[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by CFrance

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?

CFrance -- Correct with every word!

It seems that all the yea-sayers have their own solutions to a never ending problem, none of which work.
Regardless of all the talk, no one can really feel comfortable navigating these circles, mostly because of the other guy.
And we all know that the other guy doesn't know how to drive!

Stop signs and traffic lights are safe, unless you go through them.
The Villages circles are NOT.

[Bonanza]

OMG . . . Have you read all the B. S. regarding how to navigate these stupid, too small circles???

Common sense and logic tells me there can't be 100 solutions to one problem.
The circles present too many problems for too many people
who all think they have the answer and don't know how to drive, anyway.

The answer is: get rid of the circles
Yeah, right!

[Skybo]

Originally Posted by Bonanza

Well, what did you have before you moved to TV???
You had traffic lights and stop signs!
I guarantee you had fewer accidents then than you do now.
Furthermore, at least everyone knew what to do; they had to stop!

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

Originally Posted by Bonanza

CFrance -- Correct with every word!

It seems that all the yea-sayers have their own solutions to a never ending problem, none of which work.
Regardless of all the talk, no one can really feel comfortable navigating these circles, mostly because of the other guy.
And we all know that the other guy doesn't know how to drive!

Stop signs and traffic lights are safe, unless you go through them.
The Villages circles are NOT.

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.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Skybo

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.

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.

[Skybo]

Originally Posted by CFrance

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.

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 "few" accidents every week? In that one roundabout? How did you hear about all of these accidents that are occurring throughout the week?

[kittygilchrist]

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?

[bonrich]

Originally Posted by buzzy

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

Bingo, hit it right on the head! Nobody wants to be a "visitor".

[l2ridehd]

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.

[SantaClaus]

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:

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

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.

That is the way some helpful person on this forum taught me to think of roundabouts several years ago when we first came, and I have noticed the broken lines allowing you to cross over the outside lane to get to the gate. It IS an intersection, and if people would think of it as one, they would find themselves in the correct lane, yielding to everyone, not just the person in the lane they want to be in, and not using so much sign language.

I still think they're a dumb idea.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by SantaClaus

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:

But which one is the Visitor Lane and which is the Resident Lane???

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

But which one is the Visitor Lane and which is the Resident Lane???

Who cares? The roundabout itself is only one lane!

[Doro22]

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist

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?

I've had visitors who ask me how to navigate these roundabouts, & I always tell them to treat the yield signs as a stop sign if another vehicle is coming at you. (It doesn't matter which lane that other vehicle us in because they may change lanes & cross your path.) Personally, I try not to be in a roundabout if another car is in it, but that doesn't always work. What I really really don't get is this: how come another driver feels they can cut you off 6 inches from your front bumper in order to exit???!!! Would they do that on the interstate?

It is crazy, & as others have suggested...perhaps there should be only one lane of traffic in a roundabout.

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

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.

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 in order to get in the resident lane, an incoming driver coming into that lane will not anticipate such a move and may 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.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist

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.

Thank gawd I'll never be beside myself in a roundabout