Traffic Circle Etiquette Isn’t Just for New England: Check This Out

Do you know the difference between a traffic circle, roundabout, and rotary?  If you have a driver's license, you are supposed to know how to navigate through any and all of these.

There's been much debate about varying speeds into which you drive into a rotary, and why there are so many roundabouts in New England.  It just depends on what the need is.

This is a true statement when it comes to the revived popularity of the smaller roundabouts, as compared with the larger traffic circles.

We all know the Portsmouth Traffic Circle, and it is large in scale compared to a smaller rotary or roundabout.   Here in New England, we call them rotaries, but in other parts of the country, they are called roundabouts.

The interesting part is that all towns have issues with how drivers approach these types of traffic deliberators.

I ran across this message from our neighbors clear across the other side of America. The Anchorage Police Department seemed as frustrated as the when the Portsmouth Police Department is called to the Portsmouth Traffic Circle in New Hampshire.

Here's a recent photo from the Anchorage  Alaska Police Department.

As you can see by this post, they are having trouble with the same issues.  Mostly it's tourist or out-of-towners who don't know how to drive in a rotary/roundabout.  The traffic moves slower in a rotary than, say, in a larger traffic circle.  Think about the huge Portsmouth Traffic Circle and how fast drivers whip through that round intersection as opposed to the Meredith Rotary.

I think you get the point.  When traveling, check the roads ahead for rotaries and circles, and understand how to drive through them.

Clearly, this is a universal issue.