With all the talk about roundabouts perhaps now is the time to talk about the etiquette for their use.
1. When you enter a roundabout you do not have to signal a right-hand turn. You are effectively turning right onto a one way street where drivers there already have priority. There is only one way to go.
2. Just prior to reaching your exit you signal right to indicate you are leaving the roundabout.
3. If you are continuing to a further exit, keep your left turn signal going up to the point when you will signal right to leave.
This action is not mentioned in any highway code but is a courtesy to drivers about to enter the roundabout. For a driver wanting to enter the roundabout it helps to know if a vehicle already on the roundabout (and having the right of way) intends to exit before reaching them or intends to go past to a further exit.
4. You do not stop on the roundabout to let a vehicle on. This what I have seen. It is not being courteous to other drivers, it is dangerous.
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These are just a few simple points to remember and will make roundabout use safer and keep traffic flowing.
On a personal note, I hope that the new roundabout at the bottom of Memorial does not have the left-hand lane paved with brick just like other over-engineered roundabouts that have been built locally. It achieves nothing and costs a fortune.
It’s a pity that the designers didn’t look at what is done in the UK where roundabouts have been in use successfully and safely for many decades.
Edward Mott
Parksville
