Round and Round We Go

Not too long ago I picked my daughter up at her new office and needed directions to her new house. Suddenly she turned to me and said, "If we go this way, there are two traffic circles--are you okay with that?" I said, "Honey, I'm a Jersey girl-- I did traffic circles on my tricycle!" To me, a traffic circle is just a normal part of driving. Approaching one causes no more worry than approaching a four-way intersection. Often less. You slide into an opening, stay left until your exit nears, then move right. Or if you want the next exit, stay to the right and zip on out. The best part is that if you're not sure which exit you want, or if you miss it, you just go around again--no fuss, no bother. If you take the wrong turn at an intersection you have to keep driving until you find a safe place to turn around, which takes a lot longer than you were hoping, then go back and take another crack at it. Or, as I've seen with disturbing frequency, as soon as you realize your mistake do a nine-point turn, causing confusion and backed up traffic in both directions. Simple, right? Well, no, not according to the friends and occasional strangers I've asked about traffic circles. They find them totally intimidating. Several told me they were afraid they would have to "circle forever." One woman burst into tears and ran into a nearby store to get away from me. Which is why the tables turned and I found myself panic-stricken at the announcement that my small town was going to put three round-abouts in on our main road. I looked at the sites listed and there's no way there's room for a traditional circle. I'm guessing they are talking about those sad little imitation circles where the road swells a bit and has a post in the center. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do at those things if there are other cars approaching. I can only imagine what will happen when someone freezes in fear and blocks traffic in all directions. It will be a nightmare. All I can say is, Everybody take a breath, stay calm and drive on. And sing "Soft Kitty" if it helps.