I would like to respond to Victor Hartlove-Morrison's letter of concern regarding the concept of traffic intersection roundabouts.
I, too, live near the Edmunds Roundabout, use it on a regular basis and am quite satisfied with it. It does keep traffic flowing as proven in Europe for decades.
Using roundabouts is little different than merging at an on-ramp. You simply yield to the traffic that's already there. And since it's always coming from your left, just enter the roundabout and continue circling left until you choose to exit. The same rule applies to everyone, so what could be easier?
Isn't it obvious that traffic from the right is not a problem? If you entered the roundabout first, they will yield to you. If you both enter the roundabout near the same time, you both bear right and continue as they are ahead of you already anyway.
Maybe a sign, "Roundabout ahead, yield to traffic from your left," would be appropriate for first-timers. Maybe even a second sign "Yield to traffic in the circle," as a final reminder, but after that, what's to learn?
It's certainly an idea whose time has come locally, and I applaud the city and NDOT for exploring such applications.
