A new traffic sign informs commuters to yield to traffic inside a traffic circle in Halifax.Paul Darrow/The Globe and Mail
There was a roundabout installed on our really busy residential street a couple of years ago. It handles traffic from four directions. Nobody seems to know how to use it. Some drivers stop completely and then there’s a whole “You go … no, you go” song and dance. Others don’t yield at all and seem to use the roundabout to gain momentum and speed up. During the winter, there were even tire tracks going straight through the middle island. So what are the rules, exactly? There are yield signs, but nobody seems to know who to yield to. – Brent, St. Albert, Alta.
The rules for a roundabout are surprisingly straightforward – but plenty of drivers still get confused, a driving expert said.
“The rules themselves are pretty simple,” said Ryan Lemont, manager of driver education at the Alberta Motor Association (AMA). “The biggest ones are yielding to drivers already in the traffic circle and to any vehicles on your left.”
According to an Alberta government web page on traffic circles and roundabouts, they’re both “circular intersections designed to improve traffic flow and safety.”
“There are some differences, but the principles are the same,” Lemont said. “Roundabouts are more for residential areas. They’re smaller and intended for lower speeds.”
In a standard intersection with traffic lights or stop signs, traffic proceeds from all directions after coming to a stop, yielding or proceeding straight through, depending on the signage. But in a roundabout or traffic circle, traffic moves counter-clockwise around a centre island, the site said.
Unlike big traffic circles with speeds of more than 50 kilometres an hour and traffic lights at each point of entry, modern roundabouts should be designed to slow traffic, Lemont said.
Whether it’s a traffic circle or a roundabout, you’re supposed to slow down before entering and yield to traffic, including cyclists, already in the roundabout. Because traffic flows counter-clockwise, you’ll yield to traffic approaching on your left, he said.
Once you’re in the roundabout, you keep going until your exit. You have the right of way over vehicles that are entering. When you approach your exit, use your right signal to let other drivers know you’re leaving, Lemont said. You shouldn’t be stopping in a roundabout unless you have to avoid a crash – or stop for a pedestrian.
The rules for roundabouts and traffic circles are similar across Canada. For instance, in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, drivers’ handbooks all say to yield to traffic in the intersection – in other words, you enter the roundabout when no traffic is coming from your left.
Vicious circles?
Once you’re in the roundabout, traffic in the right outer lane, is required to yield to traffic in the left inner lane.Supplied
It gets more confusing when there’s more than one lane. For instance, Alberta’s rules say you should stay in the same lane all the way through the traffic circle rather than switch lanes while you’re in it. So, if you enter in the right lane, you should exit in the right lane.
That’s why it’s important to choose the proper lane in advance for where you need to go, Lemont said.
“It’s recommended that you take that inside [left] lane if you’re going past more than one exit,” he said. “If you’re just taking that first exit, you can take that right outside lane.”
Similarly, Ontario’s handbook says to use the left lane if you’ll be turning left or going straight through – and to use the right lane if you’re turning right or going straight through.
“Do not enter a roundabout from the right lane if you want to turn left,” it states.
Traffic in both lanes should turn on their right signals when they’re exiting at the next exit, Lemont said.
Also, if you’re inside the circle in that right outer lane, you have to yield to traffic in the left inner lane that’s signalling right, he said.
That’s because if you’re in the right lane going around the circle past an exit, a vehicle in the left lane might be cutting across your path to take their exit.
“That’s where some of the confusion starts manifesting,” Lemont said. “In that right outside lane, you are permitted to take whatever exit you like, but the caveat is that you’ll have to yield to vehicles in the traffic circle on your left.”
Roundabouts and traffic circles can cause confusion because drivers may not be used to them, he said. While roundabout rules are covered on written driving tests, road tests needed for driver’s licences aren’t required to include roundabouts or traffic circles because there may not be one where you are being tested. Roundabouts aren’t mandatory on road tests but they can show up depending on where the instructor takes the driver, Lemont said.
“I would say it does cause confusion,” Lemont said, adding that it’s a good idea to check your route ahead of time to see if you’ll be encountering any traffic circles so they don’t surprise you. “They’re not that common. If you’re not exposed to them, the knowledge of how to navigate them gets parked deep in your mind and you need to dig to pull it up.”
Have a driving question? Send it to globedrive@globeandmail.com and put ‘Driving Concerns’ in your subject line. Emails without the correct subject line may not be answered. Canada’s a big place, so let us know where you are so we can find the answer for your city and province.