes within the roundabout or AS YOU EXIT."

A review of the diagram in the brochure demonstrates that more than half of the area of the roundabout has dotted lines between lanes. The dotted lines for crossing a lane applies only to those entering the roundabout and not to those exiting.

While incoming traffic may be expected to yield when those in the roundabout are staying in their lane, if one changes lanes while exiting to get in the resident lane, an incoming driver often does not have time to brake.

I thank you, and sincerely so, for your post. That one considers a roundabout to be a traffic light replacement underscores the need for all of us to understand how they are different. That dotted lines mean something different in a roundabout....well, no wonder CF is beside herself.

Originally Posted by CFrance (Post 891256)

Who cares? The roundabout itself is only one lane!

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr (Post 891159)

I think that one of the problems that people have with the roudabouts is that they think of them in terms of an intersection. Try thinking about them as a continuation of the road that you're on with a bend in it. You simply have to be aware of the other cars around you and be aware whether they are aware of you or not.



And for the people who think that they should all be one lane, imagine all the problems with cars merging from two lanes into one. That would be far worse than what we have now. Roundabouts are a safe and efficient way of handling the many intersection we have on our main roads.

Originally Posted by Skybo (Post 891188)

I go through the St. James gate at least twice a day, sometimes several times a day. And in four years I have seen maybe two or three fender-benders in that roundabout. I don't wish to doubt you, but a 466 &BV or 466A & Morse"few" accidents every week? In that one roundabout? How did you hear about all of these accidents that are occurring throughout the week?