We Need To Talk About The Roundabout At 16th And Winchester

Guys, I like the roundabout. I think it's a pretty good way to navigate traffic.  But I think all of us aren't on the same page when it comes to driving it. 

There are three possible entrances to the roundabout.  For my own sanity and clarification issues, I'm going to refer to them as the 16th street entrance, the Winchester entrance, and the Highway Y entrance.  Yes, I know 16th and Highway Y are technically the same, but it makes an easy distinction for me. That way, we all know what I'm trying to say.

First off, I think people misunderstand what they're supposed to do as they approach the roundabout.  Some people barrel in without looking.  You're supposed to yield if someone is coming, and then go on your path.  No, you don't have to stop if no one is there, but you are supposed to slow down and look both ways for a car or a pedestrian.  There aren't too many pedestrians in that area, but you never know.

A big thing is that you can and should stop if people are driving in your path BEFORE  you go in the roundabout.  But, you shouldn't stop once you're IN the roundabout.

Also, I think it's helpful to signal in the roundabout. I will never be mad at someone for using their turn signal (unless they leave it on for months). After all, it lets the person behind you know, okay, they're going to Winchester, or okay, they're going on to Highway Y.  That's helpful if someone is yielding to you, too, so they know where you're headed and when they can go on. If I'm sat at 16th and I'm yielding to you coming from Highway Y, a signal to let me know you're turning on 16th as opposed to going on to Winchester tells me when I can go.

Here's a couple videos that I found on YouTube that might help.

What I don't like is when someone assumes that they've gotten to the roundabout, that all bets are off.  When someone doesn't at least slow down, that's unsafe to me. You're not supposed to up your speed and go around at seventy miles an hour through the dang thing.  This is about preventing accidents, not causing them.

What do you think of the roundabout? Do you want more of them? Do you want none of them at all?