A Tourist’s Guide to Roundabouts
By Tara Roberts
The following article is not meant to poke fun at tourists. It is a humorous piece that attempts to better explain one of the mysteries of the Emerald Coast. The opinions here represent those solely of the author and not EmeraldCoast.com.
It seems like a simple enough procedure – follow the directional signs in a counterclockwise manner (that means turn to your right), continuing in that direction until you can exit to your right on the desired road. You have successfully driven through a modern roundabout. Or, have you?
For most Emerald Coast motorists driving through a roundabout, or the more common traffic circle, has become second nature – and this in an area where stop signs are often regarded as yield signals. Remarkably, courtesy is the norm and traffic moves easily around the British import.
Now, add to the mix an almost unfathomable number of Spring Breakers and Snow Birds, all apparently arriving at the exact same moment. On any given day a veritable atlas of U.S. and Canada license plates can be seen on the major thoroughfares and in packed parking lots. While recent estimates put the number of roundabouts nationwide at a mere 1,000, it is likely that more than a few visiting motorists have such a traffic control device in their home state, if not their hometown.
Unfortunately, the reality is that even if this is true, some tourists still seem to have insurmountable trouble maneuvering through the circles. Could it be the lack of stop signs and the resulting confusion over who actually has the right-of-way? Could it be that in a nation fixated on NASCAR turning right borders on blasphemy? Or, could it be a historical rebellion over anything British?
The modern roundabout was introduced to the U.S. in the early 1990s. Since then, Fort Walton Beach, Destin and Niceville have taken advantage of the system, introducing nearly a dozen of the traffic systems throughout the area.
A true roundabout is distinguished from a traffic circle by its splitter islands at each entrance that directs traffic flow into the circle. A traffic circle, which is more common in the local area, has flared entries and a center island, but no splitter berms.
Okaloosa County Road Department Manager Russ Barry points to the two major roundabouts in Fort Walton Beach. Both are located on West Hollywood Boulevard within a couple blocks of each other.
“They work exceedingly well,” he said pointing out that most intersections cannot accommodate a traffic circle because of the space needed to construct it. Discussions on building additional circles, Barry added, have been just talks because of the large amount of right-of-way needed.
His advice for successfully maneuvering through the intersection is “keep to the right,” and “get in and get out fast.”
According to the 1998 edition of the Florida Department of Transportation’s “Roundabout Guide,” a roundabout can help alleviate traffic delays associated with traffic lights, and two-way and four-ways stops because “there is no sequential assignment of right-of-way and therefore no wasted time.”
Through a roundabout, left hand turns do not have to yield to through traffic, and because traffic enters the circle under yield control and not a stop signal, there are shorter time intervals between vehicles, and a larger number of cars can go through the intersection. Traffic also isn’t further stalled if there is a power outage that would adversely affect a traffic light.
The basic rules for driving through a roundabout are:
- Obey all yield signs.
- All traffic yields to automobiles already in the roundabout (that means don’t try to beat the car turning around the center island to get into the traffic flow, even if that means coming to a complete stop.)
- Always turn right into the circle (that means even if there are no cars entering to your left, you can’t turn left.)
- All turns from the circle must be to the right (that means if motorists want to turn left, they must make the full circuit around the center island.)
- Pedestrians are not intended to cross the circular roadway (that means walkers and bicyclists must follow the traffic flow.)
Violations of traffic laws governing roundabouts are considered, under Florida Statutes, a moving violation and that means a court appearance and probable fine.
Common sense and common courtesy is all that is really needed to navigate a roundabout.