Directions for going in a circle

Has it come to this? It has: the city of Raleigh, replacing an intersection with a roundabout, has had to print directions for drivers: directions for going around a circle.

Not such a big deal, perhaps -- and certainly the revitalization of Hillsborough Street looks like a vast improvement for Raleigh (News & Observer stories here, here, and here; enormous map of the changes here).  And more, there's almost no doubt the roundabouts will be vastly successful in their goals: keeping traffic moving and reducing accidents. Study after study shows that's what they do. A couple great simulation models of roundabout traffic available here, here (an instructional video about how to drive in a circle from Washington State), and here (a video from the State of New York about how to turn right at a roundabout).

From comments, you would think nobody in Raleigh evern drove around a circle before. But it's worth recognizing: asking people to learn something new about how to use their cars is akin to asking them to learn a new way of walking. That's how it is when you have almost no alternative to car use. And look at the videos above -- New York and Washington have had to make videos to help their drivers learn to use roundabouts. So kudos to the city for making the directions. Let's see how Raleigh drivers use them.

Posted by Scott Huler
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