Roundabouts

Jana Mathia, Gazette Editor | Apr 30, 20200

Chopsticks make great eating utensils. If you know how to use them.

Same with roundabouts.

Pullman is looking at putting in its first roundabout. Installation of roundabouts have been breached in Colfax as a possible solution to traffic concerns on both ends of town. There are strong opinions for and against. Often cited is the effectiveness of roundabouts in Europe and other places.

On a trip to Germany there are some driving points you pick up quickly:

1) Every road leads to Ausfahrt. Instead of marking exits with where the road leads to, in Germany they all say "ausfahrt" which basically means this is where you exit. This confuses American travelers who see all exits will take you there, yet you never find a town called Ausfahrt--same as you never find a town in American called Exit.

2) Don't stop to help an auto accident. There are no Good Samaritan laws in Germany. If you stop to help someone in an auto accident and that person dies, the family can come after you.

3) Stau means slow down or congestion. You'll spend as much time, if not more, in a Stau as in limited speed areas.

4) When exiting a roundabout, you use your blinker.

That's right, the proper use of a roundabout includes use of a blinker to signal at which point the vehicle is exiting. There is no, "just going straight," it's a circle. You drive in the circle until you signal at which point you are leaving it.

Observation and use of roundabouts in some American cities leave one questioning that fact. Post Falls has installed roundabouts, but after several cases of using them, I've seen very few blinkers. Is it neglect? Maybe. Or perhaps, as the roundabout is such a rare breed in the Inland Northwest, people here just don't know how to use them properly. Roundabouts can be very efficient. Large European cities have proven that. But if we're to see the same level of effectiveness, drivers are going to have to use their blinkers.

And accomplishing that may be the hardest part.

Jana Mathia

Gazette Editor