Roundabouts come in all sizes. And sometimes it’s the smallest that are the hardest to navigate.
Take the roundabout near the Les Schwab and Safeway gas station at Frontier Village in Lake Stevens.
“It is very dangerous, as the traffic from the Safeway parking lot does not yield to traffic on the Davies Road — they just come one after the other without even slowing down,” writes Jody Gamble. “What are the rules about this? If I have a problem I just stop so as not to get hit by this traffic. My husband says I am going to be smashed for doing that. Would a sign maybe helpful for drivers coming out of the lot?”
Like other roundabouts, the approaching vehicle always yields to the oncoming traffic from the left.
“Some motorists get timid and hesitate to enter the center lane because the smaller sized roundabout puts the intersection approach lanes much closer together,” said Mick Monken, the city’s Public Works director. “This results with the perception that they cannot get a break. Stopping in the approach will likely not result in an accident but may make the driver behind you impatient.
“As for an additional sign, this would likely have little if any effect, as what is being described sounds like how a roundabout is designed to operate,” he added.
Roundabouts are a hot topic on this blog. If you need a refresher, hop on over to the state Department of Transportation’s handy primer on roundabouts.
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