BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Drivers had a few weeks to acclimate to the new intersection traffic pattern at U.S. 301 and S.R. 100 before the Florida Department of Transportation quietly removed the remaining detours last week and reopened city streets.
It is quite a change for anyone familiar with downtown Starke prior to the start of overpass construction in 2020. The bridge accomplishes the goal of getting drivers over the railroad without trains disrupting eastbound and westbound traffic.
Alongside the overpass, frontage roads provide access to local streets, businesses and parking. Most notable are the roundabouts installed at Thompson and Cherry streets. While not difficult to navigate, they will be a new experience for many, and they do require care for the safety of travelers, bicyclists and pedestrians.
According to FDOT: “Reduce your speed to 10-15 mph as you approach the roundabout; be aware of bicyclists and pedestrians; look left for oncoming traffic (traffic moves counter-clockwise); yield to vehicles already in the roundabout, wait for a gap and enter; do not stop in the roundabout; do not pass other vehicles; use turn signal to exit the roundabout to the right; yield to pedestrians crossing the exit lane; allow emergency vehicles to pass.”
Be sure to pay attention to street signage and painted details to help determine where to yield or turn.
A graphic prepared by Michael Heeder in the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office helps illustrate the traffic pattern, along with photographs he took of the completed roadwork.
FDOT’s Q&A on roundabouts also includes the following information:
How should drivers yield to emergency vehicles?
If you have not entered the roundabout, pull over to the right and allow the emergency vehicle to pass. If you have already entered the roundabout, continue to the closest exit and pull over once you are beyond the splitter island to allow the emergency vehicle to pass. Never stop in a roundabout.
(Editor’s note: Most emergency would travel via the overpass, not the frontage roads.)
Should I stop inside the roundabout to let someone in?
No. You may slow down so the safe gap becomes more obvious to the driver wanting to enter the roundabout; however, you should not stop after crossing the yield line and are actually in the roundabout circle.
How are pedestrians accommodated?
Pedestrians use marked crosswalks. All roundabouts have splitter islands that separate the approach and exit lanes. This splitter island is used as a pedestrian refuge for crosswalks requiring pedestrians to only cross a single direction of traffic at a time.
What about visually impaired pedestrians?
Roundabouts may have an advantage to the visually impaired because they only have to address a single direction at one time and they can more easily distinguish between the vehicle noises. Also, slower vehicle speeds are generally safer for pedestrians.
How are bicyclists accommodated?
Bicyclists should be encouraged to both share the travel way with vehicles in a roundabout, or dismount and use the sidewalk and crosswalk system to navigate through the roundabout.
