Who has the right of way at traffic circles?
The Seattle P-I has posted a reader question asking who gets the right of way at traffic circles (also known as ’round abouts’ to our friends from the British Isles). Kirkland neighborhoods have many such traffic circles — Norkirk alone must have over three hundred. Even the casual observer will notice there seems to be great confusion among drivers as to how they should navigate these obstacles in the road.
Do I treat it like a stop sign?
Do I drive around it clock-wise or counter-clock-wise?
I wanna make a left turn… can I take the short cut?
Do I have to slow down, ’cause I think I can make it on two wheels?
These questions are not too far from the reality. In the eyes of many drivers, there seems to be real confusion as they approach our traffic circles.
So, here is the answer to the question, “Who has the right of way at traffic circles?” by Eric Widstrand, city traffic engineer with the Seattle Department of Transportation, as posted in the P-I:
“The first to arrive at an uncontrolled intersection has the right-of-way, or when two vehicles arrive at an uncontrolled intersection at about the same time, the vehicle on the left shall yield the right-of-way to the vehicle on the right,” Widstrand says. “This is true at all intersections with no stop signs or yield signs, regardless of whether or not there is a traffic circle, and regardless of the size of the intersecting streets.”
Safe driving.
Posted by Rob Butcher on Monday, November 23, 2009 at 9:35 am
Filed under Headlines, Transportation · Tagged with Driving, Traffic
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Correction – Traffic circles and roundabouts are fundamentally different traffic control devices. They are not the same. The reference is correct for traffic circles which are found in the NorKirk neighborhood. There currently are no roundabouts located in Kirkland that I know of. A good example of a roundabout are the triple roundabouts that have just been constructed at the Hollywood Hills intersection in Woodinville. Each approach to the roundabout has a yield sign. Traffic circles have no such sign and are typically located in neighborhoods to “calm” traffic. Roundabouts are alternatives to traffic signals and are typically located on arterials. If you want to learn more about transportation in Kirkland or voice your opinion about a particular concern, please come to a Kirkland Transportation Commision meeting. They are typcially the 4th Wednesday of every month in Council Chambers.
http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/depart/Public_Works/Committees___Commissions/Transportation_Commission.htm
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Thanks for the clarification, John. In our household, we sometimes interchange the terms. There is a clear difference between the two.
Thanks for your comments.
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