After US 41 roundabout crashes, Sarasota works to educate visitors, new residents (Longboat Key: how much, school)

[Avalon08]

There's a reason Jersey got rid of its numerous traffic circles. And now here they are, the new fad in Florida!

I'm sorry, drivers shouldn't have to suddenly be expected to know what to do, when to yield, which lane to be in, when they've been driving for 50 years or even five years and "roundabout" training wasn't included in the driving lessons. I can tell you on those stupid little PITA roundabouts on Honore, I didn't realize at first that the cars coming in the opposite direction are sometimes going to be crossing right in front of me and they have the right of way. I just thought I was going around a landscape area in the middle of the road. Yes, there's a "yield" sign but coming upon all that so suddenly, how is the typical driver supposed to figure that out so quickly?

And I had my first experience on the "big one" in downtown Sarasota last week, coming north on 41. Lucky for me, it was rush hour so most traffic was just sitting there in the circle and it was easy to sneak around them to continue north in the proper lane. Would really hate to come into that circle at full speed. And didn't they just do major reconstruction of that intersection a few years ago? So that was a complete waste of money.

Sorry, I think they're a major mistake and I agree they're a boondoggle for the construction companies.

[MattMN]

"beach48urs" - wow, what a whacko. Pretty much everything said in multiple posts is wrong, wildly distorted opinion, or mainly supported by conspiracy theorists. (The later of which can be disproven or has no real data to support.)

Please people, don't confuse this new wannabe user with the long-term user we've had here, beach43ofus.

[MattMN]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

There's a reason Jersey got rid of its numerous traffic circles. And now here they are, the new fad in Florida!

I'm sorry, drivers shouldn't have to suddenly be expected to know what to do, when to yield, which lane to be in, when they've been driving for 50 years or even five years and "roundabout" training wasn't included in the driving lessons. I can tell you on those stupid little PITA roundabouts on Honore, I didn't realize at first that the cars coming in the opposite direction are sometimes going to be crossing right in front of me and they have the right of way. I just thought I was going around a landscape area in the middle of the road. Yes, there's a "yield" sign but coming upon all that so suddenly, how is the typical driver supposed to figure that out so quickly?

And I had my first experience on the "big one" in downtown Sarasota last week, coming north on 41. Lucky for me, it was rush hour so most traffic was just sitting there in the circle and it was easy to sneak around them to continue north in the proper lane. Would really hate to come into that circle at full speed. And didn't they just do major reconstruction of that intersection a few years ago? So that was a complete waste of money.

Sorry, I think they're a major mistake and I agree they're a boondoggle for the construction companies.

Jersey got rid of traffic circles, and converted them to roundabouts. What we have in Sarasota county are roundabouts, not traffic circles. In summary - everyone is going with roundabouts, because they are great for overall traffic flow.

Those Honore circles are indeed kind of a pain. But traffic flows way better than having a 4-way stop sign every 3 blocks.

So yes, drivers need to know how to handle a roundabout, they need to know how to yield. Heaven forbid, a driver might be required to learn something new after getting their driver's license at age 18.

How is a driver supposed to figure it out? Educate yourself; there are many online videos demonstrating how roundabout traffic is supposed to work, how you are supposed to handle it. Be patient, be kind, follow the road signs. It's all good.

[MattMN]

Originally Posted by MattMN

"beach48urs" - wow, what a whacko. Pretty much everything said in multiple posts is wrong, wildly distorted opinion, or mainly supported by conspiracy theorists. (The later of which can be disproven or has no real data to support.)

Actually I will revise my statement. This part is pretty good advice:

Originally Posted by beach48urs

the use is simple : merge safety when you can, don't frekin STOP in the traffic circle ! STAY in your own lane (if divided), KNOW WHERE YOU'RE going to exit the circle, LOOK AROUND and GO !! PUT YOU DAMN PHONE AWAY

[Ghaati]

We have a bunch of roundabouts here at The Villages (in central FL). We're an enormous 55+ community (over 35 square miles total size, over 70 square miles of golf cart and multi-modal paths, around 150,000 people during snowbird season). Most of our roundabouts are two lanes, there the inside lane has to take the second or third exit, and the outside lane must take the first or second exit. Exits (with few exceptions) also have two lanes, so everyone can remain in "their" lane without having to merge.

It is confusing and scary at first but eventually you get used to it, and it turns out to be pretty efficient.

Most of the car accidents around here happen on the main roads and /not/ in or near the roundabouts.

[heySkippy]

I was against them at first, but am now a total convert. They are WAY faster than a 4-way stop and if you can see ahead that you'll have the circle to yourself, also WAY more fun.

[joshan]

The roundabouts are an improvement, some people are just against change. This feel like an "OK Boomer" conversation... If you do not have enough intelligence to know/learn how to use one, stop driving or buy a Tesla.

[SanyBelle]

What is the difference between a roundabout and a traffic circle? Traffic circles are much larger than a roundabout and often have stop signs or signals within the circular intersection. Roundabouts are smaller and vehicles have to yield before entering.

[Yukenbo]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

There's a reason Jersey got rid of its numerous traffic circles. And now here they are, the new fad in Florida!

I'm sorry, drivers shouldn't have to suddenly be expected to know what to do, when to yield, which lane to be in, when they've been driving for 50 years or even five years and "roundabout" training wasn't included in the driving lessons. I can tell you on those stupid little PITA roundabouts on Honore, I didn't realize at first that the cars coming in the opposite direction are sometimes going to be crossing right in front of me and they have the right of way. I just thought I was going around a landscape area in the middle of the road. Yes, there's a "yield" sign but coming upon all that so suddenly, how is the typical driver supposed to figure that out so quickly?

And I had my first experience on the "big one" in downtown Sarasota last week, coming north on 41. Lucky for me, it was rush hour so most traffic was just sitting there in the circle and it was easy to sneak around them to continue north in the proper lane. Would really hate to come into that circle at full speed. And didn't they just do major reconstruction of that intersection a few years ago? So that was a complete waste of money.

Sorry, I think they're a major mistake and I agree they're a boondoggle for the construction companies.

Agreed. I grew up in South Jersey. They used to have a lot of circles -which I hated- and ripped them out. Big improvement.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by MattMN

"beach48urs" - wow, what a whacko. Pretty much everything said in multiple posts is wrong, wildly distorted opinion, or mainly supported by conspiracy theorists. (The later of which can be disproven or has no real data to support.)

Please people, don't confuse this new wannabe user with the long-term user we've had here, beach43ofus.

Thx Matt. I tried to get that user name revoked, but the moderator chose not to do so. Many will confuse my posts with theirs...frustrating, but nothing I can do.