Do Roundabout Instructions Need to be Provided?

[Andrea J.]

I grew up in a city where there was 1 rotary and I went around that rotary probably once or twice a week during the 55 years that I lived there.
I was never formally instructed on how to maneuver it, maybe during Driver Ed in high school, but I think it was just learned by doing or observing.

Aruba has numerous roundabouts.
Starting near the Divi Dutch and working one's way to the airport on the Watty Vos, there are 8 or 9 to contend with.

Maybe, just maybe ALL rental car places should provide a paper with written instructions to their renters?
It could be simple and straight forward. Maybe even a diagram.
Or make it part of the ED card process?

"When entering the roundabout YIELD to vehicles already in the roundabout."

It is not rocket science.
Ahh but wait, some of those roundabouts have 2 lanes and curbing....OY VAY!

If encountering a 2 lane roundabout with curbing and you have no clue.....take the inside lane, closest to the center....make the trip around at least once to get your bearing and see where you need to exit and to see where the breaks are in the curbing to properly get into your lane.

We saw numerous close calls during our most recent stay.
We saw a few crashes that happened prior to us getting into the roundabout.
We observed that the most timid/apprehensive entering the roundabout were V plates (visitors)
The boldest and scariest that we observed were the taxis and private buses (not Arubus) and bikes.


What are your thoughts and suggestions to make it easier? safer?

[Pegmeister]

I think your suggestions are good; YIELD, YIELD , YIELD and go around once if you are unsure. We have a fair of amount of rotaries, or as you say roundabouts, in our area do we’re pretty used to them. Overall I think they help manage traffic.

[schexc]

Since we have a car on the island and drive a lot, I am quite familiar with the roundabouts there. I know which ones require an outside or inside lane choice, to get to the direction we want to be in. However, it does take a little refresher the first couple days we are there. Like you mentioned, if you are unsure, get in the inside lane and circle the drain until you figure it out. Otherwise, get off and head to the next one, where you can circle back.

[robin]

I almost got hit by someone who never stopped-just entered the roundabout at full speed-lucky for me there was no one in the interlane and no curbing or I may not be here now.

Another issue is tours, especially the ATV. They take long lines of them through the roundabouts and everyone follows regardless of who is already in the roundabout. If you are in the roundabout and they are entering it, you have to stop or hit them. I know they have supposedly have limits of how many can be in a group, but one group follows the first group and it is very unsafe.

Yes, they should be provided with directions, they should sign the roundabouts better as to which lane goes where(some do have these) and they need to do something about the ATV and jeep tours-they need to have their "guests" follow the rules, too.

[Andrea J.]

there is a roundabout on the watty vos, (counting from Lings it is rotary 4 or 5)............it is elongated, and last week there were 12 UTVs in it and it was pretty weird just waiting to find a break to get in. I remember as a kid playing jump rope and trying to "jump in"...lean in and get ready and then back off...repeat and repeat. just like trying to get in to a roundabout!

however................these roundabouts work and overall work well (imo)
so much better than dealing with sets of traffic lights!! ...which often were not working!

[NH Mark]

The key difference between a roundabout and a rotary is the approach angle. Some will say that the difference is that approaching traffic need not yield to drivers in the rotary whereas approaching traffic always yields to roundabout drivers. That's not true: roundabout or rotary, you must yield on approach. If drivers, new or practiced, followed that simple rule we'd all be safer. Here's a good easily presented primer:

Rotaries vs. Roundabouts – Sustainable Streets Boston (northeastern.edu)

[Andrea J.]

Yup those on the outside of whatever one wants to call them, must yield to the ones on the inside.

[J&D]

It's funny, living in PA the only circles we ever drove in were in NJ, and I think they've done away with many of them. Now I have 3 circles withing 10 miles of my house in PA. I don't mind them, and I think they work very well in keeping traffic flowing. However, they are all single lane circles , so they are quite easy to navigate.

[Arubajoey]

I LOVE the Aruba roundabouts. I see them as a challenge of ones driving abilities. They are not for the faint of heart.

[robin]

Each roundabout is a little different, too.