To the editor: Re: "Safety inspires traffic circle mural," Aug. 9. A traffic circle is not a roundabout. The circle is a vehicle slowing device in an otherwise normal road intersection. The rule is, for two vehicles, or vehicle and cyclists entering a traffic circle simultaneously, give way to the right. A roundabout is different. On a roundabout there are concentric (parallel with the inner circle) traffic lanes between all of the intersection roads. Traffic entering the roundabout must give way, or yield, to the left. For cyclists knowing this difference can be a matter of life or death, particularly for cyclists heading down hill to a traffic circle because they are rarely in a position to stop instantly and give way to a car entering the traffic circle on the right at the same time. I have witnessed numerous near misses on the 10th Avenue and off -Broadway bike routes. The lack of understanding and danger is so great it caused a traffic circle to be taken out at Eighth Avenue and Wallace (a downhill approach situation). Ironically, it was removed at the behest of a local resident who claimed "we don't know how to use roundabouts here." In a sense she was right but we don't know how to use traffic circles either. And undisciplined and unschooled cyclists are the least aware of the differing rules.
I believe the differing size and geometrics between a traffic circle and roundabout are too subtle for the average person to comprehend and therefore the differing rules pose an unnecessary problem. The Traffic Act should be amended to make the rule consistent - give way to the left in all cases. I hope the cycling advocacy group HUB, takes this issue forward to the government when asking for a repeal of the Traffic Act as they recently publicly declared to do.
David Grigg
Vancouver
