Approaching a roundabout

Reduce your speed. Always keep to the right of the splitter island (either painted or raised) on the approach to the roundabout.

Entering the roundabout

Upon reaching the roundabout yield line. yield to traffic circulating from the left. Do not enter the roundabout beside a vehicle already circulating within the roundabout, as a vehicle near the central island may be exiting at the next exit. Watch out for traffic already on the roundabout, especially cyclists and motorcyclists. Do not enter a roundabout when an emergency vehicle is approaching on another leg; allow queues to clear in front of the emergency vehicle.

Within the roundabout

Within a roundabout, do not stop except to avoid a collision; you have the right-of-way over entering traffic. Always keep to the right of the central island and travel in a counterclockwise direction.

When an emergency vehicle is approaching, in order to provide it a clear path to turn through the roundabout, proceed past the splitter island of your exit before pulling over.

Exiting the roundabout

Maintain a slow speed upon exiting the roundabout. Always indicate your exit using your right-turn signal. Watch for and yield to pedestrians waiting to cross, or crossing the exit leg. Watch out for and be particularly considerate of people with disabilities, children, and elderly pedestrians. Do not accelerate until you are beyond the pedestrian crossing point on the exit.

Turning at roundabouts

• When turning right or exiting at the first exit around the roundabout, use the following procedure:

- Turn on your right-turn signal on the approach

• When going straight ahead (i.e., exiting halfway around the roundabout), use the following procedure:

- Do not use any turn signals on approach.

• When turning left or making a U-turn (i.e., exiting more than halfway around the roundabout), use the following procedure:

- Turn on your left turn signal.

- Continue to use your left-turn signal until you have passed the exit before the one you want, and then use your right-turn signal through your exit.

Motorcyclists and bicyclists

Watch out for motorcyclists and bicyclists. Give them plenty of room and show due consideration. Bicyclists may enter the approach roadway from a bicycle lane. Bicyclists will often keep to the right on the roundabout; they may also indicate left to show they are continuing around the roundabout. It is best to treat bicyclists as other vehicles and not pass them while on the circulatory roadway. Motorcyclists should not ride across the mountable truck apron next to the central island, if present.

Large vehicles

When car drivers approach a roundabout, do not overtake large vehicles. Large vehicles (for example, trucks and buses) may have to swing wide on the approach or within the roundabout. Watch for their turn signals and give them plenty of room, especially since they may obscure other conflicting users.

To negotiate a roundabout, drivers of large vehicles may need to use the full width of the roadway, including mountable aprons it provided. They should be careful of all other users of the roundabouts and, prior to entering the roundabout, satisfy themselves that other users are aware of them and will yield to them.

Bicyclists should likewise be educated about the operating characteristics of roundabouts. Well-designed, low-speed, single-lane roundabouts should not present much difficulty to bicyclists. They should enter these roundabouts just as they enter a stop sign or signal controlled intersection without auxiliary lanes (the bike lane terminates on the approach to these intersections, too). On the approach to the entry a bicyclist should claim the lane. Right-turning cyclists should keep to the right side of the entry lane; others should be near the center of the lane.

Cyclists have three options upon approaching a roundabout:

• Travel on the circulatory roadway of the roundabout like motorists. When using a double-lane roundabout as a vehicle, obey all rules of the road for vehicles using roundabouts. However, you may feel safer approaching in the right-hand lane and keeping to the right in the roundabout (rather like making two through movements to turn left at a signalized intersection). If you do keep to the right, take extra care when crossing exits and signal left to show you are not leaving. Watch out for vehicles crossing your path to leave or join the roundabout. Watch out for large vehicles on the roundabout, as they need more space to maneuver. It maybe safer to wait until they have cleared the roundabout. Or,

• If you are unsure about using the roundabout, dismount and exit the approach lane before the splitter island on the approach, and move to the sidewalk. Once on the sidewalk, walk your bicycle like a pedestrian Or,

• Some roundabouts may have a ramp that leads to a widened sidewalk or a shared bicycle-pedestrian path that runs around the perimeter of the roundabout. If a ramp access is provided prior to the pedestrian crossing, you may choose to ramp up to curb level and traverse the sidewalk or path while acting courteously to pedestrians. A ramp may also be provided on the exit legs of a roundabout to reenter the roadway after verifying that it is safe to do so.

Pedestrian education

Pedestrians have the right-of-way within crosswalks at a roundabout; however pedestrians must not suddenly leave a curb or other safe waiting place and walk into the path of a vehicle if it is so close that it is an immediate hazard. Specific education beyond these general instructions can be obtained for disabled pedestrians by contacting the City.

• Do not cross the circulatory roadway to the central island. Walk around the perimeter of the roundabout.

• Use the crosswalks on the legs of the roundabout. If there is no crosswalk marked on a leg of the roundabout, cross the leg about one vehicle-length away (25 ft.) from the circulatory roadway of the roundabout. Locate the wheelchair ramps in the curbs. These are built in line with a grade-level opening in the median island. This opening is for pedestrians to wait before crossing the next roadway.

• Roundabouts are typically designed to enable pedestrians to cross one direction of traffic at a time. Look and listen for approaching traffic. Choose a safe time to cross from the curb ramp to the median opening (note that although you have the right-of-way, if approaching vehicles are present, it is prudent to first satisfy yourself that conflicting vehicles have recognized your presence and right to cross, through visual or audible cues such as vehicle deceleration or driver communication). If a vehicle slows for you to cross at a two-lane roundabout, be sure that conflicting vehicles in adjacent lanes have done likewise before accepting the crossing opportunity.

• Most roundabouts provide a raised median island halfway across the roadway; wait in the opening provided and choose a safe time to cross traffic approaching from the other direction.