Navigating Roundabouts

Drivers:

Click to view larger

Here are some simple guidelines to follow:

1. Slow down.

2. Yield to traffic already in the circle.

3. Obey one-way signs at all times.

4. Watch for pedestrians and bicycles throughout.  Left turns are completed by circling around the center island and then making a right turn to exit from the roundabout.

Graphic illustrating navigating a roundabout [pdf]
source: Washington County, MN
Animated demonstration
source:  State of Maryland
Driving/Biking Roundabouts [pdf]
source:  State of MN
Videos Illustrating Roundabouts
various sources

Pedestrians:

Roundabouts generally are safer for pedestrians than traditional intersections. In a roundabout, pedestrians walk on sidewalks around the perimeter of the circulatory roadway. If it is necessary for pedestrians to cross the roadway, they cross only one direction of traffic at a time.  The Institute for Highway Safety says converting conventional intersections to roundabouts can reduce pedestrian crashes by about 75 percent.

1. Always stay on the designated walkways, never cross to the center island
2. Watch for cars; you have the right-of-way, but your best protection is your own attention
3. Cross the roundabout one approach at a time, using the splitter island as a refuge prior to crossing the next lane of traffic  (source:  Washington County, MN)

Animated demonstration
source:  City of Scottsdale, AZ

Bicycles:

When riding a bicycle around a roundabout, consider the following safety tips:

1. Option One, if you are comfortable riding with traffic, circulate through the roundabout like you are a vehicle
    
2. Option Two, if you are not comfortable riding with traffic, dismount your bicycle and walk it through the intersection as if you were a pedestrian

Animated demonstration
source:  City of Scottsdale, AZ

Can Oversize Vehicles and Emergency Vehicles Navigate Roundabouts?

Yes. To accommodate vehicles with large turning radii such as trucks, buses, and tractor-trailers, roundabouts provide an area between the circulatory roadway and the central island, known as a truck apron, over which the rear wheels of these vehicles can safely track. The truck apron generally is composed of a different material texture than the paved surface, such as brick or cobble stones, to discourage routine use by smaller vehicles.  (source:  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

View video clips of oversize and emergency vehicles traveling through roundabouts.