#Gripesinsauga – The Roundabout

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Published November 29, 2013 at 9:24 pm

_roudabout

On this blustery winter morning, I have but one big complaints regarding the City Centre. No one understands the two-year-old roundabout.

The Roundabout

City Centre’s famed roundabout was born in the summer of 2011. While it’s still in its infancy, it’s not a baby anymore, so it’s strange that so many people (unless they’re new to the area) fail to use it properly.

The city warned us it was coming months before completion. We covered it. The Globe and Mail covered it.  The city walked us through how to use it with both text and diagrams.

So while I’m sure most drivers make it through the well-signed (our editor counted 28 signs leading up to it) traffic circle, a few others make these very common errors:

1) They ignore the yield sign, assuming it’s a “first come, first server” deal. It’s not. Respect the yield sign. Not doing so can cause an accident.

2) They treat the yield signs like a stop sign. Yield signs are not stop signs, they are signs that indicate that the driver is to stop and wait if there are other cars that have the right of way. If there are no cars or if you have the right of way, you can proceed without stopping.

3) They treat it like a four-way stop. Yield signs are not stop signs and you do not need to stop and wait for the person who arrived first to drive through. It’s courteous (in theory, not in practice), but it impedes the flow of traffic and confuses other drivers.  If one person treats it like a four-way stop, others who are less familiar with the roundabout might start doing the same. This will make Sheridan students late for class and shoppers late for purchasing Christmas gifts. You don’t want someone to miss a test or the last cashmere sweater dress at Banana Republic because you were confused, do you?

With today being Canada’s slightly watered-down (probably in a good way) Black Friday celebration, it’s best to use the roundabout with caution when entering the Square One parking lot. Nothing ruins the shopping experience faster than an impromptu and preventable oopsie.

 

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