Wednesday, June 16, 2010

All About a Roundabout

Not many people enjoy traffic congestion, extra pollution or intersections that consistently include speeding drivers. These issues are not only annoying, but potentially dangerous. To alleviate these concerns, MoDOT is changing the shape of some traditional traffic signal intersections … into circles.

A Roundabout is a one-way circle of traffic that motorists yield into to keep traffic moving. Once drivers enter the roundabout, they will continue to circle around until they exit on the street they want to continue on. Roundabouts help keep traffic flowing, plus emissions decrease because cars aren’t idling at red lights. Roundabouts force motorists to slow down and they remove the chance of a driver speeding through a yellow or red light.

Navigating through a roundabout is simple, but it’s understandable if you aren’t 100 percent sure on how they work. Watch our new video below to see what a roundabout is, how to drive through one and the many other benefits of these intersections.